Blackmail by Email

[Andy in Germany]

I'm probably he last person to come across this, but still...

Over the last month a couple of people with very implausible names have sent emails to me saying they have been monitoring my activities on a p*rn site I've never heard of and have a copy of a video they claim I watched, which they'll send to my contacts if I don't pay X thousand dollars by Bitcoin.

If I'd actually watched any P*rn or visited any website I may have been worried.

What does concern me though is that they seem to have found a password for an email account somewhere.

 

[screenman]

I hope you have changed it.

 

[Levo-Lon]

I had one , FBI ,they would lose the evidence for 2k.. Fake news
I've come to the opinion just about everything is a scam with the feckin internet.

 

[Fnaar]

I'm probably he last person to come across this, but still...

Over the last month a couple of people with very implausible names have sent emails to me saying they have been monitoring my activities on a p*rn site I've never heard of and have a copy of a video they claim I watched, which they'll send to my contacts if I don't pay X thousand dollars by Bitcoin.

If I'd actually watched any P*rn or visited any website I may have been worried.

What does concern me though is that they seem to have found a password for an email account somewhere.

Change your password, delete the email and ignore it

 

[MikeG]

I'm probably he last person to come across this, but still...

Over the last month a couple of people with very implausible names have sent emails to me saying they have been monitoring my activities on a p*rn site I've never heard of and have a copy of a video they claim I watched, which they'll send to my contacts if I don't pay X thousand dollars by Bitcoin.

If I'd actually watched any P*rn or visited any website I may have been worried.

What does concern me though is that they seem to have found a password for an email account somewhere.

It's a widespread scam. Apparently it isn't difficult to find one or more passwords, but the rest of their claim is bogus. They told me they'd got video of me in front of porn, with video of what I was watching..........but the fact is I don't have a web cam of any description. They've just plucked that idea out of the air. The police weren't interested at all, unless I had actually paid over some money, at which point the crime of fraud had taken place.

Ignore it. Delete it. List the address as spam on your email spam filter. Then forget all about it.

 

[classic33]

I'm probably he last person to come across this, but still...

Over the last month a couple of people with very implausible names have sent emails to me saying they have been monitoring my activities on a p*rn site I've never heard of and have a copy of a video they claim I watched, which they'll send to my contacts if I don't pay X thousand dollars by Bitcoin.

If I'd actually watched any P*rn or visited any website I may have been worried.

What does concern me though is that they seem to have found a password for an email account somewhere.

Was that by using the keystroke logger they installed?

 

[Drago]

Ignore them. Delete the messages, change all you passwords, and run something like C Cleaner pro through the system to clean out any unwanted stains.

 

[Beebo]

Unless you pay me 1 billion dollars I will tell your employer how much time you waste on Cycle Chat during office hours!
Just dont tell my employer though.

 

[Andy in Germany]

[QUOTE 5412826, member: 9609"]which email provider are you with, i'm curious about your compromised password - how do you know they have your password?


As for the rest just ignore it, Its a weight of numbers thing, If they sent out a million emails saying we know you stayed in Bath last week, they would have someone worried, and if that person is vulnerable they would have them on the hook.[/QUOTE]

I'll have to talk to the person in charge of our server: he's a tech and he'll know how to stop it.

Anyone not panicking because they've been on such a site can probably see the flaws in the email fairly quickly, apart from the fact that in 2018 most of your contacts wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised about you visiting p*rn sites, I'm not sure how sending an email to someone saying 'Look what your mate watched' and a link will prove that said mate watched it, especially when the person sending the email pretty obviously got the address illegally.

As you say, he/she's hoping that just 1% have a guilty conscience, panic and send the money before they think about it too much.

Unless you pay me 1 billion dollars I will tell your employer how much time you waste on Cycle Chat during office hours!
Just dont tell my employer though.

He probably knows. I spend a lot of time at work 'on standby' and can be a bit short of things to do. When I'm needed though I have to be 100% present.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I must be really lucky, I crack one out most evenings and have never been caught by them

 

[Drago]

You'd need to hold the webcam about 30 feet away to fit mine in the frame.













































My ego, that is.

 

[User6179]

I must be really lucky, I crack one out most evenings and have never been caught by them

Hard to recognise someone through a gimp mask....

 

[stalagmike]

Im no expert but, commonly the people who send these emails have usually bought your address and password info on the dark web, following a data breach at a 'legit' company or website that you had signed up to. That's why they will often mention your password in the email threat they send you. This will be the password that you were using at the time of the breach. So it's a good idea to change your password regularly to stay secure. Can also sign up here for alerts when a breach happens.

https://haveibeenpwned.com

 

[MikeG]

[QUOTE 5412826, member: 9609"]........ how do you know they have your password?........[/QUOTE]

Because they told me what it was. "I know your password is **blah**blah**". It wasn't one from an email provider, but one of the weaker ones I use for occasional one-off type create-an-account moments.

 

[slowmotion]

Stick some insulation tape over the webcam. Disconnect the microphone.

BTW, they never went to the Moon.