A Phishing tail...

Sorry for the pun in the title folks...

This thread is mainly aimed at our non tech savvy members in our community.

Anyways, first of all and to set things straight this is what I have to say :

I use a company computer at all times with a private company paid VPN.

This is what a VPN is for the non tech savvy folks : whatismyipaddress.com...

I don't do internet porn in any circumstances, including any links that AugustusMasonicus or DBcowboy never sent me concerning pig masks, ball hammers and holes in the desert... It never happened... honest...

I don't use social media apart from ATS and another site for which I am a moderator (The password that is mentioned in the below mail (and scrubbed out for the purpose of this thread) was the only one I used for ATS... so somewhere along the lines someone managed to get this password by hacking ATS) Password has since been changed.

My camera on my computer is disabled and even covered over permanently with sellotape.

This is the mail I recieved from the following scammer : [email protected]

"I‌ a‌m awa‌r‌e xxxxxx o‌ne o‌f your pa‌ss. L‌ets get di‌r‌ectly to th‌e purpo‌se. Not o‌n‌e perso‌n ha‌s pa‌i‌d m‌e to‌ ch‌eck abo‌ut yo‌u. Yo‌u do no‌t kno‌w m‌e and yo‌u a‌r‌e most li‌kely wondering why yo‌u'r‌e g‌etti‌ng thi‌s ‌e ma‌i‌l? in fact, i‌ a‌ctua‌lly s‌etup a‌ so‌ftwa‌r‌e o‌n the 18+ vi‌deo‌s (po‌rn mat‌eria‌l) w‌eb-si‌te a‌nd th‌ere's mo‌r‌e, yo‌u vi‌si‌ted thi‌s w‌eb si‌t‌e to‌ ‌exp‌erienc‌e fun (you know what i mea‌n).

While yo‌u w‌er‌e watching vi‌deo‌ clips, yo‌ur intern‌et bro‌ws‌er start‌ed o‌p‌era‌ti‌ng as a‌ R‌emo‌t‌e D‌eskto‌p wi‌th a‌ keylo‌gger whi‌ch gav‌e me a‌ccess to‌ yo‌ur di‌spla‌y a‌nd also ca‌m. a‌ft‌er tha‌t, my so‌ftwa‌r‌e ga‌th‌ered a‌ll yo‌ur co‌nta‌cts fro‌m your M‌ess‌eng‌er, Fa‌cebo‌o‌k, as w‌ell as e-ma‌i‌la‌ccount. and th‌en i‌ cr‌ea‌t‌ed a‌ do‌ubl‌e-scr‌e‌en vid‌eo‌. 1st pa‌rt sho‌ws th‌e vid‌eo‌ yo‌u wer‌e wa‌tchi‌ng (you have a‌ ni‌c‌e ta‌st‌e : )), a‌nd s‌eco‌nd pa‌rt displa‌ys th‌e r‌eco‌rdi‌ng o‌f yo‌ur w‌ebcam, a‌nd i‌ts u.

There ar‌e no‌t o‌n‌e but two‌ options. L‌ets analyz‌e th‌ese typ‌es o‌f o‌pti‌o‌ns in pa‌rti‌cula‌rs:

1st a‌lt‌erna‌ti‌v‌e i‌s to‌ n‌egl‌ect thi‌s ‌ema‌i‌l m‌essa‌ge. i‌n thi‌s situa‌ti‌o‌n, i mo‌st c‌erta‌i‌nly wi‌ll s‌end your v‌ery own ta‌p‌e to almost a‌ll o‌f yo‌ur p‌ersona‌l conta‌cts and also‌ just co‌nsi‌d‌er co‌nc‌erning th‌e ‌embarra‌ssm‌ent you f‌eel.

K‌e‌ep i‌n mi‌nd i‌n ca‌s‌e yo‌u a‌r‌e i‌n a‌n a‌ffai‌r, just ho‌w it ca‌n a‌ffect?

i‌n th‌e s‌eco‌nd pla‌ce o‌pti‌o‌n wi‌ll b‌e to‌ gi‌v‌e m‌e $8000.

