Scam porn extortion email: 'I coded Malware into videos posted on a porn website you logged on to and your browser became a RAT (a Remote Access Tool)

Scam porn extortion email: 'I coded Malware into videos posted on a porn website you logged on to and your browser became a RAT (a Remote Access Tool)

With news stories of hacking into credit card companies, Facebook accounts, email accounts, 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 of a sexual nature; what's known as sextortion. In one recent month, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, received an additional 13,000 complaints about the sextortion scam over the previous months. Sextortion occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don't provide them with images of a sexual nature, sexual favors, or money.

Here is a common, and unfortunately, popular example of this.

The email

A victim receives an email similar to the one below. In this email, the scammer claims:

1. You visited a porn website.
2. He installed software on porn to allow him to hack your device (computer, tablet, phone). He says that allowed  "your browser initiated working as a RDP that has a key logger which gave me access to your screen and also web camera"
3. His software "collected your complete contacts from your Messenger, Facebook, as well as emailaccount"
4. He activated the camera on your device and recorded you watching porn and created a split screen video of you and the porn.
5. He can tell that you read the email
6. He can't be traced.

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.

 

Example scam email:

From this email address (may be spoofed): Romola Wofsy <txderrikazo@outlook.com>

 

I've got your password " jhuriv " and I have other passwords that you use. I hacked your computer's OS through an unsecured wifi connection while you were downloading a file over 27 Months ago.

 

How did this happen; right? I coded Malware into videos posted on a porn website you logged on to. You might also have been infected by a link in an email you got advertising porn. Who knows? When you took a sneak peek, your browser assumed another function and became a RAT (a Remote Access Tool). It bypasses your computer's OS security and gives me full access to your webcam and computer screen functions and you won't even know i'm there. Does your computer ever slowdown and you wonder; what just happened?

 

But then i'm sure now you know it's me and you know your password (that YOU have used somewhere most recently). This is just "1" of the Login events from your computer in the past couple of months. Till recently; my rat was actively mining and collecting information that i can exploit.

 

Ever since your OS got infected i've had the chance to know when you logon, watch porn, send emails, use social media etc. I'm able to search through your files, your recycle bin and also scrape through your contact lists on social media, from emails etc.

To avoid detection throughout its active lifespan, this rat spreads to other computers and phones and re-infects the host (your computer) subsequently after. This also gives me access to those phones or computers that have come in close range with yours.

So i will suggest not telling your friends about your blunder and how you probably got them infected too.

 

What exactly have i been up to in over 2 years?

 

Nothing! I simply allowed the malware to run out it's lifespan and dump all the audio, visual, and text data to my servers for storage. In other words; it's been catching everything! It actively records the videos you watch (using your OS) and also records you; this view is from your webcam. It also traps and stores any incriminating email.

 

Normally I set this rat trap to infect and spy on celebrities who watch porn or click on random links in their email.

I record and leak their "private and confidential conversations" to blogs and magazines and i get paid $ 4000 for every compilation i send in. I guess now you know how they get their gossip!

 

Since you downloaded the rat and it's been assigned to your PC and working on you, i think you should make it worth my while; don't you?

This is a simple case of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

 

You will pay me $1900 to make all these files go away and you'll pay me in Bitcoins Pay to this Bitcoin Address :

If you don't know about Bitcoin, search online about what Bitcoin is and how to buy bitcoin.

The Bitcoin address is case sensitive, so be very careful when you copy it out

 

If you copy the wrong address and you make payment there; your money is gone forever because payments to wrong addresses are irreversible!

 

You will have exactly 120 hours to make this payment in full.

If you make a partial Bitcoin payment and don't complete full payment before your time runs out, I will start getting videos or any "embarrassing" emails together to send to all your contacts and also all of your friends on Social Media. I'm sure they will like to know something about you which you thought was hidden. It could be a split-screen video presentation that i will send to each one of them showing what you watched and all the fun you had while watching or just a bunch of need to know facts!

You want all of this to go away? Hereit's how it's going to work;

 

Scenario 1

If I get paid in full and on time, I will start erasing everything i have on you. The faster I get paid the better for both of us.

I wouldn't want to get extra tempted and put together something (maybe because i'm bored of waiting for the Bitcoins).

 

Scenario 2

If I don't get paid or your payment is not in full and your time runs out, I will email you again with a new demand including the extra you will pay for the work i did while waiting for 120 hours to expire and then i will give you another 24 hours to comply with the new demand. This could range from double to triple the initial payment. After this; i won't contact you again and when your 24 hours is up and no payment; out goes the videos to your contacts.

 

Have this at the back of your mind.

I'm tracking a special link i coded into the header of this email and I check it every hour. I will know exactly when you read this.

THIS IS A NON NEGOTIABLE OFFER!

Don't waste your time or mine by replying.

The email account i used is hacked and i won't be logging on there again to read any replies.

 

I will be reasonable and give you 3 hours to sitdown and think about this; then your time starts.

  

The truth

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.

Variations

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.

What to do

• 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 scammer to Bitcoin (see below)

Report the scammer to Bitcoin

How To Report a Bitcoin Scam, Blackmail, Extortion or Theft:

1. 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)

2. Then login on Bitcoin

3. Enter the bitcoin address in the box on this page

4. 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 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.

 

To 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.