Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Sextortion email

77 replies

tazzyb · 09/02/2022 08:21

Has anybody else received a nasty email that knows your name and where you live, that says they have captured you on camera watching porn and threatening to send this to your contacts unless you pay £500 into their bitcoin account. I'm actually freaking out about this.

OP posts:

Icenii · 09/02/2022 08:45

You can also check your email address in 'haveibeenpwned' . It will tell you whether your email was subjected to a breach and when.

Icecreamandapplepie · 09/02/2022 08:51

Got this. They even knew one of my old passwords.

Deleted it and heard nothing else. They trying it on. Please don't worry.

chatw0o0 · 09/02/2022 09:02

I had one - clearly came from a password/personal details hack as they knew one of my old passwords. I Googled it, saw it was a regular scam, blocked/reported as spam.
My camera is always blocked + I don't watch porn, which doesn't add much their argument!

TokyoTen · 09/02/2022 09:02

Yes. Don't worry it is a well known scam. I received one, was a but as I've never been on adult sites, but when I googled.i see.it is a common scam. So I did nothing.

Rosieposie101 · 09/02/2022 09:07

It's a well known scam. My junk folder is literally full of them

fairgame84 · 09/02/2022 09:08

I get one every 6 months or so. Ive never even looked at porn. Just delete.

Original poster

tazzyb · 09/02/2022 09:09

Thank you for all your replys. I did look at such a site a few years ago, just out of curiosity.
I was just shocked at how this email seemed so genuine. Can't ask anyone in real life about it because I'd be too ashamed. I've just ordered a camera cover from Amazon. But panicked and deleted all my contacts. I'm so panicked about the whole thing.

OP posts:

TitoMojito · 09/02/2022 09:09

Yeah I've had that email before. They don’t have anything on you. It's just nonsense trying to scare you.

LibbyL92 · 09/02/2022 09:10

I’ve had this email 3 times over the last 2 years.

I don’t even bother opening junk Mail anymore.
Just delete and move on x

gingerhills · 09/02/2022 09:11

I promise you it's a scam. Ignore it and delete it. Nothing will happen.

TitoMojito · 09/02/2022 09:12

If it makes you feel better, they had one of my old passwords too - but I have a different password on every single account so this one was probably from my MySpace or something over a decade ago because I didn’t recognise it. They hope that you use the same password for every account so it will freak you out, but they don’t actually know anything. It comes from data leaks on the dark web.

Also, my webcam on my laptop has been broken for years - so the claims are totally made up.

Canigooutyet · 09/02/2022 09:20

Yup had it, and like you even knew a password.
.
I use some blutac on front facing screens.
The emails did start to get a tad desperate in their wording.
I knew it was a scam and that email addy had zero contacts and is only used for online retailers.

FlipFlops4Me · 09/02/2022 09:21

I had that one on my office computer before lock-down. I sent it to my boss, told him I hadn't been watching said porn and did he want me to do anything in particular about the email. We both had a laugh and I deleted the email ....

FlipFlops4Me · 09/02/2022 09:24

One thing I do with my laptop at home is keep the camera slide closed unless I actually need it. On my previous laptop there wasn't a slider to physically block it off so I kept a little sticker over it.

I did that because I saw part of an interview with Mark Zuckerberg that showed his laptop, and he had a sticker over the camera. So I thought if its good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

I'd know immediately that an email like that was a total scam.

WhoAre · 09/02/2022 09:24

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Rosieposie101 · 09/02/2022 09:28

I am 100% sure it's a scam as I literally never watch porn yet I get these emails regularly 😂

FannyFifer · 09/02/2022 09:28

I got that exact one 5 days ago with my address & name, it was like it was from my own email.
Don't worry about it, it's bollocks. They said if I hadn't paid in 24 hours they wld send videos to folk on my contact list, still waiting.

AlternativePerspective · 09/02/2022 09:28

Thing is, while the porn is obviously something we can say we don’t do, the fact is that some likely do and are then more likely to pay up.

But for the rest of us, the fact they can usually quote some kind of personal information is what they use to extort money, after all, if they’re prepared to lack mail people over their porn use, then how do you know they’re not prepared to just give out your details regardless unless you give them money.

Obviously it’s a scam and they’re it, but this is the kind of fear they prey on.

FannyFifer · 09/02/2022 09:32

Same as this email?

billyt · 09/02/2022 09:43

I get these regularly, like many others I have a slide across my laptop camera which is never open, not even for works Teams calls

Just delete...DO NOT REPLY!!!

Vates · 09/02/2022 09:43

I had an email like this a couple of years ago. Just deleted it and ignored. Nothing bad happened.

FannyFifer · 09/02/2022 09:46

Also change password to ur email account.

MOTU · 09/02/2022 09:50

just FYI on the rare occasions these are real they include the video/ collateral they have to ramp up the fear - why wouldn't they if they have it right there?? this is just a generic fishing scam, it works on the same basis as "we're calling about the accident you had recently" on the assumption that for at least a few people it will be true and implies knowledge they don't have......

BestKnitterInScotland · 09/02/2022 09:53

Many email services filter this sort of nonsense into spam automatically. Just checked my gmail spam filter and there were 3 in there.

montysma1 · 09/02/2022 09:54

I asked them to be sure they sent the video to me as well as my contacts so I could enjoy it too.

Flip

1 2 3 4