How to avoid a Bitcoin blackmail scam

I got the same email. Showing my own email coming from the sender and showing an unrelated password from another email account. They wanted me to pay bitcoin in 48 hours. They sent me twice in a week the scam mail. Should I be worried about it?

I received a text (to my phone number @mms.att.net or whatever) and was horribly creeped out, the message demanded $750 worth of bitcoin and threatened me with 48 hours to pay up or pictures of me using dirty websites would be sent to my friends and family. The person also said that my device would be locked and that they hacked me back in March. A couple things were fishy right away for me. First off, I cant sign into the "email" they sent this through because that's literally just my phone number. Next would be that the password used for leverage wasn't entirely accurate. A few aspects were similar and the number in the password was the same which makes me think that the breach involving my passwords didn't expose that entire one. Finally, the message acted like I was receiving the email through a computer.. and that's not true at all? (Plus I got my laptop in August so there's no way they hacked that in March lol) Anyway, I get scammy texts often but this one freaked me out quite a bit. Immediately after getting the message I deleted it (so I wouldn't be tempted to click the links provided), closed my PayPal account, changed all my passwords that resembled the one in the message, and checked for malware on my phone and laptop. It's been over 48 hours and I haven't seen any effects threatened luckily! I'm still a little startled, especially because my phone number wasn't breached according to the website where you can check? My gmail was breached 5 times though, and since they're connected I can only assume that's where the info came from! Scams are getting really close to home nowadays, if I didn't have my husband around to calm me down I probably would have fallen for this. Hopefully some of you reported it to the FBI (I wish I would have) so this can be taken care of asap. A side note: my message didn't include my name or anything and the grammar was much much better than a lot of the examples I've seen online. It also didn't come from my own email address like any of the others I have heard of, which makes me think there are more variants now.

I received several extortion type emails similar to those described here earlier this week - with my email address and a password in the subject line and demanding bitcoin. At first I was terrified - I knew I did not have compromising photos or activities that they claimed they had - because I never visit naughty sites or post or store anything 'naughty'. However, I was terrified that they had one of my passwords and it took a couple of days of anxiety and contacting all of my financial institutions to update/change security features. After confirming my computer did not have virus or malware, I finally found this FTC site and a few other articles on this scam. The only data breach that I could recall that could affect my passwords was the LinkedIn data breach in 2012/2016, but I am not positive it was from there because I no longer remember my old LinkedIn password. The other data breaches, Target, Home Depot, and Equifax - would not have had any of my computer passwords. It seems I re-used that old LinkedIn password on some current accounts - I have changed them all now and will avoid using similar passwords on multiple accounts and will avoid re-using old passwords. I deleted the scam emails - will it do any good now to report to the FBI?

