Received an email yesterday from someone threatening to send a video to everyone in my contacts list of me doing some dubious sexual thing that he recorded off my computer camera. Claims to have put some software on my computer allowing him remote control of all my computer functions.

The email is quite long and uses some odd language. Of course he want me to contact him to pay him not to do this through the hacked email he sent it with.

There is also an attachment in the email that I haven't and will not open not knowing whats in it.

I know this is probably some phishing scheme but would like some input from the forum.

Just to be on the safe side how might i check my computer for this malicious software. Computer is a IMac running Mojave and using Malwarebytes.

Never had anything like this come up before and it has me rattled a little.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Greg

It's a common scam. Delete and ignore.

quote:

Originally posted by bigwagon:
It's a common scam.

Yes. Has been discussed here and elsewhere.

Counter-offer them. Tell them you'll do a new video if they send you $75 via Venmo.

Does your computer even have a camera?

The fact that you are considering that this common scam might actually be real has me wondering just what kind of dubious sexual things you've actually been doing in front of your computer and are therefore worried about...

On second thought, best to leave that one alone.

So... did you do it ???

just kidding -- common scam.

delete and ignore.

do not EVER click on any unusual / unknown attachments.

-------------------------------

Ask for 8x10 glossy's for your scrap book.

No. Block, junk and delete the email.

pay it before your mother gets the email

Yep, it's a fraud.

They start with the one email, then send a follow on with a lower price but more lurid threats.

I think I've gotten three separate instances of this in the last year or so. I think this is an industry, sort of a franchise amongst the fraudsters.

<<Start of hypothetical fraudster-to-fraudster sales pitch>>
"Q: How do I make money from this hacked email address and password I just bought?

A: With this handy-dandy kit. Comes with text for the email to send, along with instructions on how to set up an untraceable crypto-currency account to have the gullible deposit in. Be sure to put the hacked password in the title of the email, to provide credibility.

Q: But, the email says I have some video file. I don't have that. What if they ask for proof?!?!

A: It never comes to that. The beauty of this scam is, they don't ask for proof. They want to believe you're faking, but given you have demonstrated that you have a password of theirs, they can't rely on it."

<<End of hypothetical fraudster-to-fraudster sales pitch>>

Hopefully, you no longer use the password they quoted for credibility in the threat. The thing you really need to do is to make sure that the compromised password is no longer a means to get into any of your accounts.

You might also want to think about making sure that the email address they sent it to isn't the one that your accounts may be using for two-factor authorization.

Get your dog some counseling

I got one just like the OP's a couple of days ago.

I was laughing so hard, my wife came over to see what the heck it was.

We both laughed a lot, then couldn't figure anything out to do with the email or to the sender, so we just hit delete.

Bob

I just tell them to bill the midget with the goat.

Common scam.

The email will actually disclose to you a password that you use, as an attempt to show you that you've been hacked.

Ignore it. Your password was previously leaked by any of numerous database breaches, not because your computer was hacked.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
Does your computer even have a camera?

iMac, so yes it does. How do I know? I have some really good video of the OP. I'm waiting to receive the ammunition that I demanded for ransom from him, or I'll post the video right here on SIGforum.

---

I received a bunch of those emails, there might even be some in my junk folder now, but I'm not going to bother to look.

One thing that they all had in common, they said that they had video of me "mastrubating" -- note the spelling.

Like others have said, ignore.

I got around 3 of such a couple of years ago, said they would put it on my facebook acct. Problem is, there were no lurid moments, I had never used the camera on my computer, I didn't have a facebook acct.

I called the FBI, they told me to call the local police. I called the local police, they told me to ignore it, such perps change their emails very often, not possible to track them.

Tell them that you would be glad if they sent out the video, that your home sex tapes have not been selling as well as you thought and free advertising is well, free advertising, see if they want copies of the "good stuff"...

Thanks for all the help. Figured it was a scam. No hacked passwords referenced in the email.
Will change some passwords for safety.
Gotta quit doing dubious things

I wish that some office in the Justice department would make itself useful by exposing itself to such scams and baiting the scammers into exposing themselves. I know most of these are offshore based, but if they can be exposed, we can pressure those countries to extradite the scammed. If they don't cooperate, we should block all telecom access between them and the US.

Got the same the other day. Didn't open the attachment and deleted.