Oh No, Scammers “Stole” My E-mail… AGAIN!
Scammers Suck – Version 153
Oh no, scammers “stole” my email… AGAIN!!!
Because we have a BUNCH of different websites, we have received a lot of the latest version of this scam. It starts with them spoofing our email address (making it appear like they have log in credentials for our email)
#SpoilerAlert
They do not.
The rest of the email is basically a cut and paste version, very similar to a bunch of these that I have posted here before. I am posting it, in hopes that if someone gets one, and they aren’t sure… hopefully this will calm them, and stop them from paying a spammer / scammer… because (as previously stated on this site, here, here, here, and here) Spammers and Scammers SUCK!
The Subject line is:
There is an overdue payment under your name. Please, settle your debts ASAP.
Here is the body of the email:
Hi!
Sadly, there are some bad news that you are about to hear.
About few months ago I have gained a full access to all devices used by you for internet browsing.
Shortly after, I started recording all internet activities done by you.
Below is the sequence of events of how that happened:
Earlier I purchased from hackers a unique access to diversified email accounts (at the moment, it is really easy to do using internet).
As you can see, I managed to log in to your email account without breaking a sweat: (myemail@mydomain.com).
Within one week afterwards, I installed a Trojan virus in your Operating Systems available on all devices that you utilize for logging in your email.
To be frank, it was somewhat a very easy task (since you were kind enough to open some of links provided in your inbox emails).
I know, you may be thinking now that I’m a genius…^^)
With help of that useful software, I am now able to gain access to all the controllers located in your devices (e.g., video camera, keyboard, microphone and others).
As result, managed to download all your photos, personal data, history of web browsing and other info to my servers without any problems.
Moreover, I now have access to all accounts in your messengers, social networks, emails, contacts list, chat history – you name it.
My Trojan virus continues refreshing its signatures in a non-stop manner (because it is operated by driver), hence it remains undetected by any antivirus software installed in your PC or device.
So, I guess now you finally understand the reason why I could never be caught until this very letter…
During the process of your personal info compilation, I could not help but notice that you are a huge admirer and regular guest of websites with adult content.
You endure a lot of pleasure while checking out porn websites, watching nasty porn movies and reaching breathtaking orgasms.
Let me be frank with you, it was really hard to resist from recording some of those naughty solo scenes with you in main role and compiling them in special videos that expose your masturbation sessions, which end with you cumming.
In case if you still have doubts, all I need is to click my mouse and all those nasty videos with you will be shared to friends, colleagues, and relatives of yours.
Moreover, nothing stops me from uploading all that hot content online, so all public can watch it too.
I sincerely hope, you would really not prefer that to happen, keeping in mind all the dirty things you like to watch, (you certainly know what I mean) it will completely ruin your reputation.
However, don’t worry, there is still a way to resolve this:
You need to carry out a $1450 USD transfer to my wallet (equivalent amount in bitcoins depending on exchange rate at the moment of funds transfer), hence upon receiving the transaction, I will proceed with deleting all the filthy videos with you in main role.
Afterwards, we can forget about this unpleasant accident.
Furthermore, I guarantee that all the malicious software will also be erased from your devices and accounts. Mark my words, I never lie.
That is a great bargain with a low price, I assure you, because I have spent a lot of effort while recording and tracking down all your activities and dirty deeds during a long period of time.
In case if you have no idea how to buy and transfer bitcoins – feel free to check the related info on the internet.
Here is my bitcoin wallet for your reference: REDACTED
Attention please! I have specified my Bitcoin wallet with spaces, please make sure that you key-in my bitcoin address without spaces to be sure that your coins successfully reach my wallet!
From now on, you have only 48 hours and countdown has started once you opened this very email (in other words, 2 days).
The following list contains things you should definitely abstain from doing or even attempting:
~>> Abstain from trying to reply this email (since the email is generated inside your inbox alongside with return address).
~>> Abstain from trying to call or report to police or any other security services.
In addition, it’s a bad idea if you want to share it with your friends, hoping they would help.
