The City of London Police Action Fraud contact centre has received reports over the last 24 hours from businesses who have been sent online extortion demands from scammers threatening a cyber attack. Action Fraud says that the scammers who call themselves the ‘RepKiller Team’ have been sending emails to businesses across the UK demanding payment of between £300-£500 in Bitcoins by a certain date and time. If the demands are not met, the team have threatened to launch a cyber attack against the businesses and their reputation by automating hundreds of negative reviews online. The emails also claim that once actions have started, they cannot be undone.
If your business receives a threatening email along these lines, Action Fraud recommends the following actions:
- Whether the attack is attempted or successful, you should report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or by using the Action Fraud online reporting tool and receive a police crime reference number.
- Do not pay the demand. There is no guarantee the scammers won’t launch an attack anyway and payment could encourage further extortion demands in the future.
- Retain all the original emails. Should law enforcement investigate, the information contained within the email headers can be used as evidence.
- Maintain a timeline of the attack recording all times, type and content of contact.
