Forum Discussion

MarkJFine's avatar
MarkJFine
Professor
7 years ago

Scary Email Scams...

Just got a beaut...   Email claims to have captured me in a compromising video by hacking my webcam and will send it to everyone in my addressbook unless I send $1900 to his bitcoin account. Includ...
GabeU's avatar
GabeU
Distinguished Professor IV
7 years ago

maratsade

 

Interesting read, and it makes sense with the password they posted.  Had they shown one from today I'd be a bit more nervous, though I would just change it and archive the email.  

  • maratsade's avatar
    maratsade
    Distinguished Professor IV
    7 years ago

     

     

    According to the FBI, here are some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim:

    -Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are — or who they say they are.
    -Don’t open attachments from people you don’t know, and in general be wary of opening attachments even from those you do know.
    -Turn off [and/or cover] any web cameras when you are not using them.

    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).

     

    Source:  https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/07/sextortion-scam-uses-recipients-hacked-passwords/

    • MarkJFine's avatar
      MarkJFine
      Professor
      7 years ago
      maratsade wrote:

      -Turn off [and/or cover] any web cameras when you are not using them.

      Funny thing is that because we're behind a double NAT (the same reason why XBox Live doesn't work right) I doubt they could access our cameras if they wanted to... There is a silver lining here.

    • GabeU's avatar
      GabeU
      Distinguished Professor IV
      7 years ago

      maratsade

       

      And the number of people who do and/or don't do those things is ridiculous.  When it comes to the bad guys getting people ignorance is the key, and there's still a lot of it out there, unfortunately.  

       

      I still know someone who uses the same password for multiple things, including sites in which he divulges sensitive information.  When I warn him how dangerous that is, he uses the same password with one extra character, or something like that.  SMH.  It's scary stupid.  He's one of those people who isn't going to learn his lesson until he gets nailed, and even then, I don't know.  :(  

      • maratsade's avatar
        maratsade
        Distinguished Professor IV
        7 years ago

        Password1

        TrustNo1!

         

        LOL

         

        I imagine if they really want to get you, there are ways....