I received the almost exact email from a Sandy Kanze .... Freaked me out at first because of the potential hack into my computer. I was a victim of ID theft 6 months ago so scams like this hits home.. I‌ a‌m w‌ell a‌war‌e *** o‌ne o‌f your pa‌ss. L‌ets g‌et ri‌ght to th‌e po‌i‌nt. No-o‌n‌e ha‌s pa‌i‌d m‌e to ch‌eck a‌bout yo‌u. You do‌n't kno‌w m‌e a‌nd you a‌r‌e mo‌st li‌k‌ely thi‌nking why yo‌u a‌r‌e g‌etti‌ng thi‌s ma‌i‌l? W‌ell, i‌ s‌etup a so‌ftwar‌e o‌n th‌e xxx vid‌eo‌ clips (po‌rno‌gra‌phi‌c ma‌t‌erial) w‌ebsite and gu‌ess wha‌t, yo‌u vi‌si‌ted this w‌ebsi‌t‌e to‌ ha‌ve fun (yo‌u kno‌w wha‌t i‌ m‌ea‌n). Wh‌en yo‌u wer‌e wa‌tchi‌ng vi‌deos, your int‌ern‌et brows‌er sta‌rt‌ed wo‌rki‌ng a‌s a‌ R‌emot‌e D‌eskto‌p havi‌ng a‌ key lo‌gg‌er whi‌ch pro‌vid‌ed m‌e with acc‌ess to‌ yo‌ur displa‌y scr‌e‌en and also w‌eb ca‌m‌era. a‌fter that, my so‌ftwa‌r‌e obta‌i‌n‌ed all your conta‌cts fro‌m yo‌ur M‌ess‌eng‌er, Fa‌cebo‌o‌k, a‌s well as ‌e-ma‌i‌l a‌ccount. Next i‌ crea‌ted a do‌ubl‌e vi‌deo‌. First pa‌rt di‌spla‌ys the video‌ you w‌er‌e vi‌‌ewi‌ng (yo‌u hav‌e a‌ go‌od ta‌ste rofl), a‌nd 2nd pa‌rt di‌spla‌ys the r‌eco‌rdi‌ng o‌f yo‌ur w‌ebca‌m, & it i‌s you. Yo‌u hav‌e just two‌ o‌pti‌o‌ns. W‌e will analyze th‌e po‌ssi‌bi‌liti‌‌es i‌n a‌spects: V‌ery first a‌lt‌ernati‌v‌e i‌s to‌ i‌gnor‌e thi‌s ‌ema‌i‌l. in such a‌ cas‌e, i‌ mo‌st c‌erta‌inly will send your v‌ery o‌wn vi‌deo‌ to ‌ev‌ery single o‌n‌e o‌f yo‌ur co‌nta‌cts a‌nd co‌nsi‌d‌er r‌ega‌rdi‌ng th‌e disgra‌c‌e yo‌u ca‌n g‌et. No‌t to‌ m‌enti‌o‌n i‌f yo‌u ha‌pp‌en to be i‌n a‌ commi‌tt‌ed r‌ela‌ti‌o‌nshi‌p, pr‌eci‌sely ho‌w i‌t wi‌ll certai‌nly a‌ff‌ect? Next a‌lt‌ernati‌v‌e wi‌ll b‌e to‌ comp‌ensa‌te m‌e USD 852. L‌et us thi‌nk o‌f i‌t a‌s a‌ do‌na‌tio‌n. a‌s a‌ co‌nsequ‌enc‌e, i will stra‌i‌ght a‌wa‌y elimi‌nat‌e your vi‌d‌eo‌ r‌eco‌rdi‌ng. Yo‌u co‌uld conti‌nu‌e o‌n wi‌th ‌everyday li‌f‌e li‌k‌e thi‌s nev‌er o‌ccurred a‌nd you wo‌uld n‌ev‌er h‌ea‌r back a‌ga‌i‌n fro‌m m‌e. Yo‌u wi‌ll mak‌e th‌e pa‌ym‌ent via‌ Bi‌tcoi‌n (i‌f you do‌n't know thi‌s, sea‌rch for 'how to‌ buy bi‌t‌coin' in Goo‌gl‌e s‌earch ‌engi‌n‌e). B‌T‌C‌ addr‌ess to‌ send to: 1D2JidtBYAQoSKQyMGoMk9jganfqntFJt4 [case S‌eNSi‌Ti‌V‌e so co‌py & pa‌st‌e it] Sho‌uld you a‌r‌e wond‌eri‌ng a‌bo‌ut go‌i‌ng to‌ the law, oka‌y, this ‌e-ma‌il cannot be tra‌ced ba‌ck to‌ m‌e. I hav‌e tak‌en ca‌r‌e o‌f my mo‌v‌es. i‌ am also‌ no‌t tryi‌ng to‌ ask yo‌u fo‌r much, i‌ wa‌nt to‌ b‌e co‌mpensa‌t‌ed. Yo‌u no‌w ha‌ve t‌w‌o da‌ys i‌n ord‌er to‌ pa‌y. i'v‌e a speci‌al pi‌xel wi‌thi‌n this ‌ema‌il, a‌nd at thi‌s mo‌m‌ent i‌ kno‌w tha‌t yo‌u ha‌v‌e r‌ea‌d thi‌s ‌ema‌i‌l. i‌f i do‌n't g‌et th‌e B‌itC‌o‌i‌ns, i‌ wi‌ll c‌erta‌inly send yo‌ur vid‌eo reco‌rdi‌ng to all of yo‌ur co‌nta‌cts i‌ncludi‌ng fa‌mi‌ly m‌emb‌ers, co‌-wo‌rk‌ers, ‌etc. Ha‌ving sa‌i‌d tha‌t, if i‌ rec‌ei‌v‌e th‌e paym‌ent, i‌'ll ‌era‌s‌e th‌e vi‌deo i‌mm‌edi‌a‌tely. if yo‌u wa‌nt to ha‌v‌e ‌evi‌dence, r‌eply with Y‌eah th‌en i will send yo‌ur vi‌d‌eo‌ r‌eco‌rdi‌ng to‌ your 9 conta‌cts. This i‌s th‌e non-n‌ego‌ti‌a‌bl‌e off‌er thus do‌ no‌t wast‌e min‌e ti‌m‌e & yo‌urs by r‌eplyi‌ng to‌ this m‌essa‌ge.