If I happen to find out (knowing my awesome skills, it can be done effortlessly,
because I have all your devices and accounts under my control and unceasing observation) – kinky videos of yours will be share to public the same day.
~>> Abstain from trying to look for me – that would not lead anywhere either. Cryptocurrency transactions are absolutely anonymous and cannot be tracked.
~>> Abstain from reinstalling your OS on devices or throwing them away.
That would not solve the problem as well, since all your personal videos are already uploaded and stored at remote servers.
Things you may be confused about:
~>> That your funds transfer won’t be delivered to me.
Chill, I can track down any transactions right away, so upon funds transfer I will receive a notification as well, since I still control your devices (my trojan virus has ability of controlling all processes remotely, just like TeamViewer).
~>> That I am going to share your dirty videos after receiving money transfer from you.
Here you need to trust me, because there is absolutely no point to still bother you after receiving money.
Moreover, if I really wanted all those videos would be available to public long time ago!
I believe we can still handle this situation on fair terms!
Here is my last advice to you… in future you better ensure you stay away from this kind of situations!
My advice – don’t forget to regularly update your passwords to feel completely secure.
Again, I cannot stress this enough.. this is a cut and paste con game. They program a bot to scour the internet for email addresses, or buy a list from the Dark Web, and send the same email to as many folks as they can. (They ALL have the same typos and bad English.)
They do not have control of your email… they have not installed a trojan virus… they have not had access to your search history… or anything else.
Just delete the e-mail, and go on with your day!
I hope this helps… because these guys are jerks who prey on folks who may not know better. They are right up there with Nigerian Prince Scams. Please don’t fall for it!
Thinking Outside The Box
To put it mildly, as a year, 2020 has been a dumpster fire.
If you were making a recipe for a bad year, you’d start with uncontrollable fires caused by global warming, kerfuffles in the Royal family, impeachment drama, stock market crashes, Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash, the everyday difficulties that visible minorities struggle with becoming glaringly apparent, Murder Hornets, Locusts, elections, and a *LOT* of political turmoil and quite a lot of nonsense…
Oh. And as a final ingredient, throw in a heaping helping of once-every-century Global Pandemic.
If 2020 was a font, it would be Comic Sans.
It is a bit of an understatement to say that, as citizens of the world, we have been battered, bruised, and bewildered by an overwhelming year.
The other evening, while driving to safely drop off products at a client’s door, I was listening to Charles Adler’s Show on CKNW.
He had one of the top Canadian Immunologists on, talking about the COVID vaccine, how the developers were able to bring various existing technologies together to make it so quickly, and what the Canadian roll-out would look like, in terms of getting it to Canadians.
At the end of the interview, Charles asked, where can Canadians go for more information about the COVID vaccine?
Their answer was: “Canada dot ca slash en slash public dash health slash services slash immunization dash vaccines dot html”
Charles said something like… “You know what you need to do? TheLightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel.ca”
But nobody listened.
Nobody in Government thought about the end users (the Public), struggling to look for information on a maze-like Government website. (It is nearly impossible.)
Nobody in Government was thinking outside the box.
So, I did.
And, here it is:
TheLightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel.ca
Click on this link, to go to the Health Canada Vaccine Information page.
#ThinkingOutsideTheBox
I Have A Friend In The CIA
I just got an email from “Joellen Branch”, a Technical Collection Officer, from the CIA, telling me that she will remove my name from a current child-porn case, and thus prevent my arrest, if I send her some bitcoin in the next few days.
It was sent from an email address with a .CF Domain Extension… which is the Central African Republic… so you KNOW it is legit.
They quote a Case Number, and have the CIA logo and everything… so I have NO DOUBT about its veracity!
; J
Here is the text:
Case #36925481
Distribution and storage of pornographic electronic materials involving underage children.
My name is Joellen Branch and I am a technical collection officer working for Central Intelligence Agency.
It has come to my attention that your personal details including your email address (my email was here) are listed in case #36925481.
