Have you received this email? Or something like it?
I'm aware, P*******, is your password.
I need your full attention for the next Twenty-four hrs, or I will certainly make sure you that you live out of guilt for the rest of your life span.
Hello, you don't know me personally. Yet I know a lot of things concerning you. Your facebook contact list, phone contacts along with all the virtual activity on your computer from past 137 days. Which includes, your self pleasure video footage, which brings me to the main reason why I 'm writing this mail to you. Well the previous time you visited the adult porn web sites, my spyware was triggered in your computer system which ended up saving a eye-catching footage of your masturbation play simply by triggering your webcam (you got a really strange taste by the way lol).
Along with eye-wateringly bad grammar and spelling, the email goes on to threaten to share this apparent recording with friends and family if the receiver does not pay a blackmail demand in Bitcoin within 24 hours. This is a scam phishing email, it is very unlikely that your device has been hacked and they do not have this recording of you.
This type of scam email has been circulating for over two years in many different variations but the threats and allegations are along the same lines. Action Fraud has released more information in previous articles outlining this scam:
Alert: Cyber criminals send victims their own passwords in new sextortion scam
Fraudsters are continuing to send victims their own passwords in sextortion scam
What to do if you receive this email
- Do not click any links or meet their demands
- Report the email as a phishing attempt to Action Fraud here
- Block the sender
- Make sure your computer’s antivirus software is up-to-date
- Delete the email
How do they know my password?
Your email and password could have been involved in a data breach of a website which used these details, you can find out of this has happened to you here: https://haveibeenpwned.com/. We would encourage you to review and update any account details where this password was used.
You can find out how to create strong and secure passwords here and we would always recommend two-factor authentication where you can. You can find more advice on how to review and raise your privacy settings here.
