Sextortion and the frightening email that took a few years off my life today! :(

[laughtermech]

Apologies if this phishing scam’s been discussed in an earlier thread, but...

...there are people in this world that just have no qualms about scaring the BeJesus out of you with harmful phishing scams.

This one nearly knocked me completely out of my chair this afternoon.


The good news is...
There's no money that needs to change hands or accounts.


There's also no need to try and figure out how to explain to your boss, coworkers, friends, and family foot tickling videos or worse emailed to them by a blackmailing hacker.

In all my 4 decades and then some on this beautiful planet I have not come across a troll quite like the one that ended up in my work, yes, my WORK email!
They said that they had my password (confirmed it in the email), and were prepared to release the videos I'd watched on a porn website to all my email contacts unless I paid a hefty sum of bit coins to their account.


I first went into Holy #%^! panic mode.


I then went into 'call lifeline' mode to one of my IT friends.

They weren't answering.


I then went into 'Google' mode with the search term, 'email with password demanding money'.


Booyah!


This was the first hit!


https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/...u-get-latest-phishing-spam-demanding-bitcoin


Oh man!


It took reading the contents on this link 3x before my heart rate FINALLY came down to below 180.


Thank Goodness!


I then went into 'password changing' mode, and updated all my accounts with new passwords.


I also turned off my internet, location, and other apps and taped up my phone camera lens on both sides of my phone in case that part of their email to me was true that they hacked my phone camera, and knew it was me!


Finally, I swore off PornHub and all the rest of those sites for good.


If the foot fetish and tickle fetish videos aren't on YouTube or DailyMotion or VeVo, it's just not worth it to me.


Hopefully, you've never had to experience the sheer terror of finding this in your work email inbox, but...if you do...there's hope!


Take a deep breath, click on the link below, read and internalize the contents.


You'll be glad you did.


https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/...u-get-latest-phishing-spam-demanding-bitcoin


Chances are that what you're dealing with is just another phishing scam, albeit fairly sophisticated, yet, thankfully.. NOT a hack.


Whew!


Hope the above may help someone else not have to go through what I went through today.


Not pleasant!


As always, thanks for stopping by!

TLM
[email protected]


 

[Tenebrae]

Sorry you had to go through that 🙁 I am very glad this has a happy ending.

Fuck those hackers, seriously. Some people really need to get a life.

 

[Taye]

I got that same goddamn email last week! Turned off laptop wifi, ran a serious sweep of my computer, whilst changing every password off of someone elses computer. Still curious as to how they got my password(old one that I cant remember if I still had been using sonewhere..)

 

[Nedstacey2]

Still curious as to how they got my password(old one that I cant remember if I still had been using sonewhere..)

Same here; the one I got listed a password I'd been in the habit of using all the time during the aught aughts, but since then I've fortunately converted to the Gospel of Strong, Secure Passwords unique to each place I log in. A major pain in the ass to keep track of sans a password manager, but well worth the trouble; very common now for hackers to gain access to the login databases of defunct or even still active sites and sell the info. on the "Dark Web."

But what clued me in that it was a scam was not only the fractured English of the threats--a career in teaching writing to non-native speakers tweaked my radar--but the mention of my Web cam catching me wanking to porn. Fools, I don't even have a cam on the rickety old computer in my underground, camouflaged and heavily fortified man cave that I log into BeFUCK with.


https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/...u-get-latest-phishing-spam-demanding-bitcoin


Ironically, for a minute there I thought you were trying to phish me; the URL you gave, twice, has the string "%E2%80%A9" appended to the end, but my own desperate Google search revealed this is just a harmless UTF typing thing, not some malicious injection code that's going to give a %$^!%X* miscreant full access to my system. Here actually is the short and simple address directly linking to that specific informative blog post I think you meant to give:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/07/sextortion-scam-what-do-if-you-get-latest-phishing-spam-demanding-bitcoin

 

[cameronisaac]

Online threats evolve, so staying informed and proactive is essential to maintain your security. Remember, even if the thread is old, the importance of safeguarding your personal information and privacy remains constant.

 

[RaphaelChou]

I understand that the thread is from four years ago, but the information I provided about dealing with blackmail attempts remains relevant. Online security and safety are ongoing concerns, and it's crucial to be vigilant regardless of when the incident occurred. If you or anyone else encounters blackmail or phishing attempts, it's essential to follow the recommended steps to protect yourself and report the incident to the appropriate authorities.

You can visit the following website for more information on https://digitalinvestigation.com/blackmail attempts and tips on how to protect yourself online.

 

[MrMacphisto]

Generally speaking, if the email is devoid of any specifics, it should be fairly easy to deduce as a scam. Now, if they start mentioning very specific things that are accurate, that's obviously more of a problem.

 

[Fairynxis]

I can imagine how alarming that situation must have been! Phishing scams and sextortion attempts are distressing ordeals. It's a relief to know that you handled it wisely.
Your reaction is commendable – seeking assistance and researching to understand the situation better. The information you found on how to deal with sextortion is invaluable for anyone facing similar threats.
Even though this post is from a few years ago, the issue of online scams and threats is still relevant today. Sharing your experience and the resources you found can continue to help others navigate these challenges.