yep, I got one of these emails too, and after reading it twice, I just don't believe it. Lots of holes in this scammer email, ..starting with that he supposedly hacked my account almost 3 months ago. Took him 3 months to try and extort me. Was he on vacation for 3 months? lol I think this is a spam mail mailed to every email on a harvested email list in hopes that some poor sap believes it and pays these scumbags. It's a canned email script. However, if you are worried about stuff like this just put some tape or a clip over the camera on the laptop. Anyway, I would never pay a scumbag like this. I don't care what he does. If this guy was so smart, he would have tailored the email to the individual, ..like provide more personal and incriminating information (that they supposedly hacked). Below is the email I got without my email domain. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello! I have very bad news for you. 09/08/2018 - on this day I hacked your OS and got full access to your account service@ MyDomainHidden. com So, you can change the password, yes... But my malware intercepts it every time. How I made it: In the software of the router, through which you went online, was a vulnerability. I just hacked this router and placed my malicious code on it. When you went online, my trojan was installed on the OS of your device. After that, I made a full dump of your disk (I have all your address book, history of viewing sites, all files, phone numbers and addresses of all your contacts). A month ago, I wanted to lock your device and ask for a not big amount of btc to unlock. But I looked at the sites that you regularly visit, and I was shocked by what I saw!!! I'm talk you about sites for adults. I want to say - you are a BIG pervert. Your fantasy is shifted far away from the normal course! And I got an idea.... I made a screenshot of the adult sites where you have fun (do you understand what it is about, huh?). After that, I made a screenshot of your joys (using the camera of your device) and glued them together. Turned out amazing! You are so spectacular! I'm know that you would not like to show these screenshots to your friends, relatives or colleagues. I think $728 is a very, very small amount for my silence. Besides, I have been spying on you for so long, having spent a lot of time! Pay ONLY in Bitcoins! My BTC wallet: 182PJESsEWbuJ8PEgfM58p64jbok3i1gNU You do not know how to use bitcoins? Enter a query in any search engine: "how to replenish btc wallet". It's extremely easy For this payment I give you two days (48 hours). As soon as this letter is opened, the timer will work. After payment, my virus and dirty screenshots with your enjoys will be self-destruct automatically. If I do not receive from you the specified amount, then your device will be locked, and all your contacts will receive a screenshots with your "enjoys". I hope you understand your situation. - Do not try to find and destroy my virus! (All your data, files and screenshots is already uploaded to a remote server) - Do not try to contact me (this is not feasible, I sent you an email from your account) - Various security services will not help you; formatting a disk or destroying a device will not help, since your data is already on a remote server. P.S. You are not my single victim. so, I guarantee you that I will not disturb you again after payment! This is the word of honor hacker I also ask you to regularly update your antiviruses in the future. This way you will no longer fall into a similar situation. Do not hold evil! I just do my job. Good luck.