The following details are listed in the document’s attachment:
• Your personal details,
• Home address,
• Work address,
• List of relatives and their contact information.Case #36925481 is part of a large international operation set to arrest more than 2000 individuals suspected of paedophilia in 27 countries.
The data which could be used to acquire your personal information: • Your ISP web browsing history,
• DNS queries history and connection logs,
• Deep web .onion browsing and/or connection sharing,
• Online chat-room logs,
• Social media activity log.The first arrests are scheduled for April 8, 2019.
Why am I contacting you ?
I read the documentation and I know you are a wealthy person who may be concerned about reputation.
I am one of several people who have access to those documents and I have enough security clearance to amend and remove your details from this case.
Here is my proposition.
Transfer exactly $10,000 USD (ten thousand dollars – about 2.5 BTC)
through Bitcoin network to this special bitcoin address: – REDACTED –You can transfer funds with online bitcoin exchanges such as Coinbase, Bitstamp or Coinmama.
The deadline is March 27, 2019 (I need few days to access and edit the files).
Upon confirming your transfer I will take care of all the files linked to you and you can rest assured no one will bother you.
Please do not contact me.
I will contact you and confirm only when I see the valid transfer.
Regards, Joellen Branch
Technical Collection Officer
Directorate of Science and Technology
Central Intelligence Agency
At the top of this post, my comments are tongue-in-cheek, and may come off as being too cavalier, with regards to this email.
I am now getting several of these spam, every week, in various different incarnations… some threatening me with violence for cheating or work grudges… some threaten to expose me as a child-molester… some threaten to literally expose nude pictures of me performing explicit acts.
None of these allegations… or threats… are real.
As I have stated previously, the only “real” parts of these emails, are my email address… and the scammers bitcoin account number.
EVERYTHING ELSE (the originating email address, the threat or potential threat, are all nonsense, meant to intimidate and bully the recipient into compliance.
I have posted these emails, because they are a NEW online version of the CRA Phone Scam… and (perhaps because of the lacivious nature of the “charges” leveled in the emails) the media doesn’t seem to be alerting the public to this scam as diligently, as they have previous scams.
I have no intent of paying anyone, for anything… but am posting it, in case someone else gets it, but is concerned if the threat is real, or that their reputation may be falsely maligned.
None of the threats I have posted were real.
As I have stated previously, the only “real” parts of these emails, are my email address… and the scammers bitcoin account number. EVERYTHING ELSE (the originating email address… the threat or potential threat… and the supposed law enforcement agencies involved… are all nonsense, meant to intimidate and bully the recipient into compliance.)
I have posted these emails, because they are a NEW online version of the CRA Phone Scam.
I’m not sure why… (perhaps because of the nature of the “charges” leveled in the emails?) …but, the media doesn’t seem to be alerting the public to this scam as diligently, as they have with previous incarnations.
I have no intent of paying anyone, for anything… but am posting this version, in case someone else gets it, and is concerned whether the “threat” is real.
It SHOULD be noted, that, if you have any concerns about online threats, blackmail, extortion, or threatened computer piracy, you should contact local law enforcement, and appropriate Governmental Agencies.
(For Canadian agencies, you can find links in a previous post.)
Be savvy… there are a lot of scammers and spammers out there!
Spammers And Scammers Suck – Part 3
Today I got a new version of the “Send me Bitcoin” email scam that I haven’t gotten before. This one has a different spin…
It threatens violence against me, unless I pay up.
Again, it should be stated, (as I have said in the last two blog posts,) that these emails come from a spoofed email account, and the only thing that is “real” in these emails, are my email address, and the scammer’s BitCoin account number.
Here is the scammer’s latest offering:
Hi there.
I run a site in the darknet, I sell all kinds of services – basically it is destruction to property and injury. In the main, all but the shooting. Often main reasons are rejected love or competition at work. This month she talked to me and gave me the task of empty acid in your visage. Standard order – quickly, painfully, for life.
