Psshh. Did you get the email saying they have the webcam video of you watching pornography? Or that they have evidence that you have cheated on your wife? Or that there’s an assassin after you! (just like in the movies, wow). In other words, did you get the blackmail email asking for bitcoin. Don’t worry, all you have to do is just pay them what they ask for and they will erase all the evidences.
YEAH RIGHT!
This just proves the point: as long as there are scammees around, there will always be scammers around. In case, you are worried sick about this email which came to you, or might come to you in future, take note of this. The criminal will ask for a few thousand dollars, not in US dollars, not in Euro or Yen, but the convenient Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency. So, what should you do? Firstly, you should not pay ANYTHING. More importantly than the first, DON’T EVEN RESPOND.
The threat is an empty threat and that low-life is just trying to trick you.
Read more below and understand the truth about CryptoBlackmail.
More about CryptoBlackmail
CryptoBlackmail is a new term to many of us. It is a sort of threat together with a demand to pay some money to a cryptocurrency address. Like the blackmail of our grandfather times, it’s just a “pay up or we’ll do something bad to you” threat. However, unlike our grandfather-time crooks who would just be happy with some greenback notes, these guys demand payment in cryptocurrency.
Here’s how to identify some of these threat emails of CryptoBlackmail:
- They actually send a physical mail saying “I know you cheated on your wife,” and demand an equivalent of $2000 in Bitcoin sent to their Bitcoin address.
- Emails with message saying “I’ve got an order to kill you,” with a demand asking for $2900 in Bitcoin to cancel the assassination. (woah, my life must be so cheap)
- Emails claiming a hacker has put malware on your computer and have a recoring of you recorded you watching pornography. What’s more, they claim they have capture you as well from your own web camera feed.. and he claims that he have copied all your contacts, and now threatens to send the video to them unless you pay $2900 in Bitcoin.
- This one is scary. They will actually mention your private password in the email itself to prove thay have “hacked you”. password to one of your online accounts and with a threat of demand for $1300 to make the problem go away. Don’t worry: The hacker just found out your password from one of the many leaked password databases. I think there’re many such things. And don’t worry. your computer is not compromised.
Main thing to note: just don’t care all these empty threats because they are just that: empty threats. It’s just a statistical game. If I tell a 1000 people, in a scary tone, that “I know you cheated on your wife”, there’s a high chance that many of them will believe me. You know why? Because that’s statistically a sad truth, unfortunately!
And please, no assassins work for a few thousands dollars. Not that I have dealings with them, but I’m saying from what I read. So, all these are empty threats, and do not be scared of them.
Another unfortunate truth: you might be thinking you are too clever to fall for such nonsense like this blackmail email asking for bitcoin, but there are many who have. Bitcoins transactions are public so anyone can see what the scammer has been doing and getting into his account. Here is a scammer’s wallet address.
What to do if you get such a blackmail email asking for bitcoin: Don’t Negotiate or Pay. Don’t Even Respond.
There is nothing personal about that email. That scum most probably doesn’t know you or even your country. You are just one of the thousands of emails and breached password that he dug up using his shameless resources in some database. And his hope is that at least 1% of us will pay up. Most probably that must make his lowly existence seem heavenly.
Do the same you do for spam emails: ignore them. Don’t try to be too smart and negotiate. And most certainly do not pay a single cent. And if you really feel threatened, for example, if it’s an assassination threat, do consider reporting to the local police. If it was sent as a physical snail mail, then it’s more important to report it. It might even help to catch the criminal.
What has cryptocurrency got to do with this?
Unlike traditional money transfer methods, like bank transfer, bank wire, cheque and such, which are usually traceable, cryptocurrency is anonymous and not trackable. Once you send it, it’s gone. No money-back guarantee, no refund scope.
That’s just how blockchain works. Just so that you know, blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrency. And bitcoin is just one brand of cryptocurrency. There are others too like Monero. And this is one example where cutting-edge new technology is helping such scammers sending blackmail email asking for bitcoin.
How to Protect yourself from such low-life scammers
Read this for some advice to protect from blackmail email asking for bitcoin:
- Ignore them: dont negotiate, dun pay a single cent. It’s all empty threats. You’re not special. You’re just ONE of the thousands they mass-sent to. Have you heard of anyone’s secret being leaked by a scammer because the victime didn’t pay up?
- Don’t re-use the same password everywhere: you might have been shocked to see your dear secret password in the threat email! How did he know! No big deal. He just got it from one of the leaked databases. So, it’s wise to keep changing the password for every service you use. Don’t use the same password for all.
- Change your leaked password now: go log in to all your important services and change your password if it’s the same as the one the scammer showed you in the email.
- Use 2-factor authentication: some services ask for 2-factor authentications when logging in. Some allow you to disable them. Don’t disable that. Enable the 2-factor authentication. This ensures that even if the scammer got your password, the second factor of authorization will stop him.
- Block your webcam: there’s nothing like hard, cold physical block of the webcam to ensure nothing is captured without your knowledge. In other words, don’t be lazy to put your webcam facing some wall, when not in use. Or if it’s in-built in your monitor, put a tape over it. It used to be that only walls have ears. But now, almost all gadgets have eyes and ears. So, take the extra effort to face them away.
In summary: don’t pay or even bother about the threat, of this blackmail email asking for bitcoin, which you receive. Don’t let it bug your life. It’s just an empty threat. Go on with life, but a bit more wary, while implementing the recommended steps above. if it helps, try some Cat Therapy here.
