In a new sextortion scam, cyber-criminals are posing as corrupt officials of the CIA and demanding $10,000 from their targets whose names they claim to have found in an investigation into online pedophiles, according to Kaspersky.

Victims reportedly receive an email authored by what appears to be a corrupt CIA agent involved in “a large international operation set to arrest over 2,000 people suspected of pedophilia, in over 27 countries.”

The scope of the information the department reportedly has includes the victim’s name, phone number, and email, along with the person's home and work addresses. The scammer also claims that the CIA has information about relatives, which was reportedly obtained from a range of sources, including ISP, online chats and social networks, researchers said.

The note alleges that the victim’s contact details and those of their relatives are being held as part of the operation identified as case #45361978 (relating to possession and distribution of child pornography, or so it seems).