“ Your account has been hacked ” and “ . I guarantee you that I won't bother you again after paying because you are not my only victim. This is a hacker code of honor. “
Two sentences from a current blackmail email that ended up in a number of mailboxes, as the LKA Lower Saxony reports.
Hush money: In the end, blackmailers demand payment of an amount so that the recipient is left alone.
The current blackmail email from June 2022 looks like this (sic!):
Subject: Your account has been hacked I have bad news for you.
11/04/2022-on this day I hacked your operating system and got full access to your account!
Your password: _________ !
It's useless to change the password, my malware intercepts it every time.How it happened:
There was a vulnerability in the software of the router you were connected to that day.
I first hacked this router and put my malicious code on it.
When you entered the Internet, my Trojan was installed on your device's operating system. After that, I created a complete memory dump of your hard drive (I got your entire address book, website viewing history, all files, phone numbers and addresses of all your contacts).
A month ago I wanted to lock your device and ask for a small amount of money to unlock it. But I looked at the sites you visit regularly and came to the great delight of your favorite resources.
I'm talking about adult websites.
I want to say - you are a big pervert. You have unbridled imagination! After that, an idea came to my mind. I took a screenshot of the intimate website where they are having fun (you know what this is about, right?).
After that, I took off your camera (using your device's camera).
It turned out beautifully, don't hesitate. I strongly believe that you do not want to show these pictures to your relatives, friends or colleagues. I think 600 EURO is a very small amount for my silence.
Plus, I spent a lot of time with you!
I only accept money in Bitcoins. My BTC wallet: bc1qel3j2zgjuev20ksrkusv9dwj747jcypmdgcl57 Don't know how to top up a Bitcoin wallet?
Write “how to send money to btc wallet” in any search engine.
It's easier than sending money to a credit card! You have just over two days (exactly 48 hours) to make the payment.
Don't worry, the timer starts the moment you open this letter.
Yes, yes, yes.. it has already started!After payment, my virus and dirty photos with them self-destruct automatically. However, if I do not receive the specified amount from you, your device will be blocked and all your contacts will receive a photo with your “joys”.
I want you to be careful. – Don't try to find and destroy my virus!
(All your data is already uploaded to a remote server) – Do not try to contact me (this is not possible, I sent you an email from your account)
– Various security services do not help you; Formatting a hard drive or destroying a device doesn't help either because your data is already on a remote server.PS I guarantee you that after payment I won't bother you anymore because you are not my only victim. This is a hacker's code of honor. From now on I advise you to use good antivirus programs and update them regularly (several times a day)! Don't be mad at me, everyone has their own job.
The perpetrators use some tricks for the emails to make the statement appear credible.
PASSWORD
In many current versions, an actually existing password for the person being addressed is given. These passwords come from hacks of websites/databases in the past, some of which have now become known or are currently unrecognized. What is striking about the passwords is how easy they are to put together. Well-known words/names and numbers are used here. In addition, the passwords only have a few digits. Complicated passwords have not yet been reported to us as sample emails from those affected . Incidentally, such passwords can now be found out very easily by experienced hackers.
SENDER
Next, the emails appear to have been sent from your own email account, as claimed. This is also a trick used by the perpetrators. Through so-called mail spoofing, the perpetrators of an email can miss any sender (comparable to an envelope, on which any sender can be written). The recipient sees this and is therefore confused and believes the content of the email. At no time is there access to the email account of the person being addressed.
WEB PAGES
The perpetrators claim to be visiting erotic websites. In fact, various evaluations by different statistics providers repeatedly show that websites with pornographic content are among the most frequently visited websites on the Internet. The probability of meeting an email recipient who has visited exactly such pages or visits them frequently is therefore very high.
WEBCAM
There are now only a few computers without a webcam, in addition to the home office time caused by the corona pandemic. A typical notebook has a webcam installed. Tablets and smartphones are also equipped with it. There have also been actual incidents involving malware that can also control a webcam undetected.
These emails are actually generated automatically and sent in bulk. A proof image (e.g. the webcam image mentioned) is never sent along. The majority of emails may end up in the spam folder unnoticed. Other people will find this in their normal inbox. Checks on the flow of money (Bitcoins) also show that people actually believe these claims and pay the requested amount to be on the safe side.
However, it is important to remain calm. If a password is mentioned in the email, it should be changed if it has not already been done. Use our tip for secure passwords .
Avoid using one password for multiple services at the same time. Be careful of long passwords that consist of letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use well-known words/names/numbers (e.g. dates of birth) that could also be guessed via social media accounts, for example. Do not transfer money to the perpetrators. Through previous tricks and mass mailings, they hope to meet enough people to comply with the blackmail. Even just a few people paying are a profit for the perpetrators with minimal effort.
Don't reply to the emails.
This would give the perpetrators feedback that they could use against you if necessary. For example, use the following services to find out about known security gaps: https://sec.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/ilc/search and https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Set up 2-factor authentication if offered. This means you can add an additional hurdle to your accounts.
Should I file a report?
Since this is extortion, you can do this at any police station or via the relevant online watchdogs (if available).
If you would like, you can inform us about current versions of this scam via this service here
Danger! There are also blackmail cases claiming similar things. However, there was prior contact there (e.g. via an erotic/dating platform) and a later video chat in which the perpetrators were able to persuade you to take corresponding actions. It is not uncommon for such video chats to be recorded using software and the victim is then blackmailed with this sensitive material. However, this is another scam that should definitely be shown.
Source: LKA Lower Saxony - The daily blackmail email - (almost) everything fake
Related:
Email Blackmail: Criminals claim to have filmed you masturbating
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