L‌ets thi‌nk o‌f i‌t a‌s a‌ do‌na‌ti‌o‌n. i‌n thi‌s sc‌ena‌ri‌o‌, i‌ mo‌st c‌erta‌i‌nly wi‌ll stra‌i‌ght a‌way ‌eras‌e your vi‌deo‌ recording. You co‌uld go‌ o‌n wi‌th yo‌ur dai‌ly routi‌n‌e li‌k‌e this n‌ev‌er to‌ok plac‌e and yo‌u sur‌ely wi‌ll n‌ev‌er h‌ea‌r ba‌ck a‌gai‌n fro‌m me. Yo‌u wi‌ll ma‌k‌e th‌e paym‌ent vi‌a‌ Bitcoi‌n (i‌f yo‌u do‌n't know this, s‌ea‌rch fo‌r 'ho‌w to buy bi‌t‌co‌i‌n' in Googl‌e). B‌T‌C‌ a‌ddr‌ess: 1CgH7UNXv5gsKYpZofRcfC6FKC2rAYDzoj [Ca‌Se-sensiti‌v‌e copy & pa‌ste i‌t]

Should yo‌u a‌r‌e ma‌ki‌ng pla‌ns fo‌r go‌i‌ng to th‌e la‌w, w‌ell, thi‌s mail ca‌n no‌t b‌e tra‌ced ba‌ck to‌ m‌e. i‌ ha‌ve co‌ver‌ed my mo‌v‌es. i a‌m just no‌t lo‌o‌ki‌ng to a‌sk yo‌u for mon‌ey v‌ery much, i‌ o‌nly want to‌ b‌e pa‌i‌d fo‌r.

Yo‌u hav‌e o‌n‌e da‌y to‌ pa‌y. i‌'v‌e a‌ specia‌l pi‌xel wi‌thi‌n thi‌s messa‌g‌e, a‌nd no‌w i‌ kno‌w that yo‌u ha‌v‌e r‌ead thi‌s message. i‌f i‌ do no‌t g‌et the B‌itC‌o‌i‌ns, i‌ wi‌ll d‌efi‌ni‌t‌ely send your vi‌deo to‌ a‌ll o‌f yo‌ur co‌nta‌cts i‌ncludi‌ng fa‌mily m‌emb‌ers, co‌ll‌ea‌gu‌es, ‌etc.

N‌ev‌erth‌el‌ess, i‌f i‌ do g‌et pai‌d, i wi‌ll ‌era‌s‌e th‌e vi‌d‌eo immedi‌a‌t‌ely. i‌t's a‌ no‌n-n‌ego‌ti‌a‌bl‌e off‌er so do‌ no‌t wast‌e mi‌n‌e ti‌m‌e a‌nd yo‌urs by replyi‌ng to‌ this ‌ema‌i‌l. if yo‌u n‌eed pro‌of, r‌eply Y‌ea‌h th‌en i‌ wi‌ll certa‌inly s‌end your vi‌d‌eo to‌ yo‌ur 15 co‌ntacts."

If you get this type of mail DONT WORRY.

IT IS A SCAM/PHISHING ATTEMPT.

Do not reply to the scammer.

Do not pay any money to him/her.

He/She has not hacked or otherwise compromised your computer, Mobile Phone, Tablet or any other device.

He/She does not have any screenshots or videos of you doing anything.

I advise you to have a look at the link I have provided below which will help you if you have any questions.

myonlinesecurity.co.uk...

Any tech savvy experts out there are invited wholeheartedly to spam out the trickster on the address I mentioned above if you feel like doing so.

Anyway, I hope my thread helps some people?

Kindest regards

Lags

I love the smell of scambait in the morning, mmm, better than bacon,

a reply to: Lagomorphe


I meant $10000 sorry, 8 was a typo. Still waiting bud clock is ticking...

a reply to: Lagomorphe

I've lobbed a hook out, no idea if they'll bite but this kind of nonsense has worked in the past, although the email address in this case might be a little too random for me to have 'sent it by accident', they're usually either desperate or simply stoopid, so we'll see,



1, I'm a Dude

2, I don't speak to my old man

3, I have no intention of going into town today

4, Deposits for Staples? What?

5, No idea who Steph is

6. There is no cake

7, There is no key under the rock, there is no rock

I'm no James Veitch, but one has to entertain themselves somehow, lol

Eta, always treat scammers like mushrooms - feed them sh*t and keep them in the dark,

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Wicked



I'm thinking of using spam looper to get my own back : www.tripwire.com...

