“I am a hacker” Blackmail

” Hi, your account was hacked!”

It’s virtually the same message every time: a “hacker” has hacked your “account” and either has compromising information on you that they are going to spill or they are going to delete all your data. In their view, roughly $1,000 sent to them via Bitcoin is reasonable.

Don’t do it.

This message has become so common that I can almost quote it from memory. We see them here at least a couple of times a month at JM Addington Technology Solutions / Kairos Digital Dynamics.

These messages are simply being sent out en masse hoping that they’ll find people who’ve been visiting adult websites that don’t want other people to know. According to Covenant Eyes (quoting the Barna Group) roughly 1/3 Americans looks at porn once a month, with the number sky-rocketing to 67% at agents 31-49 and 79% at ages 18-30. so the sender of these blackmails are assured that most of their recipients have recently viewed an adult website.

That doesn’t mean they’ve hacked you, only that they understand statistics. If one person sends them $1,000 in Bitcoin that’s pretty good return for a day’s blackmailing work.

• Take a deep breath
• Delete the message

Here is one of the sample emails, this one came to me personally.

Hi, your account was hacked! Change your password right this moment!
You may not heard about me and you are probably wondering why you’re receiving this particular
message, right?
I am ahacker who crackedyour email boxand devicesnot so long ago.
Do not waste your time and try out to communicate with me or alternatively look for me, in fact it’s not
possible, because I directed you an email from YOUR own hacked account.
I developed special program on the adult videos (porn) site and guess you have enjoyed this website to
have fun (think you understand what I want to say).
During the time you have been watching videos, your intemet browser started out to act like a RDP
(Remote Control) having a keylogger which gave me authority to access your display and network
camera.
Consequently, my software programobtainedall info.
You put passwords on the websites you visited, I already caught them.
Surely, you can modify each of them, or already changed them.
Even so it does not matter, my app renews information every time.
What I have done?
I compiled a reserve copy of the system. Of each file and contacts.
I have managed to create dual-screen videofile. The Ist screen shows the film you were observing
(you’ve got an interesting taste, wow…), the second part presents the video from your webcam.
What should you do?
Clearly, in my view, 1000 USD is basically a reasonable amount of money for this little riddle. You’ll
make the deposit by bitcoins (if you do not know this, try to find “how to buy bitcoin” in Google).
My bitcoin wallet address:
1Q6ngsszwEJrTQVr8TRXg3GmdpS5BPbiDgg
(It is cAsE sensitive, so just copy and paste it).
‘Warning:
You will have only 2 days to send the payment. (I have an unique pixel to this email, and right now I
know that you’ve read through this email).
To monitorthe reading of a letterand the activitywithin it, I set upa Facebook pixel. Thanks to them.
(Anything thatis appliedfor the authorities might actually helpus.)
IfI do not get bitcoins, I’ll certainly transfer your videofile to each of your contacts, along with relatives,
co-workers, etc?