Got email saying 900 dollars for bitcoins watching me threw camera didn't recognize password said we need 48 hours to pay. Any advice

I received an email like this using the term x vid instead of adult site, they also had an old password from 3-5 years ago and demanded bitcoin in 24 hours unfortunately I panicked before finding this site and deleted the email (idk why I guess that’s what panic does) I did not remember the sender any thoughts

Have received a couple of these (identical wording to some previous posters) "have your email password, have hacked your OS, installed malware, was going to just lock your computer but found the interesting sites you visit, have made video of you , send money via BTC or else we will send compromising pictures to all of your email contacts", etc, etc. The first one made me a bit nervous as the sender had masked their email address as my own and definitely had a password that I had used in the past (though after a bit of thought, if the email had actually generated from my own email account it would not be filtered into a spam folder). Did some tinkering and was able to unmask the sender's email to confirm this is a scam. The password the sender has was one that I used, but used many years ago and is not currently used for anything. I received an alert from a credit monitoring service just before I started receiving these emails that some of my info that had been used on a "booking.com" website was compromised, specifically the password the sender referenced was noted in the correspondence from the monitoring agency. I suspect the sender has purchased a list of email addresses and passwords from a hack (not necessarily the passwords for email accounts, just passwords that were used somewhere, sometime) that this was initially sent to and has this set up to boomerang every week or so in hopes of scaring someone enough to elicit a reply. Delete, block, change passwords and remain vigilant.

I received the similar scams that most others have received at this site. I changed my username and password with my online banking but now I can't access my online checking account. I spoke to my bank and they said that my username that I gave them didn't match with what they have. I don't know what is happening. Wonder if these scam losers changed my username with my online banking. I am rushing to my bank this morning to see what is going on. I hope they haven't drained my checking account. I got 2 emails from the scammers and both of their emails are the same. Asking me for payment with bitcoins of $968. If I don't they will shame me by posting my pornographic pictures and sending them to my friends and family. Please help! I am going to report to FBI but they haven't done much on this topic from what I just read in people's comments.

I received the similar scams that most others have received at this site. I changed my username and password with my online banking but now I can't access my online checking account. I spoke to my bank and they said that my username that I gave them didn't match with what they have. I don't know what is happening. Wonder if these scam losers changed my username with my online banking. I am rushing to my bank this morning to see what is going on. I hope they haven't drained my checking account. I got 2 emails from the scammers and both of their emails are the same. Asking me for payment with bitcoins of $968. If I don't they will shame me by posting my pornographic pictures and sending them to my friends and family. Please help! I am going to report to FBI but they haven't done much on this topic from what I just read in people's comments.

I just recieved one of these emails, containing an old password. It even forgot to put in the amount of ransom I am supposed to pay, but the thing that makes me nervous is that is was sent from my own email adress. It doesnt however show up in my ”Sent” folder, so I should probably just ignore it and relax? Still, I find it very disturbing...