Without too much fuss. I get money only after completing the order. Therefore, now I offer you pay me to be inactive, I propose this to nearly all the victims. If I do not see money from you, then my person will fulfill the order. If you transfer me money, in addition to my inaction, I will give you the information that I have about the client. After completing the task, I always spend the performer, so I have a choice, to get $1800 from you for information about the customer and my inaction, or to get $ 5000 from the customer, but with a high probability of losing the performer.
I’m getting payments in BitCoin, here’s my Bitcoin address – REDACTED
The summary I told above.
24 hours to decide and pay, and keep in mind that clock is ticking.
Wilbert Potter
Latest update… today I got two emails, from two different spammers.
Both made it appear that they had hacked my account, by spoofing my email. (My email isn’t hacked.)
They are getting lazy, though. Even though the instructions specify that their BitCoin accounts are case sensitive, and that I should copy and paste it, when I send them their ransom… they have pasted the document, as an image into the email, so nobody can copy and paste their BitCoin address anyway! #Geniuses
Here are the latest versions.
Click on the images below, to open ’em up, and read the (slightly) different versions.
These jerks have bought a list of emails, likely from back, years ago, when LinkedIn user information was compromised… and are spitting it out to as many folks as they can reach, hoping that some of them will be taken in by it.
I am posting the many versions, with the hope that, by posting them, I create awareness that these are spammers, and they suck… but that they should be ignored, along with the money from Nigerian Princes, and emails from the CIA.
Spammer And Scammers Suck – Part 2
So, it seems that the folks who have (at some point) hacked website databases, have data mined the breaches, and sold their email / password info to a group that is blasting the “I have nasty pictures of you” scam out to everyone.
I’ve gotten a second version of the email, threatening to release embarrassing photos/videos of me, unless I “donate” $1000 worth of bitcoins to their account.
This version was worded differently, and came to my email, with my four year old password in the subject line… so I’m guessing this was from the LinkedIn data breach.
Again, the email it came from will either be hacked, or (more likely) spoofed. The only REAL thing in the email is the Spammer’s BitCoin account.
I have no intent in paying it, and am only posting this again, because other folks might gain benefit from word of the scam getting out there, and hopefully fewer folks will be victimized.
The content of the newest version of the email, can be viewed here.
And another new version, 2 months later. It can be viewed, here.
Spammer And Scammers Suck
I remember a few years back… my Father-In-Law was one of the first folks to get the “Canada Revenue Agency” call, saying that he owed money, he was in big trouble, and they were sending a police officer to arrest him. Now it seems like everyone is getting those calls… but at the time, we jumped in our car, and drove to his house, as fast as we could, to be there, just in case… and it left us, unsettled.
Today was my turn.
I got an email, saying that I had clicked on a link that gave someone access to my webcam, and my contacts, and unless I paid $300 USD (in Bitcoin) to them, they would send embarrassing video to everyone in my contact list… and, as the owner of a business, how this embarrassment would affect my company, and brand.
As I don’t have a webcam on any of my desktop or laptop computers, I deleted the email, and went about my day.
A short time later, I thought about it some more, and realized my ipad has a forward-facing camera, and theoretically could have been compromised.
Having said that:
I’m not paying.
I don’t like extortion, I don’t like bullies, and spammers and scammers suck.
I believe it is a scam…. and several days later, there have been no further developments.
I have posted a notice, letting my friends know, that if they get an email, saying there are compromising pictures of Bob, with a link… that they should “flush” it. Clicking on, or connecting to, a questionable link is ALWAYS a bad idea… and when you KNOW it is a bad link, an even worse idea.
I have contacted the RCMP… although there is nothing to give any leads in the email. The address is either spoofed or hacked. The only valid information in the email, would be the BitCoin account number, and that isn’t trackable.
I’ll say it again… Spammers and Scammers SUCK..
If you ever get anything similar, here are the prescribed steps, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:
If you were the victim of fraud or extortion, please contact your local police.
Additionally, there are a number of other agencies that may be able to assist.
The following list is provided as a starting point: Financial institution, credit card company, insurance company, telephone company, Provincial Consumer Protection Agency, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre.
