One of my close friends the other day seemed a little visually shaken as he explained an email he received. He started explaining this blackmail message that was threatening to release video of him masturbating to porn if he did not pay the ransom of $3,600 in bitcoin.
I responded, "Was this from Nambia or some other country?" Well his face didn't change, he wasn't laughing with me, and he said, they had a password he had used before maybe recently or years ago included in the email and listed a porn site he visits.
He wasn't crying or in tears for he had asked another saavy computer friend to look into this possible scam for him. They had found that this scam was going around and yes, it may be one of his passwords from the past, but he should not be too worried.
Some in India are.
It was first considered a hoax, but at least 13 people have filed complaints saying their private sexual information is being used to extort money from them.
In India, going by complaints made with the cyber cells of police departments in several states, anonymous blackmailers operating in a similar fashion have targeted at least 13 people between January 1 and August 4. The complaints have come from states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Senior police officials say these complaints are probably just the tip of the iceberg, as in most cases the victims prefer to approach discreet private cyber security consultants for help.
Initially, there was some skepticism even among security agencies that such threats could be part of an elaborate hoax designed to con people into thinking that they might have been filmed watching porn. But in at least one case examined by the police, the blackmailer had uploaded a video and the investigators suspected that the video was acquired by planting a malware in the victim’s computer. – scroll.in
Now my friend is out and proud, but he still doesn't need his home made spanktrovision video released across the internet. And if it did get released, well, there would be some embarrassment. Some individuals that have received this email feel they are being target because they are LGBT. LGBT Indian citizens are a little more worried because the law in India still defines intercourse between homosexual couples as an unnatural act which is punishable with imprisonment that can extend up to 10 years.
The victims in India, LGBT and straight, all received emails in which a demand has been made for payment via bitcoins. The amounts range between $200 and $1,900. The stress on the crypto-currency is to prevent security agencies from tracing the transactions, police officials said.
Cyber security expert and journalist Brian Krebs said in a post on his website: “My guess is that the perpetrator has created some kind of script that draws directly from the usernames and passwords from a given data breach at a popular Web site that happened more than a decade ago, and that every victim who had their password compromised as part of that breach is getting this same email at the address used to sign up at that hacked Web site.” – scroll.in
So, yes, they may have your email password, or a password you used in the past. But do they have a video of you doing the deed with yourself? Maybe, if you posted it online or recorded and saved it on your computer. There have not been any cases tied in with this fishing scam with real footage of the possible victims. So far, once again, this is just a scam using old information from an old leak. Change your passwords folks and be careful out there. Someone may be watching you and junior having fun.
If you're worried about this, just put a piece a tape over the camera or invest in a webcam cover.
h/t: scroll.in
A couple of those gay camming
A couple of those gay camming sites will screenshot you masturbating and then block you from the site for like a month if you don’t pay a “fine”.