Scam????

It's a scam. I have received basically the same email, as have my friends. Google would have told you this.

Scammers are vile people. That email is a scam, I’ve had the same message loads of times. The only websites I use are MN and Rightmove 😂 not sure they are classed as naughty web searches.

Hope your son is reassured by the responses here.

I had this and found it very alarming and bizarre how it was 'sent' from my own email address.
Somehow, they make it look like it's been sent from your own email address but it actually isn't.
The easiest way is to check his sent items and it won't be there.
Definitely a scam, ignore and do not worry!

I'd reply and tell them I'd love to see all tge foottgeyd captured.

It isn't actually from his email address, the scammers use spoofing to make it look like they've used his email address. He has nothing to worry about, just delete the email.

Yes, as PP have said, it's extremely easy to spoof any email address- and they use your own address to both spook you and so you can't block it without stopping yourself from being able to send any emails yourself from that account.

The reference to GDPR is weird. It almost seems to be saying that the law specifically exists to permit others to steal and compromise your data; rather than to protect you!

Also, this clearly works on embarrassment at watching porn - reckoning that many recipients will have been doing that - but why would you be prosecuted under GDPR for watching legal online content, which I'm assuming is what the vast majority of those who fall for the scam will be concerned about?

Mind, I've had similar scams before that claim they're the Metropolitan Police and that they 'know' I've been viewing online child abuse images - but apparently, if you pay them off, they'll happily overlook it and say no more about it?!

Yes, utter bollocks was what I was going to say! A friend of mine in her 50s got one, she thought it was hilarious but also wondered how someone much younger who did use porn sites would react. Delete but change passwords. And really make sure everything has a separate password (much easier said than done I know).

It's a scam, they've just spoofed the Sent address and used a generic boilerplate text to spook the receiver.

But if you need an opportunity to advise him of the risks of watching porn...

He can ignore it. It probably isn't even from his own email address. They can use spoofing to make it look like it is. Tell him to change his password and scan for malware to put his mind at ease, but it's just a chancer trying their luck.

definitely a scam just delete it - they sent this to my work email once I work in a very secure industry there’s no way they hacked into my pc and as a 48 yr old woman I can say with some confidence that I’ve never searched porn on any of my devices - it’s a good lesson in the dangers of the internet for him if nothing else

Yes, I got a very similar one a few years ago. Never looked at an "adult" website in my life!

Has it really been sent from his own email or, if you hover over it, is there a different email address hidden behind the display name?

Its a scam anyway.

Scam as has been said.

Report to the email provider to get the sender’s account hopefully locked down and investigated.

Is it definitely from his own email address? Did you expand the sender details? If it's on gmail then click the 'to me' under the senders name.

It's a scam but he may want to report it as he is a teenager, if I got it I wouldn't bother but teens can get quite upset by these

I got one like this the other week addressed “hello pervert!”. Just ignored. Hope he will be reassured.

Scam, I’ve been getting these for years. Best ones are the one that mention they can see me “jerking off” but I do not own a penis!

I sometimes get 10 a day between my various email addresses

the email address thing is very easy to spoof. Has been a thing for well over a decade. Unrelated to this but a general word of warning: scammers can do it with phone numbers too!

delete, don’t give it another thought

You gotta laugh at these idiots. They never offer you any proof they have any of this stuff they say they have, they are always going to send it straight to friends and family (how convenient). If they had this much info they'd have wiped out your online bank account long ago. Plus hilarious how you're apparently going to get a heavy fine or arrested for GDPR - after they've stolen all your data (supposedly) - what a joke!

Another favourite bit of mine that's often on these emails is that they say they can be trusted to delete all your info once you pay them because they are always true to their word (or something along those lines). Oh yes, what a relief to know you're a completely trustworthy person 🙄.

I've been sent this sort of email more times than I care to remember, report and block and don't give it another thought - oh except to change his password.

And if he gets any offers of a million dollars from a Nigerian prince tell him he can ignore that nonsense too!

No - if he blocks his own email he won't get any at all - even ones he wants. His email has been spoofed and not much he can do about that. But he should change his password anyway.

I've had several such emails, all of them written in the same friendly-but-threatening tone, explaining how they will release videos of me "enjoying myself" whilst watching dodgy content. Since I never watch porn, the "enjoying myself" that they refer to must be me cooing over cat videos or wasting time on Mumsnet.

I don't mind if they send videos of me watching cat videos/Mumsnet to all my contacts, so I ignore their demands.

Funnily enough, not one of my contacts has ever mentioned receiving a video of me!

You can't know though. It's good practice if you think there is a chance its been compromised, treat it as though it has been. Change password, force log out of all devices and scan.

Considering how much of our lives is online now, a compromised email account is a massive pain in the arse.

It's a very old/common one and it hasn't come from his own email address. His email addressed has been spoofed, which anyone with a spare 5-10 minutes can do.

Absolutely nothing to worry about :)

I ALWAYS USED TO THINK THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT IF THEY HAD BEEN USING PORN AND DIDN’T WANT E.G. SOMEONE TO FIND OUT. BUT ACTUALLY THE WHOLE TONE OF THAT EMAIL IS OMINOUS, TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY HAVE VIRUSES ON YOUR COMPUTER AND ARE CURRENTLY IN CONTROL OF IT, HOW THE VIRUSES ARE UNDETECTABLE AND HOW THEY ARE MINING ALL OF YOUR DATA. EVEN WITHOUT THE MENTION OF DODGY WEBSITES THAT KIND OF TALK IS ENOUGH T GET SOME PEOPLE RATTLED.

@hudsonvett look up "email spoofing" for how it's very easy to change the "sent from" field on an email to say anything you like.

It doesn't in the least mean that he must have had his account hacked or passwords taken, but it's good practice to change your passwords to different and longer pass-phrases after something like this.

Also good practice to use a password safe, then you can have extremely long passwords/pass-phrases and something unique for every account, without having to remember them all yourself.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/ is a good website to look up whether your email account has been located in a data breach. Not 100% reliable (nothing is), but it gives you a bit more info.