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Scam email or not?

  • 18-01-2019 9:46am
    #1
    FIFA2004
    Registered Users Posts: 437 ✭✭


    Hi,
    I found an email from a few days ago when checking my spam
    Basically someone saying they had hacked my computer through a porn website and now had a video from my webcam. And now have a video of me and will send it to my contact list if I don't send money via bitcoin. If I was near the website it was a pop up but I don't like the idea of someone having videos of me. They included a password that I used to use in the email, but I think is still the password for the computer (I use face recognition usually)

    Is the above possible and if so what do I do? Obviously I'm not going to pay the money he wants!

    Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    LoLth
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 10,339 Mod ✭✭✭✭LoLth


    Its a known scam. Just look up "sextortion scam" . Better yet, take a sentence from the email and look that up, you will more than likely find the exact same email online.

    also:
    buy a webcam cover or a plaster
    get a pop up blocker
    be careful when dealing with the ... ehhhh pop ups ;)


  • #3
    FIFA2004
    Registered Users Posts: 437 ✭✭FIFA2004


    Thanks appreciate that! Id tried googling the email address but not the email itself.


  • #4
    site_owner
    Registered Users Posts: 955 ✭✭✭site_owner


    For reassurance, they most likely got your password via a data breach.

    Check your details here and you should be able to confirm it

    https://haveibeenpwned.com/

    Then update your passwords etc if you are still using any that were breached


  • #5
    Iderown
    Registered Users Posts: 233 ✭✭Iderown


    I had a similar email. Was to the email address that I use with an EZ-BOARDS discussion group. NOT THIS ONE!
    Claimed to have accessed a camera - haha - there is no camera on the computer here.
    Anyway, the mix of email address and the partially quoted password allowed me to identify the EZ-BOARD which had been compromised. I use a different password for each of my online discussions/email accounts.


  • #6
    1874
    Registered Users Posts: 2,382 ✭✭✭1874


    Some of these seem to have potentially come from a linkedin breach, seems to be doing the rounds, I usually just delete all spam, but I noticed a similar one, had a quick look as to what it was, saw bitcoin demanded and thought, delete, but maybe I should have kept a record of it. I heard something in the news where Gardai were asking people to report these types of emails, not convinced about that myself going anywhere, maybe as a means to count them or maybe they do keep a record of where they may be originating?? without being able to transfer the information to the Gardai by email, seems a bit inconvenient..


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  • #7
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users Posts: 11,907 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    FIFA2004 wrote: »
    Hi,
    I found an email from a few days ago when checking my spam
    Basically someone saying they had hacked my computer through a porn website and now had a video from my webcam. And now have a video of me and will send it to my contact list if I don't send money via bitcoin. If I was near the website it was a pop up but I don't like the idea of someone having videos of me. They included a password that I used to use in the email, but I think is still the password for the computer (I use face recognition usually)

    Is the above possible and if so what do I do? Obviously I'm not going to pay the money he wants!

    Thanks

    Got the exact same email about 2weeks ago. Thankfully Google turfs them into Spam. I have an email account with iol.ie. Now when I log into that email site I get an error saying username or password incorrect. When I go the Help section, I get chucked out on not having an account.

    Are any of you guys using @iol.ie or @iolfree.ie email addresses?

    Who owns the iol.ie domain now?


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