An evil and pathetic extortion attempt

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I still use something similar today to keep track of them all.


I use Keepass 2.40 today and a password database stored on a high speed USB flash drive. Also got a copy of all of my family photos on the USB flash drive so in the event of a raging fire all I need to do is grab the USB flash drive from the back of the PC and run out of the house. But more than likely I will take the pc along with me.


More importantly than storing passwords, I use the notes section of Keepass entries to store valuable information related to the account that I hold there. I store everything in the notes sections, including when utilities contracts are going to expire, how to use certain commands, serial numbers for asset tracking. etc.
 
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Bellsouth doesn't run a filter on email......call bellsouth and tell them

Bellsouth could care less since they technically lo longer exist. Bellsouth was the RBOC in the southeast that was created by breakup of AT&T. Now that the rules have changed, they are AT&T again. In the reformation of AT&T they handed all the Bellsouth email accounts over to Yahoo.

There are spam filters at Yahoo that strips off the majority of the known spam. A good portion of the rest winds up in my spam folder, which unfortunately traps many useful emails that were simultaneously sent to multiple recipients. This means that I must wade through all the crap to find one or two important emails. It also means I miss one or two every so often.

There has been another issue where an older gentleman in another state has a similar email address and he either can't write well, or misspells his email address either by mistake or on purpose. I believe that this is why I'm on so many spam lists. I get important email addressed to Gary (his name) as well as tons of spam all the time, but neither Bellsouth (when they existed) AT&T or Yahoo would do anything about it. AT&T suggested legal action against Gary.

Does your email client load images in HTML email?

No, it asks if I wan't to download them. There was no image or attachment in either of these emails.
 

PRR

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...email box has been over run with spam in the past couple of years, but it has gotten much worse in the last few months. Some days I get 100 to 200 spam.... I have used this email address for about 25 years, but it looks like I must abandon it....

I've had one email address for over 30 years. For at least a decade it was exposed on dozens of public web-pages. It was involved in several mass data-breeches.

Spam rate varies a LOT for no obvious reasons. I have been at 100s per day, and also zero. Some of this is spam-detectors at the mailbox provider. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the filters to catch-up with new forms of spam. But also there is ebb/flow in spam activity and the lists they use. Occasionally this goes public: I recall a HUGE drop of spam after some police raid. And I bet the spam-broker business is boom/bust, overproduction leading to underproduction.

Yes, there has been a glut the last couple weeks. IMHO, this too will pass.

A friend is also on Yahoo-free/cheap. We think that G-Mail's filters are some better. (Yes, we know Gmail reads your stuff; but Yahoo probably does also. I pity both of them.)
 
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I sometimes think there should be a small enforced charge, say a penny per email. Would make no difference to you or I, but would cost the spammers a lot... Just a pipe dream!

On the other hand, it takes me a second or two to scan all the incoming mail and see which is spam, with a slow human brain. I'll believe in AI when a bit of software can actually do that!!
 
I run my own mail server, having been in that business in the past. For years, my wife's email address has been on her website, as it's a business... She needs to have the address available. There have been months when the average spam intake was over 3000 per day. This year, it's only been 1000 per day. Yes, I have a quite decent spam system that gets over 95% of it so we don't see it, but can search if we think we've missed something. Yes, I actually pay for that software...


We have both gotten the extortion mails, and I noticed that today, the spam filter removed 4 more of them that I didn't see.
 
I sometimes think there should be a small enforced charge, say a penny per email. Would make no difference to you or I, but would cost the spammers a lot... Just a pipe dream!

On the other hand, it takes me a second or two to scan all the incoming mail and see which is spam, with a slow human brain. I'll believe in AI when a bit of software can actually do that!!
I recall such suggestions in the late 1990s when I was actively fighting spam. It would be hard to enforce, as spammers/scammers have always used illegal means to access the Internet and send emails - even 20 years ago spammers were phishing for AOL dialup accounts and used them to send spam. A penny-per-email charge would have been charged to the unwitting AOL account holders.
 
Hey, would you want to be blackmailed for eating yogurt straight out of the container? :D

now you're out of the closet and it's acceptable to talk about this - I can admit, I too eat yogurt straight out of the container. Do you think there is a support group for this ?:p
 
I used to go out with a woman from Manchester UK.
The first night I stopped over I got up next morning to find a huge pile of letters in her letterbox.
Pretty much every one was one of these letters where you have inherited £10,000 and we just need £30 fee from you so we can send the £10,000 to you.
Apparently she had fallen for the scam hence the hundreds of letters she was getting each day.
I think these people must circulate addresses of people who fall for the scam for a price.
I was gobsmacked when she started opening the letters and asked me if it was a scam or not. Dumb blonde just doesn't cover it !
 

PRR

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Joined 2003
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I received an email .... extort $6000 from me ... Bitcoin. ... my password, ...my contact list .... my web cam ... a porn site .... My guess is that he bought some list....

