Sri Lanka, Aug. 8 -- The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) has uncovered information about a large-scale organised extortion racket being carried out through social media and messaging platforms such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.



According to SLCERT, the racket is reportedly being operated from India, with scammers targeting individuals after first adding their relatives and friends, including siblings, to their social media accounts in order to give the impression that the scammer is a mutual friend.



As the initial step of the scheme, a message saying "Hi" is sent via Instagram from an account featuring the profile picture of an attractive young woman.



The scammers monitor those who resp...