Very worrying email

gillybob I got one of these yesterday as I changed to a new server. I didn't look at it so I'll have a look now to see what password they know. Sorry for your distress but thank you for letting us know.

I've just this minute had one through pretending to be a survey from a supermarket then offering sex aids as a reward. The people who do these things are sick in the head, and I will report it to Action Fraud. The one you've received sounds far nastier and I strongly recommend that you inform the police as it's blackmail. Don't get scared or angry, just get even.

First of all, don't reply to the email and certainly don't pay up.
Contact the police on 101, change all of your passwords-and I do mean all of them, let your friends know (preferably not by email) and also contact Action Fraud. There is an online form that you can complete. You can even contact your local Trading Standards to report it as well.

My computer was badly hacked a couple of years ago. I changed all my passwords, and no two are alike now. Otherwise finding out just one could lead hackers to all of them.

They say don't use the same password for everything, and I ignored it because I keep forgetting them. But I built one which is watertight and I won't forget, by using the same one but including a code that refers to the site I'm entering. A very simplified one would be birthdayam for amazon and birthdayne for Netflix, but it's nowhere NEAR as easy as that! (upper & lower case, some complicated code from the website name, an extra word, strategically placed symbols etc, a very obscure foreign name, a number - but not in that order. I always get them right, they're all different, though it does take some time to input them, and just a few I have to remember to leave something out as this one has a cap on the length and that one doesn't allow symbols.

As others have said, don’t panic it’s a scam. I had the same one last year too and was frantic at the time - changing passwords and setting up a new email! So I know exactly how you feel!

However if you copy and paste some of the text into a Google search you will see it is a common scam. They have got your password from previous security breaches - you can check where here

haveibeenpwned.com/

Whoever was hacked will have told you your details might have been compromised at the time and advised you to change your password, so you will have already done that. Just delete it (after reporting) and forget about it.

I know lots of people who have had this email, I had it too. I think they have obtained details from a data breach at some time (many sites have had this happen over the years). It's not nice but like others say, just change your passwords and ignore it.

I would set up a new email address, a nuisance but probably worth it.

After deleting them to the rubbish bin, then go into that bin and delete them permanently.

dont bother to answer as they track this too.just delete it.

You change your passwords, not the Action Fraud people, sorry.

Yes, report it, it's webcam blackmail or "sextortion scam" apparently.
If you contact Action Fraud they will advise you and change all your passwords to something obscure.

Tell everyone on your list by a different method.

They just don't let up, do they.

This scam was originally launched summer 2018 and seems it has resurfaced.

gillybob, there is an awful lot of scams going around at the moment especially hackers. Delete all so called e-mails to the junk bin. Don't open any e-mails that you are not sure of especially from the banks.

I had one two weeks ago gilly saying they would send photos of me doing all sorts of things to myself to all my contacts. Like you they had a password of mine. I sent it to my ISP phishing site (not opening any link) got the standard return email saying they’d received it but probably wouldn’t reply- they haven’t! Deleted it and cleared deleted box and changed my passwords. Not heard anything since even though I had to pay within 48 hours or else! Try not to worry it terrified me but all ok so far.

It's a scam. My OH has had this twice and i know he would never visit porn sites. He has better things to do. He just ignored them both and he has heard nothing since. The last one was over a year ago so we expect they have given up him and realised they won't be getting any money off him. Ignore them. They will go away.

I have had this too!! I was given 3 chances to respond or all sorts could happen. I spoke to my son who is a computer buff. He just said KEEP BLOCKING THEM. So l did...passwords changed and my bank is ok...dont worry.

I have had several of these, I just delete them, nothing has ever happened.

I had the same email some months ago, and I reported it. I didn’t hear anything. I’ve just received exactly the same one again and deleted it. It’s a scam.

Apparently it’s a scam, known as as sextortion scam, ignore it but change your password. If you go on to citizens advice, there’s a scam service there where you can report it. Try to relax xx

One of friends had their email hacked and I received a message from the fakers asking me to order an amazon gift card for his neice as he couldn't do it online. Thankfully I didn't but I would always report such things to the police, change all your passwords and logins and warn all of your contacts if you can.

I have had that email several times. Yes it was a password I had used but I had not been looking at porn so I knew it was a scam. They have not hacked into your account but they have hacked into the account of somewhere that you have used that password. Delete the email, change your password and don’t worry about it.

Someone has hacked your email account. They may have put a virus onto your computer via you opening email. Do not email your bank. Use the telephone banking to change your password. Ring police as they will help you. Whatever you do, DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

This one has been doing the rounds for quite some time now. I had dozens of them last year. DO NOT RESPOND. If you are able to transfer them to a spam folder then do so. Or just delete them. Report them to your mail provider. Don't worry, just don't respond.

Gillybob
Forward email to-

[email protected]
and also most mobile operators have their own Scam reporting service eg.
[email protected]
They do investigate and as stated above change passwords & inform all your contacts
perhaps also create a contact then Block
This can be very frightening

I have been geting these for ages - they said I had a web cam and would tell everyone what I had been looking at - but I don't have a web cam. As others have said, they send out thousands in the hope that a few people will fall for it. Very disturbing when it first happens, I know. I wouldn't even bother to tell anyone, they are not interested in actually doing anything like that, why spend the time - they are too busy dealing with people who take them up.