Contacts
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca)
- RCMP Scams page (http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/index-eng.htm)
- Competition Bureau (http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/h_00122.html)
- OPP fraud prevention (https://www.opp.ca/index.php?id=115&lng=en&entryid=573e164b8f94ac69670ca89a)
If you want to see the text of the email, click here.
Oh, and if you are disappointed that you DON’T get to see a picture of a naked Bob… here is as close as you will get!
Gobsmacked
I’ve never really understood the phrase “gobsmacked” until today.
I got that same old spammy direct message on Twitter, saying “Did you see this pic of you. LOL” and a link:
As always, I deleted the email notification, and went to the sender’s timeline.
They are a small local company, with not many followers and a pretty meager twitter feed… so as well as replying on Twitter, I took the unusual step of calling their office to let them know that they had clicked on a bad link, and they needed to change their password.
Nobody was in the office, but I left them a fairly comprehensive message, explaining (in the simplest terms possible) how they could quickly resolve their issue.
About an hour later, I got a call back, asking if I was Bob, and asking me to explain what I was talking about.
Because… you see… they PAY someone to look after their Twitter account for them. Or, more precisely, to send spam, on their behalf.
The Twitter feed that I took as someone’s sad attempt to break into the world of Social Media… was contracted out to a “professional”… who was tricked by the “Have you seen this picture of you. LOL” tweet.
And, now I understand “gobsmacked.”
I have no issue with someone helping out with Social Media. Heck, I have a number of businesses and Organizations that I help with that !!!
But I believe in value for money, and if you can’t do something properly and well… say so, and get out of the way.
Apparently not everyone feels that way… and some people are just Social Media vultures… taking advantage of small companies that don’t know any better.
Gobsmacked !!!
FYI… The Free Dictionary defines ‘gobsmacked’ as British slang, meaning astounded or astonished.
Are You REALLY LinkedIn
I am a fan of LinkedIn.
I have a number of connections, and have worked to use LinkedIn to promote and advance my business.
It is a powerful tool, and one of the premiere networks to advance your brand.
It is also “the source” of increasing frustration with the amount of email spam I receive, saying that So And So wants to connect to me, with all appearance of being a being a legitimate LinkedIn invitation… but is actually an attempt to phish (obtain my username and password surreptitiously) my account.
This has become so frequent, that I NEVER use the LinkedIn mobile app any more, and would never click on a link in a LinkedIn email, even f it appears to come from a legitimate email address.
It is a sad statement, that I now look at the source email, before I read ANY email on my Blackberry… and have had to employ a more powerful spam blocking engine,to try to stem the tide of spoofing (An email that has a legitimate address, but actually comes from a spammer) and phishing.
Certainly it is important to network, and not let the spammers stop us from connecting…. But it is equally important to make sure that our Networds are secure, but using caution, diligence, and a strong unique password.
Invest In Your Kids’ Future
I don’t have the BobGray.com domain.
Another Bob Gray, who wanted to run for some political office down in the South Eastern US, beat me to it. And when his political aspirations ended, he sold it to a Norwegian domain broker, who wanted $2500 for it. It has changed hands a few times, and different folks have owned it, and tried to sell it, for more, IMO, than it is worth.
(Now it is going for 3377 US$. Good luck!)
THAT is why I use the BobSongs brand… because I was too late.
(And THAT was 20 years ago !!!)
It surprises me, today, how many people, who are online, still haven’t gotten around to reserving their “name” domains… or their children’s.
I have four nieces, and I reserved their domains, soon after they were born, and adjusted as they settled into what they wanted to be called… and thus, established their “brand”.
For those who haven’t reserved a domain… there is very little cost, ($15 per year for a .com domain, a little more for .ca)
The first step is to check the domain availability using a WHOIS search. This is how you can check whether a domain is already reserved… (which means “taken”.)
TuCows has a free version, on their site:
https://www.tucowsdomains.com/whois-search/
The next step, if the domain is available, is to create an account with a domain registration company, and reserve the names.