I got one yesterday here's the jist of it ######## i‌s yo‌ur pa‌ssphra‌ses. Lets get strai‌ght to‌ poi‌nt. No‌bo‌dy ha‌s co‌mpensa‌t‌ed m‌e to‌ i‌nv‌esti‌gate a‌bo‌ut yo‌u. You do‌ no‌t kno‌w m‌e and yo‌u a‌r‌e pro‌ba‌bly wond‌eri‌ng why yo‌u'r‌e g‌etti‌ng thi‌s ema‌i‌l? a‌ctually, i‌ s‌etup a‌ so‌ftwa‌re o‌n the 18+ vids (po‌rno‌gra‌phy) w‌eb-si‌t‌e a‌nd gu‌ess wha‌t, yo‌u visi‌ted thi‌s web si‌t‌e to‌ ha‌v‌e fun (you know what i m‌ean). Wh‌en yo‌u w‌ere vi‌‌ewi‌ng vi‌d‌eos, your bro‌ws‌er sta‌rt‌ed o‌ut functi‌o‌ning a‌s a‌ R‌emot‌e co‌ntro‌l D‌eskto‌p tha‌t ha‌s a‌ k‌eylo‌gg‌er whi‌ch provi‌ded m‌e wi‌th acc‌ess to‌ yo‌ur display and ca‌m. Just a‌ft‌er tha‌t, my so‌ftwa‌r‌e pro‌gra‌m co‌llect‌ed ‌ev‌ery o‌n‌e o‌f your co‌nta‌cts from yo‌ur M‌essenger, FB, as well a‌s ‌e-ma‌i‌laccount. a‌nd then i‌ ma‌d‌e a‌ do‌uble-scr‌e‌en vi‌d‌eo‌. Fi‌rst part sho‌ws th‌e vid‌eo‌ you wer‌e wa‌tching (you'v‌e go‌t a ni‌c‌e ta‌st‌e lo‌l), a‌nd s‌eco‌nd pa‌rt sho‌ws th‌e vi‌‌ew o‌f your w‌eb cam, y‌eah it i‌s u. Yo‌u hav‌e got 2 so‌luti‌o‌ns. Sha‌ll w‌e check out ‌ea‌ch o‌f th‌es‌e choi‌c‌es i‌n pa‌rticula‌rs: V‌ery first alt‌erna‌ti‌v‌e i‌s to‌ just i‌gnor‌e thi‌s e-ma‌i‌l. i‌n tha‌t ca‌s‌e, i‌ will s‌end your v‌ery o‌wn vi‌deota‌p‌e to just a‌bo‌ut a‌ll o‌f your p‌erso‌na‌l co‌nta‌cts a‌nd th‌en you can ‌ea‌si‌ly i‌ma‌gi‌n‌e a‌bo‌ut th‌e sha‌me you will g‌et. a‌nd d‌efi‌ni‌tely if yo‌u ar‌e i‌n a‌ lo‌ving rela‌ti‌o‌nshi‌p, how i‌t i‌s going to‌ a‌ffect? 2nd a‌lterna‌ti‌v‌e sho‌uld b‌e to pa‌y me $1044. We a‌re go‌i‌ng to‌ r‌ega‌rd i‌t as a‌ dona‌tio‌n. i‌n this situati‌on, i wi‌ll instantly ‌eras‌e your vi‌d‌eo‌ foota‌ge. You will k‌e‌ep on da‌i‌ly li‌fe li‌k‌e thi‌s nev‌er o‌ccurred a‌nd yo‌u a‌r‌e n‌ever going to h‌ea‌r ba‌ck aga‌i‌n fro‌m m‌e. Yo‌u'll ma‌k‌e th‌e pa‌yment thro‌ugh Bi‌tcoi‌n (i‌f yo‌u do‌n't know thi‌s, sea‌rch 'ho‌w to‌ buy bi‌t‌co‌i‌n' i‌n Go‌o‌gle s‌earch ‌engi‌n‌e). B‌T‌C a‌ddr‌ess to‌ send to‌: 156ftmGbZagVFtBidkZcocbUCyj1a1GCoz [ca‌s‌e S‌eNSiTi‌V‌e co‌py & pa‌st‌e it] i‌f you ha‌v‌e be‌en thi‌nki‌ng o‌f go‌i‌ng to‌ th‌e cops, well, thi‌s messa‌ge ca‌n no‌t b‌e tra‌c‌ed ba‌ck to‌ m‌e. I‌ ha‌ve d‌ea‌lt wi‌th my mo‌v‌es. i a‌m just not attempti‌ng to‌ d‌ema‌nd so‌ much, i‌ si‌mply pr‌ef‌er to b‌e pa‌i‌d. You no‌w ha‌v‌e 4‌8 ho‌u‌rs in o‌rd‌er to‌ pay. i‌ ha‌v‌e a‌ uni‌qu‌e pi‌x‌el wi‌thin this ‌ema‌i‌l m‌essa‌g‌e, a‌nd no‌w i‌ kno‌w tha‌t yo‌u hav‌e rea‌d thro‌ugh this ‌ema‌i‌l. i‌f i‌ do‌n't g‌et th‌e B‌i‌tC‌o‌i‌ns, i‌ will s‌end yo‌ur vi‌d‌eo‌ to‌ a‌ll o‌f your co‌nta‌cts i‌ncludi‌ng fri‌ends a‌nd fa‌mi‌ly, co‌-wo‌rk‌ers, and so o‌n. No‌n‌etheless, if i recei‌v‌e th‌e pa‌ym‌ent, i‌ will ‌erase the r‌eco‌rdi‌ng i‌mm‌edi‌a‌t‌ely. if yo‌u n‌e‌ed proo‌f, r‌eply Yup! & i‌ wi‌ll certa‌inly s‌end o‌ut yo‌ur vid‌eo‌ r‌eco‌rdi‌ng to‌ yo‌ur 10 conta‌cts. This i‌s a‌ non:n‌ego‌ti‌abl‌e o‌ff‌er, so‌ pl‌ea‌s‌e don't waste mi‌n‌e ti‌m‌e & yo‌urs by r‌espondi‌ng to‌ thi‌s ‌ema‌i‌l m‌essa‌g‌e. The email came from this name and address Elfrieda Porcelli nwlnataliajx @

Tired of hearing about Bitcoin. Nothing but an excuse for scammers and hackers to find another way to cheat people. Bitcoin and its use should be made entirely illegal. Whoever came up with this should be in prison, along with everyone who uses it.

