Hackers Using Racy Blackmail ‘Sextortion' Scheme

In the era of advanced technology, cyber criminals are going to great length to extort money from victims, but a cyber company in the Bay Area is trying to fight back.

Known as "sextortion", cyber criminals are using stolen photos, video and data from people who have money, hoping they’ll pay a ransom in order to prevent embarrassing or racy photos from going public.

Hackers are stealing personal information directly from mobile devices, personal networks and through the cloud.

Barracuda Networks, a cyber security network in San Jose said thousands of people are being targeted every year.

"They want untraceable money, bitcoin or cyber currency," said Barracuda Networks CTO, Fleming Shi.

Hackers are receiving about $1,000 from victims and experts advise to avoid posting intimate photos to the cloud and to avoid a suspicious email or link.

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