ETA : Just done it and sent to Spam Looper

Kindest respects

Lags

Just to add? Don't open unknown mail for the exact reasons mentioned...

Hovering over the senders address in the inbox, will highlight the REAL sender of the item.

As in: [email protected] it says something like from:
[email protected]

It can even look like from a known friend or family member

Good old phishing. Tried and true method to get your World of Warcraft game account info into gold seller's hands in China. Unfortunately, too many fall for it.

We just recently had a guy show up at the store trying to buy hundreds of dollars worth of iTunes cards and he was on the phone with the scammer as managers talked to him about it and explained the scam and how it worked. Dude was ticked and started screaming at the scammer, haha.

Me, I can't fathom someone not seriously questioning anyone telling them that they have to pay via iTunes cards.

No way that the OP's email would even register with me. Porn is not my thing so those sites are not visited. I have no one but my kids on my contact list and they'd laugh their butts off because they know me and how boring I am.

I’d love to get this one my lappy literally has the webcam physically removed lulz. This is an interesting one I wonder if the scammers are going through a mafia movie marathon this seems more like a guido shakedown than your typical scam.

I received one of those today, but I had a discount, they only want $2000.


In my case, my computer does not even have a camera, as it's a desktop computer, not a laptop.
The email account where I received this email is not the email account associated with ATS but was associated with some sites that were hacked, like Adobe and LinkedIn.

originally posted by: szino9
a reply to: Lagomorphe


I meant $10000 sorry, 8 was a typo. Still waiting bud clock is ticking...

I don't mind paying you $20000 if it will set the situation straight.

However, in order to do so you will need to pay me a $800 transaction fee to unblock these funds.

I have sent you a U2U with my Bitcoin/Paypal account details.

By the way, the captured video has already been posted to 15 of my contacts as you promised so lets knock that transaction fee up to $1000 and I might even give you an extra $5000 if the transaction fee is accepted.

Here is the video that you sent to my 15 contacts :



Kindest respects

Lags

a reply to: Lagomorphe
I really hope that clip isn’t dude force autoerotic asphyxiation-ing himself! Use the force Luke, but try to avoid the white light!

originally posted by: ArMaP
I received one of those today, but I had a discount, they only want $2000.

In my case, my computer does not even have a camera, as it's a desktop computer, not a laptop.
The email account where I received this email is not the email account associated with ATS but was associated with some sites that were hacked, like Adobe and LinkedIn.

I was pondering yesterday as if not to get back to the scammer and explain that I was blind and only had a braille keyboard display and no camera or splatter them with a nice trolly wolly message in morse code.

Still pondering...

Anyways :

If any of you get this type of scam mail concerning this particular subject there is a well known site called "Have I been Pwned" which is here : haveibeenpwned.com...

It is a secure site and when you enter your Email address it will let you know if you have been Pwned (Porn scam) or not.

The site will let you know which one of your accounts may have been susceptible of being hacked.

Some of those sites hacked go back a couple of years, so if you get the type of Scam mail that I received and have changed your pass-word since then (when the sites were hacked) you shouldn't get this type of mail scam. Even if you do just ignore them.

I digged in a little deeper yesterday and contrary to what I thought in saying that my ATS account had been hacked this could be my professional network account as I had forgotten that I used the same pass word too.

So please accept my sincerest apologies ATS.

I now change (when I have the time,) my pass words at least once a month and I suggest the same to other non tech savvy members to do the same thing.

Kindest respects

Lags

originally posted by: BigDave-AR
a reply to: Lagomorphe
I really hope that clip isn’t dude force autoerotic asphyxiation-ing himself! Use the force Luke, but try to avoid the white light!

I was not there at that time with AugustusMasonicus and DBcowboy and I don't know what you are talking about...!? Honest....

May the fist... erm... I meant "force" be with you young Padawan...

Kindest respects

Lags

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
Just to add? Don't open unknown mail for the exact reasons mentioned...

Hovering over the senders address in the inbox, will highlight the REAL sender of the item.

As in: [email protected] it says something like from:
[email protected]

It can even look like from a known friend or family member

Funnily enough I hovered over the senders address and got an address that ATS will not let me post. (If anyone wants it please U2U me)

That person (Sonia Renaud with an > before the mail address and an > at the and of .com) is not in my contact list and I have never heard from her.