I just got one titled I control your building, and threatening violence if I did pay up in bitcoin. Here it is: " On 26-12-2018 04:15:36 AM, Hesson Monteforte wrote. Hello... I run a site in the darknet,I sell all kinds of services - in the main it is damage to bussiness and injury.In general,all but the homicide.Often this happens because of unrequited love or competition at bussiness.This month he talked me and gave me the task of splashing sourness in your visage.Standard order - quickly,painfully,forever.Without too much fuss.I get money only after doing the work.Thus, now I offer you send money to me to be inactive,I propose this to nearly all the victims.If I do not receive money from you, then my man will fulfill the mission.If you transfer me money,besides to my inaction,I will give you the information that I have about the customer.After finishing the order, I always lose the performer,so I have a choice,to get $1500 from you for information about the customer and my inaction,or to get $ 5000 from the customer,but with a high probability of spending the performer I’m getting transfers in btc,here’s my bitcoin address - 1L2NgUprz3q6Bdrsj2rygBgAfeAUHPt72J The amount I indicated above 24 hours to transfer, and remember that time clock is ticking "

I just received an email that was diverted to my spam folder. It was from someone who used my own e-mail as his own. From my email address to my address. Stating that he had a compromising porn video and said that since he used my own email address that he had access to all my contacts , passwords, etc. As with others told me not to tell anyone else, delete the message, etc. Also gave me an account number to where he wanted me to send bitcoin money. Like $ 500. Bitcoin money. So of course I won't be sending any money and will report this to whoever I can starting with the FBI. I wonder though how does someone use a person's own e-mail address? Thanks for this page.

This is the email I received. Can this actually be done? Hello! As you may have noticed, I sent you an email from your account. This means that I have full access to your account. I've been watching you for a few months now. The fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited. If you are not familiar with this, I will explain. Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device. This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it. I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence. Why your antivirus did not detect malware? Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent. I made a video showing how you satisfy yourself in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched. With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks. I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use. If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $511 to my bitcoin address (if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: “Buy Bitcoin”). My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 18eBGkYam1wjz1S77jz3VmADuYYFzhA3vB After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again. I give you 48 hours to pay. I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter. Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address. I do not make any mistakes. If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed. Best wishes!

I received an email yesterday that went directly to my junk box. It is from MY main email address sent to the same address. Example to

Hit me twice with the scam, didn't pay first time, the email address they used is netscape.net. well that alone tells me the data is likely 10 yrs old. Password was one I used back then on numerous sites. but for the life of me I certainly cannot remember any of the sites I used - dating or otherwise. I'm 60 so like others feel - spread it far and wide LOL . just received a followup the other day. Forwarded that one to the FBI still not getting any btc from me LOL Joke is SOO ON THEM

I received a similar email to an older account that I no longer use. Threatened to 'expose' me for watching porn. Had an old password, and the sender had spoofed the 'From' address to appear like it was sent from the same account that it was being sent to. The IP address traces to Zimbabwe but it could very well have been routed through a VPN. The one thing that immediately made me aware that it was all nonsense was the fact that the blackmailer claimed to have turned on my cam and had footage of my screen as well as video images of me. He obviously doesn't know that I use a desktop that doesn't have a cam installed.

mine seemed to be result from marriott breach. have not used the password in ages. saved a copy of email to report to ftc

So comforting to see so many people with the same issue! And for those who pasted text that identically matched up, confirming it was this scam! So they for sure don't have anything? This person was claiming to send an email from my address as well, though it was flagged as spam and not saved in my "Sent" folder. No clue how they would have gotten that address from my phone, either, which is where they would have gotten access like they'd alleged, but the "If you want to get proof, answer "Yes!" and resend this letter to youself. And I will definitely send your video to your any 16 contacts." Was interesting, since depending on the app, I have either 14 or 18 contacts, nowhere could I find 16.

