'Sextortion' email scam targeting students

Some Rowan University students have recently reported receiving emails that claim their accounts were hacked and they were secretly recorded while visiting adult websites. These emails, known as “sextortion” scams, demand payment via bitcoin to prevent supposed compromising videos from being released.

This email is a scam. If you received this email and responded to it, please contact us immediately at support@rowan.edu or 856-256-4400.

If you received this email and did not respond, delete the email.

More Information About “Sextortion” Scams

“Sextortion” scams often include passwords that the recipients previously used in order to make the threats appear legitimate. These passwords are usually gathered from previous data breaches. If you recognize the password in the email and still use it, change it now.

For more information about “sextortion” scams, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation's article on this topic.

How Else Can I Protect Myself?

Visit go.rowan.edu/pwned for instructions on identifying the external websites where your account may have been compromised and change your password on any of the sites where your password was exposed. Our instructions will refer you to an external service called HaveIBeenPwned.com. This is a trusted website that allows you to verify if you have an account that has been compromised in a data breach.
Keep an eye out for sketchy emails and messages, as cybercriminals may use this stolen information for phishing emails and social engineering scams. Visit go.rowan.edu/phishing for tips for spotting scams.
Protect yourself by using a strong, unique password for each of your accounts. Visit go.rowan.edu/password for tips.
Complete our free Security Awareness training at go.rowan.edu/securitytraining, which includes information on other scams and tips for avoiding common scams.

If you have any questions, please contact the Technology Support Center at 856-256-4400, or log in to support.rowan.edu and click Get Help.