Porn Extortion Email

[DefinitelyChangedMyNameForThis]

I consider myself fairly savvy when it comes to internet safety. I work for an organisation that means I keep up to date with that kind of thing.

Info: I have looked at porn online in the past but, with my lifestyle (full time work, a big family), it’s been a long time since I have done - a couple of years.

NB: I’m not here for any lectures on porn. I know that it’s a very polarising subject and I’d rather not debate it right now.

Today, out of the blue, I received an extortion email. It really wasn’t concerning to me at first. It was horrible - telling me they had put malware on my device that had taken control of my camera and video’d me watching porn - but not anything that worries me, until it referred to an old password of mine; one which I’d used for a number of different accounts a few years ago.

The crux of the email was that if I didn’t transfer a significant amount of Bitcoin (of course we all have that lying around!!) by tomorrow, all of my contacts would be sent the video of me watching a video with a split screen of what I was watching.

I felt like replying “fill your boots, dickhead!!!” All they’d see is my screen-lit, double-chinned, glazed-eyed selfie face - hardly exciting. That doesn’t worry me. The fact they know an old password does!!!

When I google the email address and fake name it came from, there’s nothing. Has anyone else got this?

I get these a lot. Apparently they’ve made a verryyyy sexy video of me.

I say let them release it, worked for Kim Kardashian...

Ive this about 10 times now. Only device i have a camera on is my phone but i dont watch porn and they gave me an old password. Its all shit.

You can't be all that internet savvy if you haven't heard of this scam, it's been doing the rounds for years.
Tell them to fuck themselves. Next time check things like this out on Snopes.com or Factchecker. And stop watching porn, it's not cool and people get badly exploited to make it.

Similar thread in here today. Can't remember the advice though!!

Thanks for replying.

I feel daft for worrying enough to post (even though I say I'm not really worried!!)

It was the old password that swung it for me. Pricks!!

Tell them to fuck themselves.

Nah, just delete. Even replying makes it more likely you'll get more.

As PPs have said- it's nonsense.

Yeah I've had this - apparently they buy leaked passwords (think leaks from eBay, Tesco etc) and add them to the email to validate their claim.

Passwords have been leaked from loads of websites over the years. I have got this email and I don't use porn on my computer!! So there's literally no way it could be true. Also most webcams have a massive great led light on them which lights up when it's recording, specifically to prevent stuff like this from happening secretly.

Check on you've been pwned (site that lists old password breaches) - they've probably got your details from one of those lists.

My husband had exactly this email yesterday. Your old password will have been sold on and picked up by these scammers. He works in IT and was tempted to email them back listing all the technical mistakes they'd put in the email but decided not to give them a heads up on how to improve their scam. Delete and ignore but if you're still using the password anywhere then get that changed asap.

Go to haveibeenpwned.com and it will tell you which website had a data breech for them to get that password

Then change your passwords and delete the email

Your email and that password will have been part of a data breech. You can check at haveibeenpwned.com/

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3876328-Email-from-random-saying-they-know-my-password-AND-THEY-DO-What-next

Thread from this morning.

This seems to be a revival of a common scam from a few years back.

Trust everyone here who says it is a scam. I typically get one every few days with threats to send pictures of me watching porn to my nearest and dearest. The passwords are always old ones from a time when security was much poorer. The bit about malware is also rubbish. If it happens again or you get similar emails, copy the first line or so of the email and pop it into google - it will show you identical emails to yours (with different email addresses and old passwords merged in) and you will be told to stop worrying and to delete it. On no account pay any money over. Even with genuine ransomeware "viruses / malware", those who pay to regain access to their personal data, files etc rarely get anything in return for their money. When you have received a few of these emails, you'll stop worrying. In truth, most people get hundreds a year by the companies like google, outlook etc manage to trap / delete them before you get to see them.

I got this today as well!
I’ve never visited a porn site so I told them I was reporting them to the police (I haven’t).
Sad if people fall for it but I hope not.

Yup, got these quite frequently. My old password was leaked in the Facebook breach. I changed all my passwords and deleted the emails and haven’t had one since. Don’t reply, they’ll have some sort of hit thing on it where if you reply they’ll spam you more.

I get these all the time - apparently they have pictures of me satisfying myself looking at online porn. Apart from I havent done that. I jist changed my passwords and deleted it.

I’ve had these and whilst I knew it was a load of old tosh I felt sorry for the few that will believe it and what they might do (from paying the money to potentially killing them selves)

It did show a password I had used but it was a password I use for silly sites where they make you sign up to read something so I knew it came from one of them.

Interesting that a lot of people on one site have had them today. I wonder if mumsnet has had a data breach?

I got exactly that email today. Given I'd read the earlier thread today about this scam, I wondered if the data breach had come from MN.

Yep. I've had it. They did have an old password which was genuine enough so initially I was a bit taken aback but a quick Google assured me that it was definitely a scam. Apparently some scammers get access to previously breached info from companies hence them having an old password. I deleted email. I think I might have forwarded/reported it but I can't remember.

I got this, maybe a year ago? Very disconcerting, obviously one of the sites I use has been hacked, but I refuse passwords so no idea which. I ignored it and nothing happened.

I tried that website, apparently my email and password were hacked from Myspace and Words with friends! Very old school. Definitely need to update passwords more regularly.