Extortion

[goji]

WARNING
I just received an e-mail attempting extortion, complete with a reference to one of my e-mail addresses and one of the low grade passwords I use for less secure sites. Threatening to send details of my web activity to 13 contacts if I do not pay up.

Well, they can **** off, as I also have the good sense not to use my main e-mail address for any second tier activity. So the address book for that is empty. And even if it were not, the correct response is to ignore the whole thing, as anyone dumb enough to pay once, would be targeted again. Most of their fancy claims are probably bullshit. If not, they can go right ahead.

QUESTION
I would be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar attempt ?

[Uranus]

I received something similar a few days ago.

One Mr. Fletch Steinberg claimed he has a copy of a porn movie I have watched online. To substantiate his claim he quoted one of my passwords.

The movie, he says, would be forwarded to all my Facebook friends and e-mail contacts together with a web recording of my reactions to the porn movies. To avoid humiliation I could pay him 3,000 dollars in bitcoins — as a donation — within 24 hours.

To some of my friends disappointment, they haven’t received any exciting movies yet.

[scottish-guy]

Oh I've had the "we have recorded you masturbating to porn" email too - about 3 times so far.

Given that I have no webcam built in or attached, my contacts are bound to receive a very boring and non-shocking movie indeed.

[Manforallseasons]

Oh I've had the "we have recorded you masturbating to porn" email too - about 3 times so far.

Given my contacts are bound to receive a very shocking movie indeed.

In cases such as yours considering the subject only a micro cam was needed hence you didnt see it but shocking none the less!

[scottish-guy]

I'll have you know it would require 3 x 35mm film projectors synchronised in Cinerama mode to display the full delights of my appendage

[goji]

The only question is where did they get my password from ?

Thankfully that password will be no use at all for getting into any serious sites.

[kittyboy]

A few months ago I was contacted on a gay internet site by a guy. He was all hot for my aging hairy body. He requested pictures which I obliged. He wanted to come to my apartment and he asked for my phone number (which I usually do not give out) claiming he did not have data on his phone and wanted to call if he got lost. He was a no show..but 1 hour later I got a call from an irate parent claiming.... You can fill in the details. It was a scam. The guy demanded I pay thousands of dollars to compensate the family for the expected counseling bills..or he would contact the police. I stalled the guy on the phone and looked online and quickly discovered it was a scam. I politely said it was a matter for my lawyer.. etc.. I was threatened with jail. Etc. I kept saying such a matter was best dealt with through lawyers and the guy gave up. But I was amazed at his ability to maintain a facade of parental indignation. He must have been a real sociopath.

[arsenal]

I received an e-mail claiming to be from Restaurant Sat Bains and confirming my September booking complete with an incorrect credit card number. Presumably the idea was for me to send the real number.

[cdnmatt]

Geez, this many of you had issues like this?

Use some common sense when using the internet. There's tons of different ways someone could have gotten your password, anything from you opening a wrong e-mail attachment and getting a keylogger installed, to your computer getting hacked and virus installed because you're using shitty Windows, to a web site you signed up with not knowing how to properly hash and safeguard user passwords who got hacked, to you just using a weak password that was susceptible to brute forcing, and the list goes on....

Nothing replaces common sense, and I'm definitely not about to write a 30 page security intro for SGT. Best I can suggest is download something called "KeepassX", just Google it. Then use something like Norton's password generator (Google it) or similar to generate random 24 - 36 random character, strong passwords. Store those passwords in KeepassX for security, and never use the same password for the same site.

This is basic 101 stuff guys.

[Uranus]

This is basic 101 stuff guys.

Smartass!