Latest Blackmail Phishing email

[thedirector]

I just received an email that gave me pause for a few seconds before realising it must be a scam. The key things that separates this phishing email from others is that not only is it addressed to me by my Christian name, but the subject line includes a password that I have used in the past. To be honest, there are probably some sites I have forgotten about where it might still work. I'm posting the email in full below because I would hate anyone here who is vulnerable to get scared and fall for this scam. There are a few grammatical errors in the mail, but nothing like the nonsense we used to receive a few years ago about the King of Nigeria etc.

Many people's password details have been stolen from lots sites over the years. Sites such as Yahoo, Adobe, Dropbox, Linkedin, plex etc have all been hacked, so if you have accounts with these sites and your passwords is not very complex, the password you used at that site is probably out there on the internet.

You can check if your accounts have been breached as apart of any of the large hacks by going to - https://haveibeenpwned.com/

The usual steps to security should always be followed, complex passwords (the longer the better), different passwords for each site, don't click links in phishing emails, cover your webcam when not in use etc.

If you receive the email below, don't pay money, and do not reply or click any links. If you do so, the blackmailers will know you might be vulnerable and try harder.

I expect the email below is automatically generated by a script that reads through the data of the hacked sites above and places the forename and password in the subject line, inserts the password into the body, and completes the email with standard text.

The email is very threatening, and pretty scary if you took it to be true. The subject line was my first name and a password I've used in the past. The rest of the email reads:

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I do know xxxxxxxx is your passphrase. Lets get directly to the point. No-one has paid me to check about you. You don't know me and you're probably wondering why you're getting this e mail?

Well, I placed a software on the adult video clips (sex sites) website and there's more, you visited this site to have fun (you know what I mean). When you were viewing videos, your browser started functioning as a Remote Desktop that has a key logger which provided me with accessibility to your display and also web camera. Right after that, my software program collected your complete contacts from your Messenger, social networks, and email . And then I made a video. First part displays the video you were watching (you have a nice taste haha), and second part shows the view of your web cam, and it is u.

You have a pair of solutions. We should check out each of these choices in particulars:

Very first solution is to skip this email. Then, I most certainly will send your video recording to each of your your personal contacts and thus think about concerning the disgrace you experience. Moreover if you happen to be in an important relationship, just how it will eventually affect?

In the second place alternative would be to pay me $7000. Lets think of it as a donation. In this situation, I most certainly will immediately discard your videotape. You can continue your way of life like this never occurred and you surely will never hear back again from me.

You will make the payment by Bitcoin (if you do not know this, search "how to buy bitcoin" in Google).

BTC Address to send to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[CASE SENSITIVE copy and paste it]

Should you are wondering about going to the law, well, this email message cannot be traced back to me. I have covered my actions. I am just not looking to demand a huge amount, I simply want to be rewarded. I've a special pixel in this e-mail, and now I know that you have read through this email message. You have one day in order to make the payment. If I don't get the BitCoins, I definitely will send out your video recording to all of your contacts including friends and family, co-workers, etc. Nevertheless, if I receive the payment, I'll erase the recording right away. If you want to have evidence, reply with Yeah and I will send your video recording to your 10 contacts. This is the non:negotiable offer and thus please don't waste mine time and yours by replying to this mail.