Every extortion requires a ransom to be paid. It's the same with porn email scams.
Email scam letters can come in many different forms right into your email inbox. So you need to pay extra attention to the emails that come into your inbox or spam folder.
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| Photo by Nahel Abdul Hadi on Unsplash |
When you receive an email from a company you have been communicating with for so long, how do you know you are actually still exchanging correspondence with the real company? Let's use PayPal as an example.
PayPal is a legitimate online financial company that operates an online payment system which individuals and companies can use to make financial transactions. For a financial transaction to take place individuals and companies will have to open a PayPal account and register to start using it.
Once you open an account, you can send money from your PayPal account and also receive payments. When a transaction between two individuals is made, this transaction is recorded by PayPal and then you are sent an email.
If you receive a payment for example, PayPal will send you an email telling you that you have money in your PayPal account. While all of this is a smooth running process, when scammers interfere they craft email messages to look like you are receiving an official correspondence from PayPal itself.
Everything in the eyes of someone who doesn't know will look legit. And of course, there is a link in the email which you have to click to log into your PayPal account. Here the scam is in clicking the link and inserting your login in credentials.
With your login details stolen the scammer can enter into your account and withdraw all your money. Here below is a screenshot showing a typical PayPal scam email.
The Bitcoin scam
With cryptocurrency use becoming a part of everyday digital life, scammers are asking for ransom payments and sending out emails to this end. Watching porn may not be your thing. But visiting porn sites is as common as watching the daily news on TV. Pornography is big business and in fact 2019 alone, Pornhub, the webs biggest site for pornography recorded 42 billion visits to its site.
This translates into an average of about 115 million site visits a day. Reviewing the past year on it's site, it says that those daily visits is,
the equivalent of the populations of Canada, Australia, Poland and the Netherlands all visiting in one day! source
This is quite a staggering number that while it is good business for Pornhub, raises the question of how much pornography is consumed online everyday. And the statistics are there for all to see. Here are just some statistics that will shock you.
a) 28,258 users are watching pornography on the internet.
b) $3,075.64 is being spent on pornography on the internet.
c) 372 people are typing the word "adult" into a search engine
d) 37 pornographic videos are created in the United States.
e) 2.5 billion emails containing porn are sent or received.
f) 68 million search queries related to pornography- 25% of total searches- are generated.
g) 16,000 queries related to child pornography are received. Source
Now Podcasts, meetings, seminars and white papers can all talk about the harmful effects pornography has on teenagers and the family/marital relationship. But there is a growing concern about how porn is frequently used by scammers,
to demand ransom from unknown people. This is the porn email scam which takes on various names such as,
porn email scam, bitcoin porn scam, sextortion emails, sextortion fishing emails.
What is a Porn email scam?
A porn email scam is one in which you are sent an email with a clear message. The email message always states why you are being contacted and for what purpose. It goes on to make demands which you have to meet.
How does it work?
Here is how a typical Bitcoin porn scam works. The scammer addresses you by telling you what they know about you in the following order,
They know the password you use, sometimes mentioning it;
They know everything about you including you email and social media contacts;
They know the porn sites you visit frequently;
That they installed a spyware which activated your webcam and recorded you in a moment of self-pleasure.
They go on to threaten you to pay some amount of money if you don't want them to expose the video on social media or to family members.
If by chance you have received an email like this, in most cases you will find it in your inbox and not in your spam folder. Here is what a typical porn scam email message looks like.
πΈ ππ ππ πππ, xyz ππ π’πππ πππππ πππ.
πΈ πππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ πππππππππ πππ πππ ππππππ ππ ππππ’-ππππ πππ, ππ πΈ πππ’ ππππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ πππ ππ πππππ πππ πππ ππππ ππ π’πππ ππ‘πππππππ.
π·ππππ πππππ, π’ππ πππ'π ππππ ππ. π·ππ ππππ πΈ ππππ ππππ πππππ πππππ’πππππ πππππππππ π’ππ. π°ππ ππ π’πππ ππππππππ πππππππ ππππ, ππππππ πππππ ππππππππ πππ πππ πππ πππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ π’πππ ππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ π·π·π½ πππ’π.
πΈππππππππ, π’πππ ππππ ππππππππ πππππ πππππππ, π ππππ ππππππ ππ ππ πππ ππππ ππππππ π ππ’ πΈ 'π πππππππππ ππππ ππππππππ π-ππππ ππ π’ππ.
ππππ πππ ππππππππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ ππ πππ πππππ ππππππππ ππππππ πππππ, ππ’ πππ’π πππ πππππ ππ πππππ πππππππππ ππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ π ππππ πππππ ππ πππππππππππ π ππ’π-ππππππππ πππππππ ππ π’πππ ππππππππππππ πππ ππ’ ππππππππππ π’πππ π ππ ππππππ.
(π’ππ πππ π πππππππππ’ πππππππ ππππππππππ πππ ππππ)
πΈ ππππ πππ ππππππππ πππππππππ. πΉπππ ππ ππππ π’ππ πππππ πΈ ππ πππππππ ππππππ, ππππ πππππ’ πππππ πππ πΈ π πππ ππ ππππ ππππππ πππ πππππππππ ππππππππ’ ππ πΉ ππππππ π’ππ ππππ .