Found it. This has been going on for a month. The list-sources seem to be a couple of breaches. The scum do experiment with different wording of threats.
Sextortion scum armed with leaked credentials are persistent pests • The Register
Sextortion – When Persistent Phishing Pays Off | Digital Shadows

"If you send out enough emails, you’re more likely to get the attention of a recipient that:
" Reuses their passwords
" Has recently watched adult content on their computer
" Has a webcam"

"Of all the Bitcoin addresses detected in this sample, 26 transactions matching the demands were made, totaling $28,000."

"In reality, if an attacker had access to your computer and were able to get hold of your password and record your actions, it’s unlikely that sextortion would be the most profitable tactic."
 

PRR

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Hey! They got Alistair! On videotape!

New threat-text! "...you dash your doodle", "...you choke a chicken"! "...make payment 599 U.S. dollars in BTC crypto-currency. If not I will deport the videotape to all your contacts."

(George's choked-chicken is worth more.)

Alistair doubts the claim: "I've just peeled back the gaffer tape from the front-facing camera on my laptop ..., all that the camera can see is part of my face and a lot of the ceiling. ....even in an exceptionally frisky mood, it's not going to reach that far up...."

Sorry friends, I'm afraid I just can't quite afford the Bitcoin to stop that vid from leaking everywhere • The Register
 
I had someone buy £50 worth of built up amplifier pcb's off me on ebay.
They sent a message saying they wanted to return them so I said ok.
They sent back a piece of wood with nails in it.
I really don't know why as I was courteous to them concerning the return.
Ebay refunded them, they kept the item and left me negative feedback.
As the wood with nails was dangerous I sent the police to see him.
His wife said she had sent it so he got away with it.
She got off with a warning.
 
I had someone buy £50 worth of built up amplifier pcb's off me on ebay.
They sent a message saying they wanted to return them so I said ok.
They sent back a piece of wood with nails in it.
I really don't know why as I was courteous to them concerning the return.
Ebay refunded them, they kept the item and left me negative feedback.
As the wood with nails was dangerous I sent the police to see him.
His wife said she had sent it so he got away with it.
She got off with a warning.

Funny how people like that always forget that *you have their address*.

I'm not publicly advocating revenge or violence but they are kinda leaving themselves open..
 
Funny how people like that always forget that *you have their address*.

I'm not publicly advocating revenge or violence but they are kinda leaving themselves open..

What is sad is the police told me that anything sent through the post which could harm a postal worker is illegal. Because he had wrapped it in bubble wrap so only I could be hurt meant the matter wasn't as serious !

At least the police going around would have put the wind up him and "maybe" put him off doing it again. I certainly blocked him from buying from me again.
He didn't even ask for advice or help with the audio gear, he just wanted to send it back which seemed a bit petty.

That is one ebay transaction in 1400 so its not too bad.
I do get the occasional one try it on for a refund on PCBCAD software.
If they send it back I warn them program has a spoiler in it if deactivated by me over the net.
It doesn't but they will be unsure enough not to continue using the software.
 
Version 2 of the same old stuff. This one appears to be sent from my own email address.

Hello!

My nickname in darknet is cboychuk.
I hacked this mailbox more than six months ago,
through it I infected your operating system with a virus (trojan) created by me and have been monitoring you for a long time.

If you don't belive me please check 'from address' in your header, you will see that I sent you an email from your mailbox.

Even if you changed the password after that - it does not matter, my virus intercepted all the caching data on your computer
and automatically saved access for me.

I have access to all your accounts, social networks, email, browsing history.
Accordingly, I have the data of all your contacts, files from your computer, photos and videos.

I was most struck by the intimate content sites that you occasionally visit.
You have a very wild imagination, I tell you!

During your pastime and entertainment there, I took screenshot through the camera of your device, synchronizing with what you are watching.
Oh my god! You are so funny and excited!

I think that you do not want all your contacts to get these files, right?
If you are of the same opinion, then I think that $500 is quite a fair price to destroy the dirt I created.

Send the above amount on my BTC wallet (bitcoin): 3FLbCg44aZMLGaPCmk2dpxSYRfx47ouMBP
As soon as the above amount is received, I guarantee that the data will be deleted, I do not need it.

Otherwise, these files and history of visiting sites will get all your contacts from your device.
Also, I'll send to everyone your contact access to your email and access logs, I have carefully saved it!

Since reading this letter you have 24 hours!
After your reading this message, I'll receive an automatic notification that you have seen the letter.

I hope I taught you a good lesson.
Do not be so nonchalant, please visit only to proven resources, and don't enter your passwords anywhere!
Good luck!
 
It is pretty pathetic, and a rank amateurish play on the scam the Prenda law firm ran on its victims, to the tune of at least $ 6 million U.S.D. Google them. It was a masterpiece of vertically integrated fraud and extortion, with the means to make good on the threat through legal process.

Win W5JAG
 
Maybe not evil, but totally lame: the newest robo call spoofing local numbers, is " ... informed of one or more negative reports about your business ..." uh, ok, I have several. Businesses, that is. Maybe even negative reports. Which one?

Sounds suspiciously like Sharon, my robo google rep that can vault me to the top of search lists.

Win W5JAG
 
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