topic Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

ukanimal — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:07:54 GMT

Has anyone had one of these things before

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Hello there!

Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you.

Some time ago your device was infected with my private trojan, R.A.T (Remote Administration Tool), if you want to find out more about it simply use Google.

My trojan allows me to access your accounts, your camera and microphone.

Check the sender of this email, I have sent it from your email account.

You truly enjoy checking out porn websites and watching dirty videos, while having a lot of kinky fun.

I RECORDED YOU (through your camera) SATISFYING YOURSELF!

If you still doubt my serious intentions, it only takes couple mouse clicks to share the video of you with your friends, relatives, all email contacts and on social networks.

All you need is $1400 USD in Bitcoin (BTC) transfer to my account (Bitcoin equivalent based on exchange rate during your transfer).

After the transaction is successful, I will proceed to delete everything without delay.

Afterwards, we can pretend that we have never met before.

In addition, I assure you that all the harmful software will be deleted from your device.

Be sure, I keep my promises!

If you are unaware how to buy and send Bitcoin (BTC) - Google: Where to buy Bitcoin (BTC), to send and receive Bitcoin (BTC), you can register your wallet for example here: www.blockchain.com

My Bitcoin (BTC) address is: 12V1vgmqFhmjKBGjfbAFP4Xf9UMovgeSjj

Yes, that's how the address looks like, copy and paste my address, it's (cAsE-sEnSEtiVE).

You are given not more than 48 hours after you have opened this email (2 days to be precise).

As I got access to this email account, I will know if this email has already been read.

Everything will be carried out based on fairness!

An advice from me - regularly change all your passwords to your accounts and update your device with newest security patches.

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I'm now getting hundreds on a daily basis with the reply email as my own. I've scanned the computer and no malware or spy ware nothing, keep marking it as spam. Reported it to various places but still they keep coming.

The subject line some times changes but most of them are this one.

Any ideas as it's stressing our family out...

thanks

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

jab1 — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:08:06 GMT

@ukanimal - I get them in batches every so often. There is little you can do to stop them, but I have found that if you report them as spam via webmail, they do slack off.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

ukanimal — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:18:16 GMT

I had a day rest from them coming but it started again yesterday.. I have to have webmail open instead of my normal email software to just keep clicking junk...

time will tell but the Mrs isn't happy at all and well the rest of the family you can imagine...

shame we cannot just block them, but they are using my own email as a reply...

I've also just noticed each week the money demand is going up.. so I guess someone is doing it - oh well hopefully they will either get tired or just release this none video they claim to have and move on

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

jab1 — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:32:27 GMT

Whatever you do, don't open them - just delete.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

dvorak — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:52:32 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Plusnet Feedback to Tech Help

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

newagetraveller — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:18:38 GMT

Like the other posters, I receive them too. Try not to let it worry you, just delete and ignore them.

I only use a laptop online and the ironic thing is the camera is taped over and has been from day on.😂

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

greygit1 — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 22:35:19 GMT

It is an old trick. Seen it before. I just bathe in the lies that sort of missive contains. I don't have a web cam, for starters. The PC doesn't have an audio input. So that's two 'quick tick' lies. Always work from that basis, and pick the holes in the stuff they assert.

Remember - spammers tell lies. Spammers spead those lies far and wide in the hope of finding someone who conforms to what they state, or just a mug. It is an aspect of 'social engineeing'.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

FlossyThePig — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:53:07 GMT

I have my own domain name which I use for email. When I register with a new company/forum/whatever I give it a unique email address. For example if I banked with Bank of Scotland the email address could be bos@mydomain.

Years ago LinkedIn was hacked so I had to change my email address. I still get spam (threatening and begging, etc.) to the old LinkedIn email address which are automatically moved to my spam folder. I have other email addresses that get the same treatment.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

7up — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 20:32:34 GMT

I used to get a few of those, changed my email password and ignored them. Never even had a webcam connected anyway or any social media accounts at the time.

