Forum Topic

warning about scam email from your own email address

Got an email this morning from MY OWN email address, with threats about how they have hacked my email, have filmed me watching porn (!!), are going to share it with everyone, it'll upset me no end etc etc, and I just have to pay £600 or thereabouts in bitcoin to a bitcoin address. My camera is covered up, but if they had filmed me they'd be very disappointed filming me just typing emails and reading them. I've read about this scam/phishing in the media, so just deleted it, but I know it would freak some people out. Apparently it's some algorithm that sends emails, so if you do get one from your own email address, just delete it.

Victoria Diamond ● 2841d18 Comments

Incredible how scammers can do this. It takes a certain level of intelligence for hackers to do this so it puzzles why don't they use their IT knowledge for legitimate purposes and earn a good living from it. I would delete any crap like this anyway but I can understand why some people would freak out. However, it's not illegal to watch porn is it? Asking for a friend obviously. 😽

Sue Hammond ● 2841d

The porn scam is becoming quite common these days. There are several variants of this doing the rounds including those involving tax demands that need to be paid under the threat of arrest. Ive even seen one that pretends to be from a hitman who, for a similar fee, will not carry out the hit on you commissioned by an upset girlfriend or similar disgruntled acquaintance.Using your own email address is a very old tactic. Being used pretty much as long as emails have been around. It's called spoofing. A trick that hides the real sender's details.The answer as to why scammers do this? Easy pickings. Send out thousands of these emails and watch the money roll in from the gullible or panicked.And with regard to the legality of watching porn, most of it apart from the obvious types are legal for over 18s (a verification system is being rolled out by the government this year to help enforce this), but the scammer's real focus is more on shaming you for watching it, not actually knowing of you did or not of course, and threatening to send videos of you, recorded via your 'hacked' camera of what you may have been doing while watching it, if you get my drift, unless you pay the demand.  Worth a look:https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/10/15/beware-sextortionists-spoofing-your-own-email-address/

Freddie Francis ● 2841d

Yes, there's many variants of email fraud. Unfortunately, email is inherently lacking in security and it's all to easy to spoof addresses and hack email accounts from some service providers. No harm in changing your email account password. I've had a number of these and I'm sure the information has been harvested from an old Yahoo or Plusnet data breach. I've also seen breaches around Btinternet accounts, which at one time were also managed by Yahoo.

Michael Ixer ● 2841d

I recently had a phone call purporting to be from Hammersmith Police Station, telling me that ' two males are in custody' having attempted to use my debit card in Shepherd's Bush.  I was suspicious and a bit shirty with him - then he asked me to check that I had my card safely.  I went to look, talking down the phone as I went, and said, conversationally, sorry if I was a bit hostile but I know there have been a lot of scams.... at the word 'scams' he hung up.  I assume he was going to ask me to give him the card number or something (which I wouldn't;t have done of course) but he did sound very plausible.  Be wary.

Judy Allen ● 2841d

Most people have two phones these days, so always ring and check on your second (the one they're not ringing on) to see if they are legitimate.  Never, ring back on the same phone as the fraudster will keep your line open and put you through to a fake number.At least they have stopped offering me (retired female) a penis extension!!

Bunny Payne ● 2841d

Ooh, saucy, Bunny, shouldn’t this be on the Mail Online Middle Class Porn section on the other thread.

Martine Guy ● 2841d

Brilliant thank you for making me chuckle out loud.

Robert Wheeler ● 2841d

Thanks Robert.  I hope you read the other thread, I’ve been chuckling since yesterday.  can’t remember such a funny topic since we had the “Cats Nothing to do with Putney” thread which was years ago.Have a good evening.

Martine Guy ● 2841d

I had that exact email last month. I checked and they had a very old password. This had be hacked from Last FM who had a breach a while back. I just ignored it and made sure my other passwords are strong.

Maxine Campbell ● 2840d

mine also said they were superimposing my face on porn pictures.  I would have like to see them because if the body looked better than my tired middle-aged form then I'd have told them to knock themselves out hehe

Maxine Campbell ● 2840d

You can see the data breaches for each email address you use here ...https://haveibeenpwned.com/  (This is NOT a scam :-) )

Jeff Chambers ● 2840d

Hanks for the link Jeff. xxI've been pwned 4 times!🙀 On Adobe in 2013,  LinkedIn in 2016, Collection#1 and another data collection site that I can't remember the name of, but both in 2019! 😡 No porn sites though. 😇

Sue Hammond ● 2840d

Hanks lol.  Obviously that should be Thanks. Sorry Jeff, I'm tired after late night porn watching. Only joking...

Sue Hammond ● 2840d

Sorry Bunny did they give a contact number? :)

Simon Knight ● 2840d

Simon, I have been hoping for your comments on this.  Wonderful, LOL

Martine Guy ● 2840d

@SimonAre you asking for a friend too Simon?

Sue Hammond ● 2840d

So if you check your passwords on that site, does that mean you should change them all afterwards so that the current ones aren't out there on that site? I've got such a long list of passwords - different for every site. And which ones do you check? Email? Ebay? Facebook? Google? Paypal? BBC?  Where do you stop...

Victoria Diamond ● 2840d

I changed all the passwords that had been pwned wherever they are used, on the basis that no matter if the site they relate to hadn't been breached, it was a possible entry point.(By the way, you don't check the passwords - publishing your password is risky in itself - you check your email addresses.)

Jeff Chambers ● 2839d