Check out this Blog post we made on a new type of extortion email.
The email claims it recorded your webcam via an RDP (remote desktop) connection, then uses a REAL password you have actually used in the past. Check out the blog post to learn how this all works.
Have you received this new type of RDP (remote desktop) blackmail email?
Be careful out there! Also, if you received this type of email feel free to post the full email text here (minus any personal details).
Since July 2018, I have received 71 of these kinds of extortion spams. Each time I get one, I report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov
And I send a copy of it to the FTC at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
Hopefully that helps a little.
Yes, these emails are very disturbing. We sometimes get worried emails to our helpdesk about these types of scams. We always explain to the person that it’s just a mass email and there is nothing to worry about.
Krebsonsecurity.com looked into who is behind these types of scams. Very interesting article!
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/08/whos-behind-the-screencam-extortion-scam/
Thanks for the link. That made fascinating reading.
These are generally fake and the passwords are simply from when a site was compromised and a past password leaked. I just delete them when I get them as spam to my webmaster account.
