Wants "x" to be payed in Bitcoins.

[Confuscious]

While browsing my emails this morning, I came accross an email, send by an unknown sender/address.

In short, the sender wrote that he has pictures of me watching some porn sites and he is now asking about 1,000 USD in Bitcoins.
As I have done nothing I should be ashamed off or I could get in trouble with, I simply deleted the mail.

 

My question is:
Independent of the message being true or not, is there a way to scan my computer and find if my computer was infected and how to get rid of this Spyware.

TIA

[mahjongguy]

That extortion request was not the result of spyware. The supposedly convincing information was obtained through a hack of a popular website. Assuming you have changed your password on any and all websites where you used that password, you can forget about it. 

[Kenny202]

I got the same thing. Said they would destroy my life etc, send emails. Said had got into my computer and turned the webcam and microphone on. Also asked for bit coin. Interestingly they quoted a password I use often to log onto different sites. I'd like to meet the person face to face

Edited June 4, 2019 by Kenny202

[Confuscious]

On 6/4/2019 at 5:42 PM, Kenny202 said:

I got the same thing. Said they would destroy my life etc, send emails. Said had got into my computer and turned the webcam and microphone on. Also asked for bit coin. Interestingly they quoted a password I use often to log onto different sites. I'd like to meet the person face to face

They said the same thing to me.
The password they mention was used by me often.
Only, they made a BIG MISTAKE in saying that they had recorded a webcam clip of me.
My webcam is already 2 year broken and can not record any images.
Would like to meet this guy also face-to-face.
His human webcam (= eyes) would be out of use for a long time too.

[steven100]

they are just scum .... probably form Nigeria

[sammieuk1]

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:42 PM, Kenny202 said:

I got the same thing. Said they would destroy my life etc, send emails. Said had got into my computer and turned the webcam and microphone on. Also asked for bit coin. Interestingly they quoted a password I use often to log onto different sites. I'd like to meet the person face to face

Was it Qwerty123????

[Oxx]

I've had perhaps a dozen of these emails over the past couple of months, some of them with follow up emails demanding more money for not having paid earlier.  They are clearly a scam since my PC has neither webcam nor microphone, I run Linux, so am invulnerable to malware, and I have no interest in (as some of the emails have said I watched) heterosexual pornography.

[bluesofa]

On 6/4/2019 at 1:35 PM, mahjongguy said:

That extortion request was not the result of spyware. The supposedly convincing information was obtained through a hack of a popular website. Assuming you have changed your password on any and all websites where you used that password, you can forget about it. 

The ones I've seen recently aren't even hacked from anywhere.

They just spoof my email address in the 'from' field to make me think they've sent it from my account.

 

Yes, the usual rubbish about webcam footage from my (Linux) PC, porn sites I've subscribed to (none), along with a demand for US$1,000 in Bitcoin.

 

[gincy]

1 hour ago, Oxx said:

I've had perhaps a dozen of these emails over the past couple of months, some of them with follow up emails demanding more money for not having paid earlier.  They are clearly a scam since my PC has neither webcam nor microphone, I run Linux, so am invulnerable to malware, and I have no interest in (as some of the emails have said I watched) heterosexual pornography.

Your computer has been used by others?

[Oxx]

49 minutes ago, gincy said:

Your computer has been used by others?

No.  Never.

[cornishcarlos]

He's probably got loads of footage of me.. Love a good tug ????

[Kenny202]

He's probably got loads of footage of me.. Love a good tug [emoji846]

Yep. If they saw what I get up to theyd be clutching their a$$ and running up the street screaming [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787]

Sent from my SM-J730GM using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[colinneil]

9 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

He's probably got loads of footage of me.. Love a good tug ????

Well if whoever it is hacks my computer, they will only get to view a bag full of pee, not had a tug for years.????????????????????????????????️‍♀️????

[Kenny202]

Well if whoever it is hacks my computer, they will only get to view a bag full of pee, not had a tug for years.[emoji847][emoji848][emoji7][emoji849][emoji846][emoji56][emoji21][emoji1998][emoji2960]

Too much information [emoji37][emoji37][emoji1785][emoji1785][emoji2961][emoji2961]

Sent from my SM-J730GM using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Old Croc]

Most of this Ransomware hacking emanates from eastern Europe. It's quite common and there are many programs available to prevent attacks.

