Protect Yourself and Report the Latest Frauds, Scams, Spams, Fakes, Identify Theft Hacks and Hoaxes
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With news stories of hacking into credit card companies, Facebook accounts, email accounts, computers and cell phones being hacked and more, scammers are busy trying to take advantage of fears of being hacked. While it certainly is possible to have all of these hacked, many scammers simply prey upon consumers' fear of being hacked to extort their victims into surrendering money. The FBI is seeing an increase in the number of reported extortion attempts, claiming your device has been hacked. In one recent month, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, received an additional 13,000 complaints about the extortion scam over the previous months. Extortion occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don't pay a ransom fee, usually by Bitcoin. The scammers may claim they used your webcam to record you or installed software to record websites you visited. None of that is actually true. They probably got your email address from a recent data breach at your bank or other institution. .So, they may really know one of your old or recent passwords, and they include it in the message to prove it. They hope that will scare you into paying them the blackmail.
Here is a common, and unfortunately, popular example of this.
A victim receives an email similar to the one below. In this email, the scammer claims:
After making these claims, he then issues his threats: you pay him by bitcoin or he will send the video to everyone in your contact list.
I've received this twice in two weeks and my wife also received it from Return-Path:
the subject line has a former password I used (but no longer use) years ago. I'll first paste the email message asking for $2000 US bitcoin payment.
The scammers email:
"πΈ ππ ππππ , ππππππππ, ππ π’πππ πππππ πππ.
πΈ πππππππ π’πππ ππππ πππππππππ πππ πππ πππ‘π πΈπΊ πππ, ππ πΈ π πππ ππππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ πππ ππ πππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππ π’πππ ππ‘πππππππ.
π·ππππ πππππ, π’ππ ππ πππ ππππ ππ ππππππππππ’. πππ πΈ ππππ ππππππ’ ππππ πππππ’πππππ ππππππππππ π’ππ. ππππ ππππππππ ππ πππππππ ππππ, ππππππππππ ππππππππ ππ π πππ ππ πππ πππ ππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ π’πππ ππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ π·πΈπΊ πππ’π.
πΈππππππππ, π’πππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππ πππππππ, π ππππ ππππππ ππ ππ πππ πππππππ’ ππππππ π ππ’ πΈ 'π ππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππ ππ π’ππ.
ππππ πππ ππππππππ ππππ π’ππ πππππππ πππ πππππ ππππππππ π πππππππ, ππ’ ππππ πππ πππππ ππ πππππ πππππππππ ππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ π ππππ πππππ ππ πππππππ π ππ’π-ππππππππ πππππ ππ π’πππ ππππ ππππππππ ππππ’ ππππππ’ ππ’ ππππππππππ π’πππ π ππ ππππππ.
(π’ππ πππ π ππ‘πππππππππππ’ πππ πππππ ππ’ πππ π ππ’ ππππ)
πΈ ππ π πππ π ππππ πππππππππ. πΉπππ ππ ππππ π’ππ πππππ πΈ 'π ππππ’πππ ππππππ, ππππ πππππ’ πππππ πππ πΈ π πππ ππ ππππ ππππππ πππ ππππππππππ πππππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ π·πΆ ππππππ π’ππ ππππππππ£π.
πΈπ πππππ πππ ππ πππππ π’πππ ππππππ, ππ π ππππππ, ππππ, ππππππ πππ ππππππ (πΈ πππ'π ππππ ! πΌπ’ πππππ πππ π πππ ππππππππ’ ππππ πππ ππππππππ).
πππππ π’ππ ππ ππππ ππ πππ£π ππππ πππ’πππ'π ππ’ππ πππππ πππππ ππ? πΈ ππππππππ ππππ...
π½ππππππππππ, ππ πππππ'π ππππ ππ ππ ππππ ππππ.
πΈ'π πππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ ππππ, ππ ππππππππππ πππππ.