These videos target those with a vulnerable personality who are easily scared. As a kid I would have believed the threat - even though I had no webcam lol and I would have panicked about it for days not knowing what to do. The reality is that they have nothing on anyone but there will always be the odd few bites that cough up the cash.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

Baldrick1 — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 07:12:44 GMT

@ukanimal

It's a pain when I have to do it, it's happened twice to me in the last 15 years or so. If I start getting spamming emails I immediately test the email address on the Have I been Pwned web site (https://haveibeenpwned.com/). If this comes back positive I change the address and dump the compromised one. I also occasionally check addresses against this database in case I need to take pre-emptive action.

I always use a different password for sites with which I register and keep them in a password safe database. This also records the email address used, like others I have several. This allows me to identify and change important account addresses and dump those that are no longer relevent.

I despair for those who use the same password more than once.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

ukanimal — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:23:09 GMT

well I thought this had finally stopped, but nope signed into emails today and loads again...

I cannot change my email address, but apart from that I've tried marking as junk, reported as spam - yet they still come..

oh well I guess you think by now this 'mystery' video would have been posted by now as I'm not paying anything

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

jab1 — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:28:48 GMT

Yup, started up for me again this past couple of days - a pain, but usually short-lived.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

Champnet — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:40:24 GMT

When these videos do appear online, let us know as there's very little humour about theses days......................

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

jab1 — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:41:06 GMT

@Champnet 😂

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

ukanimal — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:42:25 GMT

yeah will do, they must have found a way to video through the post note and duck tape I have over the camera - so would be interesting to see..

glad I'm not the only one getting the emails... do feel a bit targetted

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

Mav — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 22:48:17 GMT

I have received seven spam emails informing me that they have knowledge of my downloading illegal adult videos and images.

Again they want 500 in crypto currency - whatever that is or my family and friends will be told and I can expect a knock on the door from the local constabulary.

I can understand how some vulnerable people could be frightened by this thinking their PC has downloaded this stuff without their knowledge.

What I find a little scary is that my full name and email address was added but an address I haven't lived at for a few years. I checked the email addresses in the various spam messages on https://haveibeenpwned.com/ with "Good news — no pwnage found".

I deleted these spam emails on 9th October, the day I got them, so will let you know what happens on the 23rd

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

madswitcher — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 14:19:25 GMT

Just to add a bit to the previous replies, those type of spam/blackmail emails have been around for some time and the best think is just to ignore and delete them. They seem to work on the principle of buying email addreeses in bulk from somewhere and then doing a flood of threats. From their point of view, they only need one recipient to bite to make it worth their while.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

Champnet — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 14:47:24 GMT

@madswitcher wrote:

the best think is just to ignore and delete them.

Unless you’re using a text mail reader it could be too late as you’ve probably confirmed your existence.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

jab1 — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 18:10:02 GMT

@Champnet That is why, although I don’t get that many spam mails these days, I still run everything via MWP.

Re: I RECORDED YOU! Email Scammer Help

greygit1 — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 19:53:28 GMT

There's a lot of info on the 'net. And data gets married up (by whatever means can be used in the darker places). This can result in a set of data which superficially adds to the veracity of the bulk mailings. It is mostly 'scare' tactics.

Crypto currencies (bitcoin being the primary version, other examples being ethereum and dogecoin) are decentralised and not tied to a country or their banking system (bar when you have to buy or sell some, because that is hard cash) and fairly anonymous. Which is why the n'er-do-wells like them.

Since the cryptocurrencies rely on (unbreakable) encryption people who have invested in them have sometimes lost a lot of their investments when they lose the encryption key(s) for whatever reason (hardware failure with insuffient backups, being hacked, tricked, lost password, etc.). My heart bleeds for them. (n.b. some irony may be present).

Plus there are dodgy people peddling new cryptocurrencies which don't really exist (vapourware).

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cryptocurrency.asp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin