[If an Email Demands a Bitcoin Payment or It Will Spread Your Video] Do Not Pay, Do Not Reply, Delete It — IPA Logged 19 Consultations in July-September 2026 and Confirmed No Consultation Reporting a Payment; If Your Password Appears in It, Change That Password

Short answer: if you receive an email saying 'I filmed you, and I will spread it to your family and coworkers unless you pay in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency', do not pay, do not reply, and delete it. In its consultation report for July-September 2026, published on October 23, IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan) recorded 19 consultations about this scam at its Information Security Consultation Desk. IPA writes that it has not confirmed any consultation from someone who paid in cryptocurrency.

The email says 'I filmed you with your webcam while you visited a site I had infected, and I collected your contacts. Pay in Bitcoin within 48 (or 50) hours.' IPA has warned about this since 2018. As far as it has confirmed, the emails contained no URL to a video and no attached video file, and its desk has not confirmed a single case where a video was spread because someone did not pay (added in March 2021). Still, it is natural to feel uneasy when you read one. Below, we explain how to recognize it and what you can do today.

What is in the email, and the tricks that make it look real

• ▸1. The threat: it says 'I filmed you watching adult sites' and 'I collected your email and social media contacts', and threatens to spread it to family and coworkers (IPA). No actual video is shown
• ▸2. Tricks to look real: the sender may appear to be your own email address. IPA explains that forging the sender is technically possible and 'is thought to be meant to make you believe your account was hacked.' The subject or body may also contain a password you really have used, either a current one or an old one. IPA says it is thought to come from data leaked from some outside service, but the route and cause are unknown
• ▸3. A deadline and a payment: it demands Bitcoin 'within 48 or 50 hours'. The amount varies by case, such as 5,000 dollars, and a Bitcoin address is included
• ▸4. Do not pay: IPA's advice is 'ignore the email and do not pay in cryptocurrency.' If a password is shown, change it using the steps below

A password in the email is not proof that you were filmed

Seeing your password makes it feel as if you were really hacked. But according to IPA, that password is thought to come from data leaked from another service (the route and cause are unknown). It is not evidence that your computer's camera recorded you. However, if the password shown is one you still use, it has actually leaked, so you need to change it. If you use the same password elsewhere, change it there too.

What to do today

• ✓★Do not reply, do not send any cryptocurrency, and delete the email. IPA's advice is 'ignore it and do not pay in cryptocurrency'
• ✓★If the password in the subject or body is one you still use, change it on that service. If you used it on other services, change it everywhere. IPA recommends passwords that are 'long' and 'complex' and not reused across services
• ✓Turn on 2-step login where the service offers it. IPA also recommends it
• ✓Even if a link to a video or an attachment is included, do not open it. In what IPA confirmed there was no video URL or attachment, so if there is one, it may be a different trap (our own view)
• ✓If you are worried, do not carry it alone: tell family or someone close that 'an email like this arrived'. The threat is not necessarily true (our recommendation)
• ✓If you actually sent images to someone you met on social media and that person is threatening you, that is a different problem. Do not carry it alone: consult the police consultation line '#9110' or your nearest police station. If you fear for your safety, call 110. If a child is involved, read the article below

What we could not confirm

• ▸The newest wording of emails arriving now. The sample emails IPA shows were confirmed up to March 2021. We did not find 2026 samples on IPA's pages
• ▸Consultation counts are not victim counts. The 19 is the number of consultations about this scam at IPA's desk. It is not the number of emails sent in Japan or of people who paid
• ▸A mismatch inside IPA's report. The July-September 2026 report text says consultations about this scam rose 'about 36.7%' from the previous quarter, but the trend figures on the same page (30 in April-June 2026, 19 in July-September) show a decrease. This article uses only the figure 19 and says nothing about the direction of change
• ▸Cases where a real video was filmed. IPA's page does not confirm the existence of any filmed video for these emails. Threats from someone you actually sent images to, however, are a different problem
• ▸The amount of money lost, or the total number of victims in Japan. This article cannot show them

Three lines to send to family

• ▸An email saying 'I filmed you, pay in Bitcoin': do not pay, do not reply, delete it. IPA has not confirmed any consultation from someone who paid
• ▸★If the email shows a password, change it on that service. If you still use it, it has really leaked. If you reused it, change it everywhere
• ▸If someone you actually sent images to is threatening you, do not carry it alone: call the police consultation line #9110 (110 in an emergency) or your nearest police station

Where to get help (Japan)

The police consultation line '#9110' connects to the consultation desk of the prefectural police covering the place you call from (per the National Police Agency's guide, it does not work from dial lines and some IP phones, which use a number for each prefecture). If you paid, or if someone you actually sent images to is threatening you, consult this line or your nearest police station. If you are unsure about a bill or contract, the Consumer Hotline '188' (a number that connects to your local consumer affairs center) is also available. For help with changing passwords or other security problems, you can call or email IPA's Information Security Consultation Desk. Keep the email and any payment records instead of deleting them when you consult (our recommendation). These are services in Japan.

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