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jenzi's avatar
jenzi
New Contributor II
6 years ago

SPAM claiming they know my password

I received an email this morning that I just found that was in my inbox that said they knew my password, etc.

The password they put was extremely close to an old password I had. Is this legit or not? What do you think? What do I need to do about it?

> ---------- Original Message ----------
> From:xxxxxx@cox.net
> To: xxxxxxx <xxxxxx@cox.net>
> Date: November 1, 2018 at 7:36 AM
> Subject: -- SPAM --jenzi@cox.net has password xxxxxx. Password must be changed
>
> Hello!
>
> I'm a programmer who cracked your email account and device about half year ago.
> You entered a password on one of the insecure site you visited, and I catched it.
> Your password from xxxxxx@cox.net on moment of crack: xxxxxx
>
> Of course you can will change your password, or already made it.
> But it doesn't matter, my rat software update it every time.
>
> Please don't try to contact me or find me, it is impossible, since I sent you an email from your email account.
>
> Through your e-mail, I uploaded malicious code to your Operation System.
> I saved all of your contacts with friends, colleagues, relatives and a complete history of visits to the Internet resources.
> Also I installed a rat software on your device and long tome spying for you.
>
> You are not my only victim, I usually lock devices and ask for a ransom.
> But I was struck by the sites of intimate content that you very often visit.
>
> I am in shock of your reach fantasies! Wow! I've never seen anything like this!
> I did not even know that SUCH content could be so exciting!
>
> So, when you had fun on intime sites (you know what I mean!)
> I made screenshot with using my program from your camera of yours device.
> After that, I jointed them to the content of the currently viewed site.
>
> Will be funny when I send these photos to your contacts! And if your relatives see it?
> BUT I'm sure you don't want it. I definitely would not want to ...
>
> I will not do this if you pay me a little amount.
> I think $854 is a nice price for it!
>
> I accept only Bitcoins.
> My BTC wallet: 1BzkoGfrLtL59ZGjhKfvBwy47DEb6oba5f
>
> If you have difficulty with this - Ask Google "how to make a payment on a bitcoin wallet". It's easy.
> After receiving the above amount, all your data will be immediately removed automatically.
> My virus will also will be destroy itself from your operating system.
>
> My Trojan have auto alert, after this email is looked, I will be know it!
>
> You have 2 days (48 hours) for make a payment.
> If this does not happen - all your contacts will get crazy shots with your dirty life!
> And so that you do not obstruct me, your device will be locked (also after 48 hours)
>
> Do not take this frivolously! This is the last warning!
> Various security services or antiviruses won't help you for sure (I have already collected all your data).
>
> Here are the recommendations of a professional:
> Antiviruses do not help against modern malicious code. Just do not enter your passwords on unsafe sites!
>
> I hope you will be prudent.
> Bye.
>

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  • yak's avatar
    yak
    Contributor III
    6 years ago

    Over 1,000 people have reported this same email on other Spam Forums online.  Most of the passwords were stolen from the hacks of Playstation, Yahoo, and many other companies.  At one time, these old passwords were of no value to a scammer. They just wanted your Contact List so they could send out phishing emails to your friends.  Now the old passwords are being sold.  They are usually in the Subject Line or the first line of the email.  It is scary to see your password (or a password you used at one time) combined with a threat of "exposure" or "hack" by a scammer.  In 99% of all cases, the scammer does not have access to your current accounts and is just bluffing.  Just ignore this scammer and do not respond in any way.  Giving them any money just leads to more and more demands for money in the future.

  • socal_transplan's avatar
    socal_transplan
    Contributor III
    6 years ago

    i got the same thing.  similar to one i got a couple of months ago.  the password on mine was NOTHING i would ever have used...and cox put it in my spam folder...where it belonged! of course they've also put other things...NOT spam...there all day. per the poor grammar, it's got to have come from out of the country.  just like the call i got on my cell @8 a.m. this morning.  if i'm not arrested by our local cops, i'll post tomorrow night! 🙂

  • Grammie's avatar
    Grammie
    New Contributor
    6 years ago

    I got more or less this same email more than 48 hours ago (he was going to lock me out of my computer in 48 hours, haha). The password they stated was never one that I've used nor would have, and a half year ago I was using a tablet 2-in-1 that was never hacked, slow as molasses so I barely did anything on it much less surf porn sites. See, I'm nice old grandma who isn't into pornography, right there was a huge clue, and the turd said he had photo's of me while I surfed that porn, hahaha, because don't all gramma's love porn... and he was going to send them to my colleagues (am retired) and to my family (do deceased parents still read, much less get email...), yadda, yadda. Yeah, so much excitement for us old folgiesl

    Notice how the scammer stated, "I catched it" ... idiot scammer, too, doesn't understand English very well.

    I sent a copy to cox and Cox returned a standard form email telling me too bad, nothing they can do.

    I don't even normally open that ** email but clicked on that one by mistake, dang it!

    Bottom line, it's not real and they're just hoping to catch some vulnerable guys who do use porn sites in the hope they will be frightened enough to send the bitcoins. Don't be stupid.

    By the way, the turd scammer also told me how much he found the sex sites to be exciting, and also said he didn't know how exciting porn could be (he's really stupid).

  • Shir's avatar
    Shir
    New Contributor
    6 years ago

    I got this same email yesterday.  Cox sent it to my spam box.  They claim they have my password but it is not my password.  Also, it has my email address shown as the sender so I'm wondering if it can even be traced to the real sender.  Can this be reported to any agency?

    • socal_transplan's avatar
      socal_transplan
      Contributor III
      6 years ago

      yes.  you can report to spam@uce.gov as an attachment or at least with full headers. it's national. and the pros can still tell where it originated, but i'm guessing out of the country so they can't do anything but maybe add it to a filter. lots of time the email address is "spoofed." and lots of my phishing scam mails indicate from a cox.net address in the full header, but i don't know if that's spoofed or not, so i send to both spamreport@cox.net AND abuse@cox.net, as well as the national.

  • socal_transplan's avatar
    socal_transplan
    Contributor III
    6 years ago

    just thought i'd say...i have a friend with an .sbcglobal account & HE got the same email yesterday. and it came to his inbox.  guess you can't stop all of this **.

  • jenzi's avatar
    jenzi
    New Contributor II
    6 years ago

    Y'all are the BEST! I got yet another today with another super, super OLD password hasn't been used in YEAAAARS. So the passwords are legit, but they are old as fart.