πΈπ πππππ πππ ππ πππππ π’πππ πππππππ, ππ π ππππππ, ππππ, ππππππ πππ ππππππ (πΈ πππ'π ππππ ! πΌπ’ ππ’ππππ π πππ ππππππππ’ ππππππ πππ ππππππππ).
πππππ π’ππ ππ ππππ ππ ππππ ππππ πππ’πππ'π ππ’ππ πππππ πππππ ππ? πΈ ππππππππ ππππ...
π½ππππππππππ, ππ ππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππ ππππ πππππ.
πΈ π ππππ ππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ ππππ, πππ ππππππππππ πππππ.
πΆππ $ πΈπΆπΆπΆ ππ πππππππ πππ ππππ ππ ππ πππ πππππ πππππππ:
xvxvxvxvxvxhjnkkksllsllsllsaj
(πΈπ π’ππ ππ πππ ππππ πππ , ππππππ πππ ππ ππππππππ πππππππ. π³π πππ π ππππ ππ’ πππππππππ ππππ)
πΈπ π’ππ ππππ ππππ 'ππππππππ' (πππ'π ππππ ππ ππππ?). π°ππππ ππππ, πΈ π πππ ππ ππ ππ’ πππ πππππ πππππππ π’ππ πππππ. πΈ π πππ ππππππ πππππ’πππππ πΈ'ππ πππ πππππ π’ππ. πππ πππ’ ππππ’ π πππ ππππ ππ ππππππ π’πππ ππππππππ’ πππ’ ππ πππ’ πππππππ’ππ π πππ π£πππ ππππππππ.
πππ ππππ πππ π· πππ’ ππ ππ ππ. ππππ ππππ ππππππ πππ ππ ππππ π’ππ ππππ ππππ ππππ. πΈ ππππ πππ ππ πππ ππ π ππππ ππππ ππππ π πππ ππππ ππ ππππ π’ππ πππ ππππ π-ππππ ππ πππ'π πππππππ ππ ππππ’ πππππ.
What are the effects of a sextortion email
Receiving an email like this is always threatening and will get many people checking their conscious. Here is how it works on an email recipient,
Password
There is a clear indication of a password that you have used before or are currently using. This gives you the idea that the sender knows a lot about you.
Spyware
Having spyware in your computer means that your computer has been infiltrated by an unwanted software that is stealing your data and sensitive information. You have been hacked!
Video footage
You may have been watching porn in the quiet of your home. Reading this mail may have got you thinking of the last time you visited a porn site and excited as you were,
worked yourself away into masturbation.
When you add everything up, here is what you get. The password corresponds to a password you might be currently using. And so you think that if the scammer knows your password, then they already have access to your sensitive data.
And if they have activated a spyware then the spyware is working in the background,
And if they have activated a spyware then the spyware is working in the background,
and has actually recorded you while you were watching porn and pleasing yourself.
If you are guilty of such acts, the fear of being exposed grips you. You'd want to save your reputation and quickly pay the scammers. Payment is usually in Bitcoins and is picked up anonymously by the scammer.
Symantec in 2019 blocked almost 300 million extortion scam emails between the months of January and may, 2019. This shows how the scam is widespread and on the increase.
Symantec in 2019 blocked almost 300 million extortion scam emails between the months of January and may, 2019. This shows how the scam is widespread and on the increase.
Why you are tricked
Are you guilty of such acts of self-pleasure in front of a webcam? Do you fear your actions might be recorded and eventually exposed? Well if you are guilty and fear your spouse or family getting to know about it,
then this will force you to decide to take action and pay.
But here is the thing, much of the claims of being recorded, and that recording being exposed is bogus. It is only meant to scare you as this article,
then this will force you to decide to take action and pay.
But here is the thing, much of the claims of being recorded, and that recording being exposed is bogus. It is only meant to scare you as this article,
Sextortion emails and porn scams are back-don't let them scare you! on the nakesecurity.sophos.com website reveals.
According to the article the bogus claim is only made to scare you into believing they have a recording. But it goes on to say that,
if the crooks really wanted to convince you they had such a video, they'd put a still frame or a short clip from it in the sextortion email.
But the scammers only include a password you have used and which they probably got from a data breach.
if the crooks really wanted to convince you they had such a video, they'd put a still frame or a short clip from it in the sextortion email.
But the scammers only include a password you have used and which they probably got from a data breach.
What to do against porn scam emails.
The rise in porn scam email is alarming and this calls for increased awareness when it comes to your online security. You are a target the moment you receive such an email.
And if you are afraid of the outcome, perhaps because you are guilty,
you may find indulging in paying the scammers a good idea.
But there's no need to panic, and no need to fear being exposed. All the scammers want is your money. And so if you have received a porn scam email here are some of the things you can do to prevent from falling for the scam.
1) Delete the email immediately. Do not think twice before doing so.
2) Change your password if you are still using an account with the mentioned password.
3) If there are links in the mail do not click on the links
4) Never pay the ransom.
Final consideration
With the amount of email messages that flood people's email accounts, you are more likely to receive a few of these emails messages every now and then. They may fall into your inbox sometimes instead of your spam folder. Wherever they fall, do not open them but delete them immediately.
If you have a contacts list in your email account, you may to inform them about it so they can be aware. this way you can save a lot of people from getting scammed.
Naked Security,Sophos
Symantec
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