Just for note, here's my email in entirety. Sorry it's long, but this might help others looking for key-phrases. Note, I didn't get a password! I hacked your device, because I sent you this message from your account. If you have already changed your password, my malware will be intercepts it every time. You may not know me, and you are most likely wondering why you are receiving this email, right? In fact, I posted a malicious program on adults (pornography) of some websites, and you know that you visited these websites to enjoy (you know what I mean). While you were watching video clips, my trojan started working as a RDP (remote desktop) with a keylogger that gave me access to your screen as well as a webcam. Immediately after this, my program gathered all your contacts from messenger, social networks, and also by e-mail. What I've done? I made a double screen video. The first part shows the video you watched (you have good taste, yes ... but strange for me and other normal people), and the second part shows the recording of your webcam. What should you do? Well, I think $633 (USD dollars) is a fair price for our little secret. You will make a bitcoin payment (if you don't know, look for "how to buy bitcoins" on Google). BTC Address: GjZSJnpU4A fTS8vmre6rx7eQgeMUq8VYr (This is CASE sensitive, please copy and paste it) Remarks: You have 2 days (48 hours) to pay. (I have a special code, and at the moment I know that you have read this email). If I don't get bitcoins, I will send your video to all your contacts, including family members, colleagues, etc. However, if I am paid, I will immediately destroy the video, and my trojan will be destruct someself. If you want to get proof, answer "Yes!" and resend this letter to youself. And I will definitely send your video to your any 16 contacts. This is a non-negotiable offer, so please do not waste my personal and other people's time by replying to this email.

Got a similar email in my junk folder yesterday. Was a bit startled to see an old password in the text. Otherwise it had bogus scam written all over it. I am reassured by all the responses here that I have not been singled out by some creep and this is just yet another internet scam.

This is the scam email I received , scammer will not get a dime from me Hello! As you may have noticed, I sent you an email from your account. This means that I have full access to your account. I've been watching you for a few months now. The fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited. If you are not familiar with this, I will explain. Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device. This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it. I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence. Why your antivirus did not detect malware? Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent. I made a video showing how you satisfy yourself in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched. With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks. I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use. If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $514 to my bitcoin address (if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: "Buy Bitcoin"). My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 1BPUUNghhuwQjDDvFd3TnJz2ato5dyDLr8 After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again. I give you 48 hours to pay. I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter. Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address. I do not make any mistakes. If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed. Best wishes!

Per chance, do all of you who have received this email scam play games on the EA website, specifically Pogo? I am quite sure that is where the scammer got my information since that is the only place I used the password the scammer referred to.

I'm getting numerous of these a day after I returned a new cell phone that the screen went bad on an Chinese sale on EBay. They are sent to all the emails that I had on the cell phone, I did change all my passwords before returning the phone for exchange. Then under their warranty they sent me 2 phones (one at a time) open boxed, neither would connect to Verizon towers. I demanded a refund, and I think that is what they did for my not taking a 3rd replacement phone. Anyway, copy all the Bitcoin addresses that are not the same and go to the Bitcoin.com website, and email all those Bitcoin account numbers and demand they put a stop to it. If we all are persistent and let Bitcoin know we do not appreciate their Scammer account...maybe they will actually do something about it.

HOW CAN I STOP ACCF FROM CONTACT MY HOME THY ARE CALLING MY PHONE NUMBER AND HANGING UP ON ME MY FAMILY MEMBERS THIS NUMBER BEEN CALLING MY NUMBER. 1-502-205-9627 MY PHONE NUMBER 606 599 9046 HOW CAN I STOP THESE PHONES NUMBER 502 205 9627 PEOPLE ARE CALLING ME AND HANGING UP

I got an email saying they have me on webcam watching porn sites. that was my flag- because I keep my webcam covered with a piece of paper and tape and do not go to porn sites BUT they did know my password and how many contacts I have. scary. I am changing my remail on all my sites

We get these at work all the time. I got one that had my email address with a password I have never used on my email account, so I knew it was bogus. They get the passwords and your email from a data breach. They operate on the assumption that most people use the same password for everything, which often is a safe guess, right behind "password" as a password. By spoofing the address to make it look like it came from you, they can trick you into thinking they actually hacked your account. I deal with phishing emails as a former IT Admin at my workplace (I'm still here, just no longer the only IT person), so this didn't fool me for one second. My wife and mother both know to ask either my uncle or me before acting on such phishing emails.

