Very worrying email

Everybody read this, check your emails and share
www.cnet.com/how-to/find-out-if-your-passwords-been-hacked/

It is unfortunately a hoax.
www.hoax-slayer.net/security-notice-sextortion-scam-email/

The advice about ignoring the demand and changing the relevant password[s] is good, an essential first step. Informing your close e-mail contacts is the next one.

If the password the scammers have is your e-mail password that may be all they have. If it is the password of a store or website, maybe they have hacked the store or website and have sent similar e-mails to everyone recorded there.

It is upsetting but focus first on staying safe yourself. I imagine anyone getting an strange e-mail about you would recognise it for the rubbish it is.

It's a scam, ignore it. I didn't even bother to change my passwords and nothing further has happened in all this time. They don't want to access your accounts, they just want you to send some money. If you don't send it that's the end of the matter.

I got this last year , I did nothing after my initial horror died down apart from reporting it as a scam Nothing else happened .

How awful. I delete everything I suspect. But a lesson to be learnt here and I think we should all change our passwords periodically. There are some truly nasty people out there.

This is an attempt at blackmail, so you should report it to the police. I imagine the British police has a cyber crime division?

It is a scam, but even so, I would notify my bank and change the password to my account. That is if you bank over the Internet.

Just as a general comment on this kind of scam; a 'techy' at my place of work advised to never open emails that you don't recognise. Delete them at once. We had several scams about an HMRC tax refund for the company - all looking quite genuine - and I said to him that I was tempted to send them a scorching reply asking if they thought we were mad. His strong advice was never to open them as this: a) tells them they have a genuine email and b) can let malware in to infect your computer and allow data to be removed.

There are an awful lot of scam emails going round. One tell tale is when they do not address you by name. Just ignore them. Change passwords on any important sites for your peace if mind. Report it.

A few years ago there were quite a number of breaches with data holders and so user details were stolen. These were then sold on to scammers so you have been targeted by one of these. You obviously need to change your password and get rid of the email; don't waste time worrying about your alleged porn use.

It is worth finding out about Apps like LastPass which are more secure ways of storing passwords and don't need you to remember hundreds which is where security tends to fall down. Move over to 2 step passwords where you can if you don't want to use an App. It takes a bit longer to log in but keeps you safer.

I received the same email some time ago. I did a bit of research online and found it to be a scam. Don't respond to it.

We’ve had these, they’re scams, just ignore them and delete. They soon stop. Nothing happens at all.

It’s a FAKE designed to extort money. Don’t panic and react to it.
Firstly update your browser and make sure your system updates on apple or Windows are up to date.
Delete the email and empty the bin on your email settings.
Clear cookies and cache on your browser.
Run clean up on your laptop tablet or phone.
Download Malwarebytes free from play store or apple and run FULL scan to check for malware.
Run full scan on avast/ defender etc whatever security programme is on your computer.
When satisfied no malware has been found then change your passwords on all important accounts
Hope this helps. Don’t worry these things happen all the time with no repercussions.
They’ll have got a correct password off a successful hack on a site you’ve been logged into and used.
Change passwords regularly for email and other important sites plus don’t use the same emails. Use a combination at least 8 letters long of numbers letters some capitalised and symbols.
Good luck x

These are common, get in touch with Action Fraud, do not open the email

Go into your email & cancel the forwarding address they will have put onto your email account
Then change your email password & choose a new one
If you don’t cancel the forwarding address they will still get your emails even if you change your password

I'd like to reassure you gillybob. I have had these several times, and, although it was frightening the first time, now it just makes me laugh! They will probably got hold of an old password from years ago. The porn site thing is just a frightener! I have never accessed any porn site and nobody has had access to my laptop, so on reflection, I knew they had to be kidding. I rang actionfraudalert.co.uk and a very nice young woman talked me through what to do. You don't need to alert all your contacts, and you probably don't need to change all of your passwords (though do make sure that any new ones are 'strong'. Next, forward the message to [email protected] then DELETE the message and FORGET about it! I just forward all scams to [email protected] immediately now; you know, all the ones offering to deposit millions of dollars in your bank account if you give them your bank details They are just 'phishing' - never send any money or supply any details. Just forward to the fraud bureau and forget!

I had this one last year. Fortunately it quoted a very old password from some long forgotten website so I knew it was just a nasty evil scam. I consider it unlikely that your email account has been hacked but never hurts to change your password. Mark it as spam, report to Action Fraud. Delete and forget. Deep breath and try and focus on something pleasant x

I don't use porn sites but, if they carried out their threat to reveal all for 'non-payers' then that would not generate them any income because it would be too late to pay up!!!!! That would defeat the purpose of their illegal operation, if you see the logic. Why anyone smart enough to use the internet still thinks theses scams are real, I have no idea.

I had this email last year and ignored it.

I’ve had that one too, as has my brother in law. It’s a particularly nasty scam. We just deleted the email and changed passwords. The password they said they knew about was a very old one that I’ve not used for years.

I had a similar email a while ago, I decided to just delete it and ignore it and nothing happened at all I wouldn’t worry if I was you.

This is just being discussed on the Jeremy Vine programme, gillybob.

Two of the guests have received an email that sounds exactly like yours.

They just ignored it and advised anyone else to do the same

So don't be frightened.

My husband had this email but he has not looked at anything dodgy so he just ignored it. Changing all your passwords is probably a good idea as people have already said.

Gillybob, I had the same email a few days ago from a person called Arin Cogswall, made my stomach drop. The first line of the message which comes up on my email menu stated he knew my password and quoted one of them correctly. A few days before this when sending an e-card via the jacqui lawson website a message briefly appeared on screen saying my p'word had been compromised. I didn't open the email but presume it would have been the same as yours. I haven't reported it as I no ,onger have any of the details.

My sis had one of these and reported to police, she ignored the email and never had any more