Fraudsters are still trying to blackmail users via email!

Blackmailers pose as lawyers: In the letter, the sender claims that in this case a “lawyer wolf” has used spyware to get hold of juicy video material of the recipient. If the recipient does not want the blackmailer to publish this material, he should transfer money in the form of Bitcoins! Based on the email address, which we deliberately pixelated here, we were able to determine that it was a hijacked email address and that there is no lawyer Wolf with such an email address/domain.

Screenshot of the email that is sent to a large number of Internet users.
Screenshot of the email that is sent to a large number of Internet users.

about these emails for over a year now . They are available in both English and German.

It is not advisable to accept the blackmailers' demands! 

The police are also warning about this scam.

Bitcoins are still very popular – especially among cybercriminals. Such emails are usually sent randomly to different people (with or without a personal salutation). No proof of the existence of the footage is provided. This means it cannot be clearly proven whether the blackmailers really have video material of the victims or not.

So far there has only been one similar case in which a user was actually blackmailed .

However, you can never rule out infection with malware When you visit dubious sites, it can always happen that you get malware. A good antivirus can help here.

Should I pay the blackmailer?

It is not advisable to pay the blackmailer immediately. In addition to not relying on a criminal's word, any user who gives in to such a demand qualifies as a potential "permanent victim." to report such emails and other blackmail attempts immediately to the nearest police station .

The LKA Lower Saxony has also published some links where you can check for yourself whether your own email address appears in leaked databases:

But be careful: the pages do not claim to be complete. Leaked databases often only become known months or even years later. Unfortunately, you cannot be completely safe if your email address does not appear in the databases.

Result:

In most cases, such emails are pure scams and the blackmailer does not have any juicy video footage of his victim. Unfortunately, this possibility can never be completely ruled out. That's why it makes sense to definitely report the blackmail to the police!

Tip: If you want to be on the safe side, you can cover your device's camera with a small sticker and remove it if necessary. Good virus protection should still have a high priority.

At this point we can reproduce the content of the blackmail email listed above:

Subject: (First Name Last Name) Final reminder! – File number: 8274491281

Hello (first name last name)
Due to a security hole in your system, I was able to install a virus on your device unnoticed.
Because of this virus I have complete access to your system.
I have hidden child porn on your hard drive and created a backup copy of your personal data, photos and videos.
If you don't believe me, here is some example data:

Name: REAL FIRST and LAST NAME
Address: REAL ADDRESS
Residence: REAL PLACE OF RESIDENCE

The last time you masturbated, I used the virus to record a video.
On this video you can see how you masturbate, I changed the video through skillful editing so
that in the foreground you can see you masturbating and in the background ("your screen") you can see you looking at
child porn, you and I know that it is a “fake”, but imagine
what would happen if I published the video and forwarded it to the police.
The police will search your house and find the stored child porn, you will be a convicted child molester.
Your friends and family will turn away from you, you will lose your job.
Nobody will want anything to do with you.
When you opened this email, a timer automatically started.
You now have 72 hours
to pay €750 in Bitcoin to the following Bitcoin address ("Bitcoin Wallet"): 1BTCM4R6DhBd6weUhQYV3VSxNNUT5KLF6j
If the payment is not received within this period , the video will be published automatically, it will be
forwarded to your friends and family and we will also report it to the police.
However, if you pay as requested, the video will automatically be deleted, the child porn will be
deleted from your hard drive and you will never hear from me again.
If you don't know how to get Bitcoins or how to buy them, I'll be happy to help you.
It's very simple, you just go to Google and search for one of the two sentences "How to buy Bitcoins"
or "How to Buy Bitcoins"
Angela, this is no joke, if you don't pay the 750€ I will destroy your life,
I won't stop until you've lost everything and been labeled a child molester, it's in your hands.

Article image: Shutterstock / By Bacho


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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 )