πΏπππππππ πππ³ πΈπΆπΆπΆ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππ πππ ππππππ πππππ πππππππ:
[ππππ πππππππππ ππππ’ & πππππ ππ, πππ ππππππ ** ππππ ππ]
(πΈπ π’ππ πππ'π ππππππππππ πππ , ππππ ππππππ πππ ππ ππππππππ πππππππ. π³π πππ π ππππ ππ’ ππππππππ ππππ)
πΈπ π’ππ ππππ ππππ 'ππππππππ' (π ππ’ πππ'π π π ππππ ππππ ππππ?). πΈππππππππππ’ πππππ ππππ, πΈ π πππ πππππππππ πππ πππππ ππππ ππππ πππππππ π πππ π’ππ πππππ. πΈ π πππ πππ πππ ππ πππππ’πππππ πΈ'ππ πππ ππ ππππππππ ππ π’ππ. πππ πππ’ ππππ’ π πππ πππππ’ ππ ππππππ π’πππ ππππππ πππ’ ππ πππ’ πππππππ’ππ π πππ ππππππππππ’ ππ ππππ.
πππ'ππ πππ πΈπΊ πππππ ππ πππππ ππ ππ ππ. ππππ ππππ ππππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ πππππππ ππππ π-ππππ. πΈ ππππ πππ ππ ππππππ ππππ ππππ π πππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ ππ π’ππ ππ πππππππ ππππ π-ππππ πππππππππ πππ'π πππππππ ππ πππ πππππ."
ππππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ πππππππ ππππ π-ππππ. πΈ ππππ πππ ππ ππππππ ππππ ππππ π πππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ ππ π’ππ ππ πππππππ ππππ π-ππππ πππππππππ πππ'π πππππππ ππ πππ πππππ."
Notice that except for your email address, all of the information
is vague, general and definitely not specific to you. Notice also
that he provides no proof or evidence of his claims. It's pretty
obvious that if you were to attempt to extort someone like this, you
would provide at least a brief clip of the video you claimed to have
to prove that you could follow through. This is an obvious sign of
the scam nature. Of course, if you don't visit porn websites,
then you would also obviously know immediately this is a scam.
Unless of course, you believe you watch porn in your sleep ( "somnapornography"
While all of the claims are theoretically possible, it would take a pretty sophisticated scammer to achieve this. And a scammer like that is not going to target individuals; they'll go after corporations and bigger targets.
Some versions of the scam, like the one above, include one of the recipient's real passwords as "proof" that their claims are true. Criminals are sending emails and letters using their victims' authentic personally identifiable information to make their claims appear legitimate. How did they get your password? Most like they bought a list of usernames and passwords on the "dark web" from other hackers from a data breach like the ones you've heard about in the news: Experian, Yahoo, Wells Fargo, etc. Which means they are using a cut and paste program to send out thousands, or even millions of the scams.
First, do NOT reply to the scammer.
Do NOT pay the scammer.
Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are or who they say they are.
Do not open attachments from people you do not know.
Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras - and cover or physically disconnect web cameras when you are not using them.
Report the scam to the FTC: www.FTC.gov/Complaint .
Report the scammer to Bitcoin (see below)
How To Report a Bitcoin Scam, Blackmail, Extortion or Theft:
Create a free account on Bitcoin (you need this to report a scam to them; it costs nothing and you don't need to give them any sensitive information; just an email address so they can get back to you)
Then login on Bitcoin
Then click the "Report Scam" button on the page that comes up in step 3 (not here) (it looks like this:)
If you are receiving sextortion threats, you are not alone. The FTC has been warning about these scams for years . The FBI says in many sextortion cases, the perpetrator is an adult pretending to be a teenager, and you are just one of the many victims being targeted by the same person. If you believe you're a victim of sextortion, or know someone else who is, the FBI wants to hear from you:
Contact your local FBI office (or toll-free at 1-800-CALL-FBI).
Next, the FBI recommends that if you have experienced this situation please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint .
If the email contains information that identifies you personally
(other than your email address alone; for example, address, complete name, etc.)
you should contact your local or state police and local FBI office
.
If you also forward a copy of the emails you receive here , we will examine them as well.
T o see many other versions of the porn extortion scam, click here.
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.
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