Scary Email Scams...

[MarkJFine]

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. Includes an old password of mine as 'proof'.

As if... Did a little research and apparently four people have already fallen for this. The Bitcoin account was flagged as fraudulent: https://bitcoinwhoswho.com/address/1JHwenDp9A98XdjfYkHKyiE3R99Q72K9X4

Came through an MS Outlook.com server, so I reported it to their abuse and legal and offered to assist in any prosection. Let's see how far that goes (not expecting much).

Be careful out there folks...

[GabeU]

Oh, my!  That's an interesting one.  

Was the old password they used as proof real?  If so, that's a scary thought.  Not in that the threat is real, but how it could convince people that it is.  

[maratsade]

@MarkJFine, You may want to also report it to the IC3:

https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

[MarkJFine]

@maratsade

Cheers. Filed it on theor site, although the entire email including headers wouldn't fit in the space they provide.

@GabeU

The password was real and clearly the result of an old site hack somewhere. Spent several hours changing a lot of passwords when I saw it.

[maratsade]

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@MarkJFine wrote:

Cheers. Filed it on theor site, although the entire email including headers wouldn't fit in the space they provide.

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Just rolling my eyes here.  You'd think they'd provide more space. 

[MarkJFine]

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@maratsade wrote:

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Just rolling my eyes here.  You'd think they'd provide more space. 

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They probably provided enough space for a normal email, but Outlook.com email servers add a ton of ridiculous headers. Not just X-this, X-that. So much nonsense that 75% of the headers and none of body fit. And the body was in two sections: a plain text and html-ready part with a lot of my name commented between every so many characters. So that part was bloated too.

[maratsade]

Wouldn't they have experience with this sort of thing though and expect that not all emails that get reported will be neat and tidy and fit in the space?  In any case,  i hope they take your report seriously and do something about it. 

[MarkJFine]

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@maratsade wrote:

 In any case,  i hope they take your report seriously and do something about it. 

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Dunno, since I'm not sure a crime was actually comitted. It was attempted, but since I didn't send any money they might see it differently.

[GabeU]

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@MarkJFine wrote:

@GabeU

The password was real and clearly the result of an old site hack somewhere. Spent several hours changing a lot of passwords when I saw it.

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Eek!  I bet that made your hair stand on end!   

[MarkJFine]

I'm still changing passwords, just in case.

[GabeU]

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@MarkJFine wrote:

I'm still changing passwords, just in case.

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I don't blame you one bit.  It's ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry.  

When I had my email hacked years ago I went through and changed every password I had, which took quite some time.  

On any site that I've used any financially connected info I change my password every few months.  I wish every website gave the option to check a box that would prompt you to change your password after every so many days.  Microsoft used to do that (72 days, I think it was), though not anymore.  

[maratsade]

"  I wish every website gave the option to check a box that would prompt you to change your password after every so many days."

That'd be very useful. 

[MarkJFine]

I'm already fatigued changing all of just these.

You really have no idea of how many things you're signed up for until you have a hacked password and have to change them all.

[GabeU]

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@MarkJFine wrote:

I'm already fatigued changing all of just these.

You really have no idea of how many things you're signed up for until you have a hacked password and have to change them all.

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You've got that right!  I have a notebook with passwords, both written down on the notebook pages, separate pages, and little pieces of paper.  It's ridiculous.  It's all in one place, but hardly organized.  And there are dozens upon dozens of passwords in there.  It wouldn't at all surprise me if there are over 100.  Heck, some are for sites that don't even exist anymore.  😛  

[MarkJFine]

Taken me 3 days, but I think I'm finally done.

[GabeU]

Well, this is odd.  I have gotten into the habit of checking the spelling due to my fingers not always agreeing with me.  It missed this.

I fixed it, but how odd.  

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@MarkJFine wrote:

Taken me 3 days, but I think I'm finally done.

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Until next time.  LOL.  

And, another odd thing.  That quote didn't include your disclaimer.  Something is up with this thread.  Maybe it's hacked!!!!!!  😛 😛 😛 

Edit:  It just dawned on me:  your disclaimer is your signature, so of course it wasn't included in the quote.  

[MarkJFine]

Incidentally, I call those left-handed typos, because the left hand types a letter before it's supposed to.

I'm also left-handed and usually see a lot of those.

[gaines_wright]

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@MarkJFine wrote:ho.com/address/1JHwenDp9A98XdjfYkHKyiE3R99Q72K9X4  There are so many scammers out there now.  I even get them in snailmail:  "Warning your vehicle warranty is about to expire!  Contact us immediately." .  I bought the truck new in May, 

Scary about the password though.

[MarkJFine]

Just got another one with a different Bitcoin acct and an extra $1k added on.

This might be an epidemic to outlook.com, so it's a good thing I'm sending them to MS.

Yesterday' came from a production server in Asia/Pacific. Today from Europe (if I correctly interpret how they name them). If so, and if their servers aren't distributed, it's likely two different people with the same virus.

[maratsade]

I'd like to know what you were doing in the "compromising video."  Hopefully it's not your "I am Chiquita Banana"  dance. 

[MarkJFine]

Heh... I'd like to know too.