Did any of the hackers follow through with their threats? They threaten to e-mail my entire contact list

Problem I had was they used my email address and I am not sure if they hacked my email as my pwd was changed over a year ago , and they used the old one .

yeah, I have received several threats to have video "exposing" my viewing. Got my third one today. I do wonder how stuff is being "recorded" when I do not have a webcam.

Can anyone tell me if any of these hackers followed through wit their threats?

I just received this type of email tonight. But it was real threatening like all the other people said. I deleted it and in the process of changing my passwords. It had an old password I forgot about. But I knew it was a scam already. Just keep reporting these scam threatening e-mails to the FBI. It was in my spam folder.

I also got on a list when somebody stole an old password. Easiest way to prevent repeat emails, at least from the same sender, is to copy the long bitcoin account number, and then create an incoming email filter. Set up the filter so that if that bitcoin account number is in the email body, delete the message. If you're on a list, you're likely to get other emails from different senders (with a different bitcoin account) from time to time, but it's pretty easy to setup a filter.

I've just received this kind of e-mail through my work e-mail and I don't have camera on my work PC. Thanks for the information.

The idiot sent this crap to my Government E-Mail account. The military has ways to track down whoever sends to a military account that gmail and yahoo don't. It has been reported.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences about this scam. I was going through my junk mail (which i haven’t done in over a year) and had seen the same email others have received. Now honestly YES i do watch porn but I do to put me to sleep so quite frankly i watch it in the dark lol so whatever vid is there of me, you would be lucky to see my face haha! I have spent a good few hours changing my passwords on the most important sites ie internt banking, Facebook, email acc and anything work related. This is a very clever scam and I applaud you all for researching and sharing. This has put me at ease knowing its not as legit as I thought it was. I’m unsure wether to report it to the police as in the UK we don’t have the FBI or just go make a cuppa with crumpets lool

i have my webcam COVERED at all times and now i'm glad i do! I got a very similar email, claiming to having recorded me ... but alas i know that's not possible! Anyways, it was very unnerving that he wrote to me with MY email in the FROM line. I hope that's not possible for him to do in the future because it's a business account!

To the people worried about hacking: You don't get it. The person sending the email has not hacked anything. They don't know your password, they are probably just sending you a list of commonly used passwords. They don't know you have used a porn site. They are just emailing everyone the same thing, hoping to get lucky.

I got a similar email today! “Hi! As you may have noticed, I sent you an email from your account. This means that I have full access to your account: At the time of hacking your account(xxx) had this password: xxx You can say: this is my, but old password! Or: I can change my password at any time! Of course! You will be right, but the fact is that when you change the password, my malicious code every time saved a new one! I've been watching you for a few months now. But the fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited. If you are not familiar with this, I will explain. Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device. This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it. I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence from e-mail and messangers. Why your antivirus did not detect my malware? Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent. I made a video showing how you satisfy yourself in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched. With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks. I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use. If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $740 to my bitcoin address (if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: "Buy Bitcoin"). My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 15G9wyGRDssFXsfwEm1ihdJs2xabVPDu68 After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again. I give you 48 hours to pay. I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter. Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address. I do not make any mistakes. If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed. Bye!” Absolutely pathetic! Idiots need to find something better to do!

So has anyone actually been victimized by these threats? Or is it just a scam?

New variation that the person has been paid $1,000 to break my arm and another $1,000 upon completion of job and unless I give them $2,000 in bitcoin, they are going to show up at my house and carry thru on breaking my arm. Didint have house address of course, and good luck ever finding me at my house as I am never there except to sleep a few nights each week when I am not at my boyfriends.