What got my attention was the title of the Email which was only my old pass-word.

So yep, even a password in a mail title can throw some people off.

Kindest respects

Lags

originally posted by: Lagomorphe
If any of you get this type of scam mail concerning this particular subject there is a well known site called "Have I been Pwned" which is here : haveibeenpwned.com...

I have been using that site for some years.

I almost feel bad for the employees that email me from time to time, asking meekly if they need to worry about that email they received. I tell them "No, it's just a scam.. just delete that email and block it!"

As far as the most popular phishing attacks go right now, I'd say they are:
Whale phishing (looks like it came from your manager, asking to wire money)
The one the OP posted
Fake invoices
Email account - need to respond or your email is going to be disabled and deleted (because that's how IT does it.. if you don't respond to our emails about upgrades, we completely delete your accounts in retribution.. : p )
Due money for a package

Those are at least the common ones I've been seeing over the last year or so.

But for the record, all sites you visit at work of that nature are typically already tracked and logged. If your company uses an antivirus suite, all sites that could be considered a hazard are recorded, or any site that was tagged by your companies site policies. IT doesn't care a bunch usually (we don't have time to spend time going through lists of illicit sites some employees may try to visit), but if a manager ever asks for the browsing history / bad browsing history to be provided, well.. if you DO visit those sites, you can be caught. So I'd recommend not visiting them. : )

Also there are a lot of sites listed as "bad" sites. Visit a vendor that sells wine? Possibly tagged because your company monitors alcohol / drug sites. Guns? Tagged. Violent? Tagged. etc. - although many companies turn a lot of that stuff off, because it blocks far too many useful sites to be actually helpful. I only block flat-out porn sites, that's it.. and only because they are rife with popups and malware links.

I got another email, with a different text but the same idea. The price is lower, 877 dollars.

Hi there

So I am a hacker who cracked your email address and device a several months back.

You entered your pwd on one of the web-sites you visited, and I intercepted this.

Here's your security password from [email protected] on time of compromise: ----------

Obviously you can can change it, or even already changed it.

Nevertheless this does not make a difference, my personal malicious software updated it each and every time.

Do not necessarily consider to get in touch with me or find me.

By way of your own email, I uploaded malicious code to your Operation System.

I saved all your contacts along with friends, fellow workers, loved ones plus a total record of visits to the Online resources.

As well I set up a Trojan on your device.

You will not be my only prey, I commonly lock pcs and ask for the ransom.

Nonetheless I was struck through the internet sites of romantic content that you typically visit.

I am in shock of your own fantasies! I have never observed anything like this!

Consequently, when you had enjoyment on piquant websites (you know what I mean!) I made screenshot with utilizing my program from your camera of yours system.

Subsequently, I put together them to the content of the particular currently seen web site.

There is going to be laughter when I send these photos to your friends!

BUT I'm certain you don't wish it.

Thus, I expect to have payment from you for my silence.

I think $877 is an adequate cost regarding it!

Pay with Bitcoin.

My Bitcoin wallet address is 1DHtVtCyw83FK4FaH5X96Gcv7SSzWRYVFj

In case you do not really know how to do this - type in to Google 'how to transfer money to a bitcoin wallet'. It isn't difficult.

Immediately after receiving the given amount, all your files will be instantly destroyed automatically. My trojan will also eliminate itself through your operating system.

My Trojan possess auto alert, so I know when this specific mail is read.

I give you 2 days (Forty-eight hrs) to make a payment.

If this does not happen - just about all your contacts will certainly get nuts images from your dark secret life and your device will be blocked as well after two days.

Do not end up being foolish!

Police or friends won't assist you for sure ...

PS I can present you with advice for the future. Don't type in your security passwords on unsafe web-sites.

I expect for your wisdom.

Bon voyage.

I got another one of these emails, this time on my work email, and that made me think that these passwords come from the Adobe breach, when 153 million accounts got stolen.

I have had 2 of these in the last 2 weeks, I knew it was BS though, because I do not have a webcam hooked up. But I did get freaked out a bit.

I can barely remember my passwords for anywhere, usually just let chrome remember, I don't have an anti virus and don't use a VPN, but this made me think I should take my security a bit more serious.