The City of Baltimore is currently being held to ransom.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Baltimore_ransomware_attack

[lemonjelly]

I’ve had it too, just ignore it, all they have done is somehow acquired one of your passwords to a website, they haven’t taken control of your pc or smartphone etc. change your password and ignore them, don’t reply 

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, colinneil said:

Well if whoever it is hacks my computer, they will only get to view a bag full of pee, not had a tug for years.????????????????????????????????️‍♀️????

They'll be left taking the your piss.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

I’ve had it too, just ignore it, all they have done is somehow acquired one of your passwords to a website, they haven’t taken control of your pc or smartphone etc. change your password and ignore them, don’t reply 

They haven't even done that. They've just got hold of your email address and spoofed the 'from' field to make it look like they have. They're hoping you know no better.

 

[Justgrazing]

On 6/4/2019 at 7:12 AM, Confuscious said:

the sender wrote that he has pictures of me watching some porn sites 

puts a bit sticking plaster over the cam' lens .. 

An tell 'em you don't have bitcoin but will rupee's do .. that should p*ss 'em off .. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by Justgrazing
Edit

[bluesofa]

5 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

On 6/4/2019 at 1:12 PM, Confuscious said:

the sender wrote that he has pictures of me watching some porn sites 

puts a bit sticking plaster over the cam' lens .. 

An tell 'em you don't have bitcoin but will rupee's do .. that should p*ss 'em off .. 

Edited 2 minutes ago by Justgrazing

Absolutely.

I have a two-inch piece of garden hose cut along the length, so I can keep it over the laptop camera, and slide it along away from the camera when I specifically want to use the camera.

[Justgrazing]

1 minute ago, bluesofa said:

Absolutely.

I have a two-inch piece of garden hose cut along the length, so I can keep it over the laptop camera, and slide it along away from the camera when I specifically want to use the camera.

That sounds quite professional 'Sof .. I just chuck a tea towel over it .. 

 

tried bitcoin once .. Broke me bloody tooth it did .. 

[lemonjelly]

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

They haven't even done that. They've just got hold of your email address and spoofed the 'from' field to make it look like they have. They're hoping you know no better.

 

No, they actually told me the password they’d accessed, hate to say it but the only website with that password that’s linked to my email is this one.... 

[bluesofa]

24 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

They haven't even done that. They've just got hold of your email address and spoofed the 'from' field to make it look like they have. They're hoping you know no better.

 

No, they actually told me the password they’d accessed, hate to say it but the only website with that password that’s linked to my email is this one.... 

OK.

All the crap I've received don't specifically mention the password.

Impossible to guess as all mine are 20 characters long, randomly generated upper & lower case. No two accounts have the same password.

I have no idea what any of my passwords are, I use a password manager.

 

 

[Oxx]

16 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

No, they actually told me the password they’d accessed, hate to say it but the only website with that password that’s linked to my email is this one.... 

 

Are you saying that the password they gave you was your thaivisa password - not your email password? If so, that's very disturbing.  It suggests that thaivisa is storing forum user passwords in plain text (i.e. not encrypted), so anyone with access to the system could copy them.

[lemonjelly]

4 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

Are you saying that the password they gave you was your thaivisa password - not your email password? If so, that's very disturbing.  It suggests that thaivisa is storing forum user passwords in plain text (i.e. not encrypted), so anyone with access to the system could copy them.

Yep, I really can’t think of any other websites that we’re using that password whilst being linked to my email, could be wrong though, but I’ve updated all my passwords to be safe 

[johng]

23 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I have no idea what any of my passwords are, I use a password manager.

Don't you need a password to access your password manager ?..

what if "someone else" can access your password manager ?

 

I keep all mine written in a text file ????  

[Oxx]

2 hours ago, johng said:

I keep all mine written in a text file ????  

 

Far safer to write them on Post-Its and stick them to the side of your computer.  Hackers can't get them then.  Just make sure they're not visible from your webcam in case someone hacks your computer.