Boy, I'm in trouble now!

[Wade Lippman]

I just got an email saying that malware got on my computer when I visited a pornography website. They have a video of what I was watching, and also a video of me watching it taken though my camera. They will send them to everyone on my contacts list if I don't pay them $4,000.
They even had my password to prove they were on my computer.
I just don't know what to do!

Now of course no woodworker would ever go to a pornography website, but they do have my password so they could easily just take a video of me using SMC and intermix their own pornography. It would be identical. Oh wait... doesn't the fact that it can be so easily faked make the threat meaningless? More a funny anecdote than a real problem?

And I routinely run 3 malware scanners, none of which detected anything amiss; but they could easily be super competent hackers who know how to get around the best scanners and chose to use their knowledge on a cheap thing like this rather than something they can make real money on it. Sure that makes sense.

After all, they have my password. No way they could have gotten the password I use on 200 websites that I don't care about except by infecting my computer. I mean, its not like anyone could have guessed that I used my wife's name as a throwaway password. And websites are never hacked, losing passwords.

The only thing that makes me feel better is that my computer doesn't have a camera. But perhaps they are so good they got around that also.

Oh, I don't know what to do.

I wonder if anyone sends them $4,000?

[Dave Anderson NH]

Didn't you know that they remotely installed a camera on your computer. Boy you're in trouble now.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

As I have heard it said....There's a sucker born every minute!

[Peter Kelly]

Ring them up and live stream your trolling session. Always good for a laugh.


https://youtu.be/1pf8x9eH5x0

[Tom Stenzel]

Don't worry Wade. When we all get that email they made of you at least we all can learn where to find the good stuff! Pictures of trees with all the bark stripped off. Bare wood for all to see.

If you want to pay them just send a picture of a pile of pennies. I'm sure that will take care of everything.

I miss the calls from the IRS telling me to pay up or the POLICE ARE COMING AFTER ME! Those guys were fun to yank around, I always insisted that I want to pay in person. Once the conversation got far enough that I said I was going to pay those lousy G-men in hot lead. They hung up on me! Wimps. They just don't scammers like they used to.

-Tom

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Firstly, they'll want bitcoin - criminals love it because it's untraceable.
I feel for you. Members of my family have been targeted. Not fun.
Change all your passwords. Tell your bank.credit agencies, investment people etc.
Call the police. They have specialists on this.
attend your preferred religious institution (a joke).

[Peter Kelly]

Firstly, they'll want bitcoin - criminals love it because it's untraceable.No, Bitcoin is highly traceable. The blockchain is totally public, transaction IDs can even be Google'd.

Monero (https://getmonero.org) is the allegedly non-traceable one.

[Pat Barry]

Which pornography site were you viewing?

(Just kidding).

I wouldnt be concerned with this but I would change your important passwords ASAP

[Jim Koepke]

Did they say they have your password or did they actually tell you what password you have been using?

jtk

[Wade Lippman]

Did they say they have your password or did they actually tell you what password you have been using?

jtk

They actually told me a password I use. I use it on hundreds of websites I don't care about, so likely one of those sites was hacked. If someone wants to impersonate me at an appliance repair forum I used 2 years ago,(or whatever...) good for them.
I use unique passwords for anything important, and double verification for anything involving money. Just to be safe, I changed my email password though.

It probably would be prudent to change all my important passwords, but there are dozens of them. Airline mileage sites, stores, credit card sites, etc., but the odds of them actually having been on my computer is pretty close to zero.

[Bill Dufour]

They are probably not native speakers of English and do not understand the difference between vise and Vice.
Better not stick anything in a knothole you are not willing to lose to a scammer. Maybe you were looking at pictures of naked trees in winter.
Or maybe you are into tree bondage and now they know.
https://hiveminer.com/Tags/chained%2Cphotography
Bill D

[Rod Sheridan]

Which pornography site were you viewing?

(Just kidding).

I wouldnt be concerned with this but I would change your important passwords ASAP

According to my wife, it would be the Lee Valley site.

Whenever the catalogue arrives Diann gives it to me and says "your tool porn's here".

Regards, Rod.

[michael langman]

How ironic Wade. After advising me to be careful with the creeps that tried to rip me off this happens to you. Don't let your son know about what's happening to you.
What will the think of next.

[Jim Koepke]

Maybe a reply like, "please send pictures, they would be fun to send to all my kinky friends."

jtk

[Bruce Wrenn]

You got one of them new fangled wide angle cameras that can see both you and what is on your screen at the same time? A piece of blue tape can cover your camera. That's what wife does to peep holes in motel doors. The saying used to be "A picture is worth a thousand words." With today's technology, a picture is worthless. Every morning, I watch weather girl walk all over northern South America while doing weather forecast.

[Chris Parks]

James Veitch is awesome with scammers


https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veitch_this_is_what_happens_when_you_reply_t o_spam_email?language=en

[Bruce Volden]

I once received a call from a very nice gentleman in India who stated my computer was not running optimally due to the many viruses it has!!

He wanted to clean them out remotely! He had me start up my machine and log on to the internet while he would gain remote access.

So after several minutes on hold he became impatient because my lighthouse (Netscape) was still spinning.

Several more minutes and asked me if things were going ok.

I replied - certainly! We now have a 19.6K connection, usually I only get a 14.4K!

He wanted me to follow his instructions my "going to bottom L corner of screen and bring up cmd prompt.

Told him it wasn't there--he was quite angry by this time as it had been all of 20 minutes!

He ask me what version of windows I was running--Window for workgroups 3.1 was my answer. He then had to talk with his superior.

After 3 or 4 minutes he got back to me and said he will try to figure out how to remote into my machine but would have to call back.

He called back back the next day and apologized!! Said my OS was old and I really should update for better security.

I had a little fun!!

Bruce

[Charlie Hinton]

Sometimes I think my wife might prefer me to be a 'normal' husband and watch porn instead of spending so much time watching/reading about all the woodworking stuff.

[Wade Lippman]

I just got a final warning. He will go live if I don't respond immediately. I can't wait.
Someone else said he had discovered my big secret (since he knew I knew what he meant, he didn't have to go into detail) and will tell everyone if I don't pay him $6,000.

Isn't anyone else getting stuff like this?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Isn't anyone else getting stuff like this?

Not me but then I didn't go to that website.:rolleyes:;):D

[Doug Garson]

James Veitch is awesome with scammers


https://www.ted.com/talks/james_veitch_this_is_what_happens_when_you_reply_t o_spam_email?language=en
Yes, he has several youtube videos in addition to the ted talk one, they are all hilarious. To answer your other question, no I haven't had that type of email but according to the emails I have received, I have several long lost relatives who died recently with millions of dollars looking for a home. Unlike you, I wish the emails were true.

[Chris Parks]

Ask him for the password to his bank account so you can deposit the funds.

[glenn bradley]

Too late. I already emailed everyone on my contacts list a video of me watching porn :D:D:D. I got a phone call once claiming that my daughter was in jail in Tijuana and I had to send them $9000 to get her out. You also see items online with ridiculously high prices. It is indeed a troubled world.

[Dennis Peacock]

Ask him for the password to his bank account so you can deposit the funds.

Oh I really LIKE this idea. :D :D :D