There’s a lot of scams going around now, and this is one that I get regularly. I get this same message anywhere from 2 to 100 times a week, and have for at least a year now.
So, what is the scam?
The email is a simple premise. The “hacker” has installed some software on your PC that gives them complete access to everything, and they’ve used your webcam to record you “having some personal time” and they will release it to the world unless you pay them to keep it quiet.
There’s a few big glaring issues with this, but for me the main ones are:
- The first times that I got this was on my old PC, and that didn’t have a webcam hooked up to it.
- If they have full access to everything that you do, and everything that you have, on your PC, why not just log into your internet banking and get your money that way?
- Would you trust them to actually delete anything that they say that they will? This is especially pertinent because the emails are always sent from a remote hacked email account or free email service that hasn’t shut then down yet, so there’s no way to contact them anyway.
- The email accounts that they are sent to are normally the generic ones that I have set up for some websites, and aren’t real email addresses, just alias’s, so when they tell me that they’ve logged into that account, I wonder how because it’s not actually a real account.
How does the scam work?
This scam is meant to scare who ever is reading the email into believing that all of this has happened, and to try to use the shack and shame reflexes that people have to say “Oh no, I can’t have that go public! I’ll do anything that they say to stop that from happening…”
So, they ask to have the funds sent to a bitcoin address. Even though there are some ways to trace bitcoin movement, it’s also easy to move money around so while we can provide police with the bitcoin wallet addresses there’s not much chance that they’ll be able to do much with that information.
What does the scam look like?
Here’s a copy of the emails that I keep on getting. I have removed the email address, and the bitcoin wallet address, but ther rest is word-for-word. You can see just how badly it’s written…
Hello there!
Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you.
Around several months ago I have obtained access to your devices that you were using to browse internet.
Subsequently, I have proceeded with tracking down internet activities of yours.Below, is the sequence of past events:
In the past, I have bought access from hackers to numerous email accounts (today, that is a very straightforward task that can be done online).
Clearly, I have effortlessly logged in to email account of yours (** email removed **).A week after that, I have managed to install Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all your devices that are used for email access.
Actually, that was quite simple (because you were clicking the links in inbox emails).
All smart things are quite straightforward. (>_<)The software of mine allows me to access to all controllers in your devices, such as video camera, microphone and keyboard.
I have managed to download all your personal data, as well as web browsing history and photos to my servers.
I can access all messengers of yours, as well as emails, social networks, contacts list and even chat history.
My virus unceasingly refreshes its signatures (since it is driver-based), and hereby stays invisible for your antivirus.So, by now you should already understand the reason why I remained unnoticed until this very moment…
While collecting your information, I have found out that you are also a huge fan of websites for adults.
You truly enjoy checking out porn websites and watching dirty videos, while having a lot of kinky fun.
I have recorded several kinky scenes of yours and montaged some videos, where you reach orgasms while passionately masturbating.If you still doubt my serious intentions, it only takes couple mouse clicks to share your videos with your friends, relatives and even colleagues.
It is also not a problem for me to allow those vids for access of public as well.
I truly believe, you would not want this to occur, understanding how special are the videos you love watching, (you are clearly aware of that) all that stuff can result in a real disaster for you.Let’s resolve it like this:
All you need is $1450 USD transfer to my account (bitcoin equivalent based on exchange rate during your transfer), and after the transaction is successful, I will proceed to delete all that kinky stuff 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 all your devices. Be sure, I keep my promises.That is quite a fair deal with a low price, bearing in mind that I have spent a lot of effort to go through your profile and traffic for a long period.
If you are unaware how to buy and send bitcoins – it can be easily fixed by searching all related information online.Below is bitcoin wallet of mine: ** removed because I don’t want to advertise for these scum **
You are given not more than 48 hours after you have opened this email (2 days to be precise).
Below is the list of actions that you should not attempt doing:
Do not attempt to reply my email (the email in your inbox was created by me together with return address).
Do not attempt to call police or any other security services. Moreover, don’t even think to share this with friends of yours. Once I find that out (make no doubt about it, I can do that effortlessly, bearing in mind that I have full control over all your systems) – the video of yours will become available to public immediately.
Do not attempt to search for me – there is completely no point in that. All cryptocurrency transactions remain anonymous at all times.
Do not attempt reinstalling the OS on devices of yours or get rid of them. It is meaningless too, because all your videos are already available at remote servers.Below is the list of things you don’t need to be concerned about:
That I will not receive the money you transferred.
- Don’t you worry, I can still track it, after the transaction is successfully completed, because I still monitor all your activities (trojan virus of mine includes a remote-control option, just like TeamViewer).
That I still will make your videos available to public after your money transfer is complete.- Believe me, it is meaningless for me to keep on making your life complicated. If I indeed wanted to make it happen, it would happen long time ago!
Everything will be carried out based on fairness!
Before I forget…moving forward try not to get involved in this kind of situations anymore!
An advice from me – regularly change all the passwords to your accounts.
What can I do if I’ve been caught by this scam?
First of, don’t worry – you are not alone! This email, and variations of it, have been going around long enough for me to know that it must work enough to make it worthwhile to keep on sending the messages out.
What you need to do is report it to your local law enforcement agency This will vary depending on where you live, but most countries these days will have some sort of dedicated cyber security department. They’ve seen all of this before, and worse, so they won’t think that there’s anything strange or wrong. The worst thing that they might do is give you a short good-hearted lecture about online security, but that’s it.