Police have issued a warning about an email scam gaining traction in the capital area, RÚV reports. Victims of the scam receive an email stating that their computer has been infected with a virus after visiting a pornographic site and that they must pay the blackmailers if they want to avoid having incriminating webcam videos sent to everyone in their contact list.
“It seems that XXXXXXXXX is your password,” reads the threatening email. “You do not know me and you’re probably thinking why you are getting this mail, correct? In fact, I actually placed a malware on the adult vids (pornographic materials) website and guess what, you visited this website to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were watching videos, your internet browser initiated operating as a RDP (remote Desktop) with a key logger which gave me accessibility to your display screen as well as cam. Just after that, my software gathered all your contacts from your Messenger, FB, as well as email.”
Police are advising people targeted by the scam not to pay the ransom and say that this is likely a case in which email addresses were bought in bulk online, and, in some cases, passwords as well. They say the threat of compromising videos is an empty one, and only meant to strike fear in people targeted by the scam in order to ensure they pay the ransom.
The police recommend that people cover their webcam when it is not in use and also check whether their email addresses have been subject to any data leaks on websites that they use. You can check whether your email or password data has been compromised at https://haveibeenpwned.com/