I use Hover, because they are Canadian based, which means they are able to work with ALL domains, including Canadian .ca domains, without having fits.
But you can also use GoDaddy, Register, Network Solutions… there are lots of companies out there.
A few things to keep in mind:
Take the shortest option. www.RobertBuckminsterGray.com doesn’t roll off the tongue the way BobGray.com does.
Don’t use underscores, dashes or numbers: www.Bob_Gray.com doesn’t work well. Neither does www.BobGray317.com
And, finally… Make sure you set up a credit card, and enable the “auto-renew” feature, so that you don’t have to remember to go in and pay for it every year… it just automatically happens.
It isn’t very tough, and it can pay BIG dividends in their futures !!!
Musicians, Songwriters & Branding
I wrote this on my BobSongs Music Blog a while back, but as far as Branding goes, the message of being consistent can and SHOULD be applied everywhere…
Had a conversation with a musician the other day. He said to me that he didn’t need to establish a brand, he just used his name.
“So” I said, “You’ve got your name reserved, for your website domain?”
Well… no. Someone else has that domain reserved.
“But then surely, on your Facebook page…”
Uh, no… I haven’t got around to securing my name as a Facebook nickname, yet.
“Twitter…. ???”
Well, I don’t get Twitter, so I haven’t secured the name…
“Are there any other social media or business networks that someone can find you on ?”
Oh, yeah… I’m on MySpace, YouTube and LinkedIn.
“What name did you use on those ???”
Oh, they’re all different.
*Stunned silence*
Make a name for yourself:
The guy is a great songwriter, and an amazing musician… but not surprisingly, not too many folks have heard of him… because he has a different name, everywhere you look.
One of my teachers used to say, “Whatever you do, try to create a name for yourself.”
A NAME.
Singular.
Not a string of names and clever acronyms that no one but you will understand.
I am my brand.
I am BobSongs.
On my Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook… even, so help me… Flickr… (you know I’m not much of a photographer, right ???) …I am BobSongs.
I have as many variations of BobSongs and Bob Gray web domains sewn up, as are available.
The ones that weren’t available, I keep a list of, and check every few months to see if any of them have become available.
Patrol the Brands you are associated with:
Google Alerts is great for this.
If anything “hits” the web with Bob Gray, BobSongs, or any of a few other keywords I target… I get a weekly update, e-mailed to me.
Usually it is information about other BobSongs/Bob Gray’s, or tracking something from my Twitter feed or Blog…. but every once in a while it is something I want to see, or at least be aware of. Pennywise the Clown, from the Stephen King novel “It”, was one Bob Gray. Another Bob Gray that pops up from time to time is the professional speaker, who talks about how to expand your memory. There are lots of others. But if someone is saying something about my Brand… I want to know it.
Be constant, and consistent:
I’m a bad example here, and am currently unable to follow my own rule, because TOO many of my Blog posts are NOT associated with the music and songwriting of the BobSongs Brand. The reason for this is that I haven’t yet found an alternate Brand that I am comfortable with, that is available as a domain, and on Twitter. As soon as I do… Whoosh… my non-music content will be transferred from this Blog, to the new site. (Note: This was written before www.BobBlahBlah.com came to be, to resolve this issue.)
On Social Media, I try to break down the conversations by category… so I have lists for Hockey Fans, Scotch Drinkers, Musicians, etc… as, many times, the groups with similar interests tend to talk about the same things. If I do a LOT of chatting about a subject, I would consider having a separate account for that “voice.” In my case, with my passion for all things Vancouver Canucks, I created the NucksBob Twitter account, to stop from ticking off my “other” Twitter followers, and so I can focus my tweets, in that account.
You don’t have to do any of this stuff.
Just like you don’t have to get gigs… be successful… or sell your CD’s…
You don’t have to.
But by establishing and maintaining a consistent Brand, you make it easier for people to find and support you, and it makes it that much easier, when you find success, to further establish your Brand, and broaden your support base.