PSA: Digital scammers will try to scam you
I got a fun reminder last night that there a lot of greasy people out there doing a whole lot of greasy shit unto others. Last night, I was taken on a walk down memory lane: I received an email with an old password I used to use in the subject line. Here's what was inside. I've removed the password from the mix, for obvious reasons:
_________ is yoA(C)r passphrasATMs. Lets get right to the point. No person has paid me to check about you. You do nAt know me and you're mAst likely wondATMrAng why you're getting this e-mail?
A installed a softwAre on thATM adA(C)lt vidATMo clips (porno) web-site and gA(C)ess what, yoA(C) visited this site to have fun (yAu know what i mean). While yAu were vAATMwing vidATMA clAps, yAur internet browsATMr startATMd working as a RDP that has a kATMy logger which prAvided me with AccessAbAlity to your screen As well as cAm. JA(C)st aftATMr thAt, my software gAthered all yoA(C)r cAntacts from your Messenger, socAal networks, as well As e-maAlaccount. after thAt i created A video. 1st part shows the video yoA(C) were vAewing (you've got a nice tastATM lmao), And nATMxt part displays the rATMcordAng Af your web cAm, yea its yoA(C).
YAA(C) actually hAvATM two diffATMrATMnt possAbilities. Shall we explAre these types Af choices in AspATMcts:
First optAon is tA neglect this messAgATM. in thAs case, i Am going to sATMnd your vATMry own video to each one of yoA(C)r contacts and also yoA(C) can easAly AmAgine rATMgarding the humiliAtAAn you will definitely get. MoreAver in case you Are in a romAnce, exactly how At will affect?
NATMxt solutiAn is tA pay me $1836. Lets nAmATM it as a donation. in this sitA(C)ation, A will strAightaway dAscArd your videotape. You can gA on with yAur life like this never happATMned and yoA(C) will never hear bAck again from me.
You'll make the payment through BitcoAn (if yAu do not know this, search for 'how to bA(C)y bitcoin' An GooglATM).
BTC address to send to:
1LBwjqzbSi63ZTEXEyuSrpcpuWQKMyA7jq
[case sensAtivATM so cApy and paste At]in case you are loAkAng at going to the lAw, okay, this messagATM cannot be tracATMd bAck to me. i have cAvered my moves. i am also nAt attATMmpting tA ask you fAr a huge amount, A simply want tA be paid for. A'vATM a unique pixel within this e mAAl, and At this moment i knAw that you hAve rATMAd this e-maAl. You now havATM one day to make the pAyment. if i don't get the BitCAins, i will definAtely sATMnd your video to All of yAur contActs AncludAng close rATMlatAvATMs, colleaguATMs, and so forth. HAving said that, Af i receive the paymATMnt, A will destroy thATM videA right away. if yoA(C) want to hAve evAdence, rATMply Yea! & i definitATMly wAll sATMnd Aut your vAdeo to your 11 contacts. This is the non-negotAAble offATMr, so plATMAse don't waste mine time & yours by rATMplying to this e maAl.
Oh No! Not all of my contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so forth!
The password in question that the folks who sent this thought they had came from an old database leak. I haven't used it for many moons. After double-checking that I had indeed killed off my old password (using a password manager like 1Password is a huge aid in this area,) I hit DuckDuckGo with the phrase 'Lets get right to the point.' BOOM: the second search result on the list was a post by Brian Krebs from a while back that calls bullshit on this scam, detailing the message I received almost verbatim.
So, here's the public service announcement: if you see this or anything similar pop up in your inbox don't fret. Don't click any links in the email. Hell, if possible, don't even open it. And, if you're not already doing so, consider using a password manager for the peace of mind that they can bring.
Photo by Jefferson Santos on Unsplash