New Zealand Sextortion Threats Up 137% Fueled By AI-Powered Attacks And Data Breaches

AUCKLAND, 25 March 2025 – Sextortion scams are becoming more common – and more threatening – as cybercriminals exploit artificial intelligence (AI) and large-scale data breaches to develop highly convincing scams. A recent analysis by Avast, a leader in digital security and privacy and part of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), found that in 2025 so far, the risk of being targeted with sextortion scams in the NZ has risen 137%.

New Zealand is not alone: Avast researchers are seeing countries around the world being impacted by these highly manipulative scams. In the US, the likelihood of being targeted by sextortion scammers also increased 137% in the first few months of 2025. The UK and Australia’s risk rose 49% and 34% respectively. Avast also revealed the top 10 countries most vulnerable to these scams, with Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, Italy, Australia, UAE, the UK, Switzerland and Czech Republic facing the highest risk ratios for sextortion in the last calendar year.

New Threatening and Intrusive Tactics

Criminals are refining their tactics, thanks to the help of AI and a wealth of personal data available from recent large-scale breaches. As the sophistication of AI increases, so do the explicit extortion emails scammers are sending. AI is being used by scammers to create ‘deepfake’ images, fake explicit photos created by superimposing a victim’s face onto another body, coupled with threatening messages to distribute them.

Michal Salat, Threat Intelligence Director for Avast comments: "Our analysis reveals that sextortion victims frequently receive threatening messages claiming access to their private videos and images. These scams are made even more convincing with the use of stolen passwords from past data breaches, lending an alarming sense of credibility.”

“Fear of exposure, especially when personal details appear accurate, often pressures victims into complying with ransom demands. However, we strongly advise against engaging with these scammers, no matter how real the threats may seem."

One of the latest techniques used by cybercriminals involves Google Maps and is designed to employ a more invasive and personalised approach that can really shock and intimidate their victims into complying with demands.

Criminals – utilising names, addresses, and emails readily available on the Dark Web due to data breaches – can create very targeted emails to victims containing fabricated footage and unsettling information and images of their real homes. Scammers will also claim to have gained access to victims’ devices to extort their victims by threatening to share sexual content or information about them. Cybersecurity experts at Avast have identified over 15,000 unique Bitcoin wallets associated with the Google Maps scam, though the scope of the operation is likely much larger.

Avast experts emphasise the importance of proactive protection against sextortion scams and urge people to never engage with messages that could be from scammers. The following actions help to combat sextortion efforts:

• Do not pay ransom demands or respond to threats.
• Do not engage with these emails, texts or calls or open any associated PDF attachments.
• Always report such crimes to the relevant cybercrime units including the NZ Police and Netsafe for support.
• Use a reputable password manager to ensure unique passwords for all accounts and prevent reuse.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible to enhance account security.
• Monitor your data for breaches by using dark web monitoring services, through products such as Avast Secure Identity, to be alerted when personal information is exposed so you can act quickly to help protect your accounts.
• Do not panic - stay informed and take action to secure your accounts.

As sextortion scams become more advanced, it is crucial for individuals to remain cautious and take steps to safeguard their digital privacy. Public awareness and vigilance remain critical in combatting these threats.

About Avast 
Avast is a leader in digital security and privacy, and part of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Avast protects hundreds of millions of users from online threats, for Mobile, PC or Mac and is top-ranked and certified by VB100, AV-Comparatives, AV-Test, SE Labs and others. Avast is a member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware, No More Ransom and Internet Watch Foundation.

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