‘Evidence against you’ sextortion email scam

A new sextortion email scam campaign has been sending email messages to targets that say their machines have been toxified with malware. The email message then says that the hacker recorded you through your webcam while you were watching a mature video and “soloing.”

This is called the ‘Evidence against you scam’ because the subject of the email message says “Evidence against you” although the contents in the message body may be used for other scams and another subject may be used with it.

The purpose of the email scam is to scare their victim into paying a certain amount of Bitcoin to have the alleged footage of them recorded through their webcams deleted. One Bitcoin wallet used by the email scammer is 1JjJEse3yWwbuWy1yixyp1k5p9cTgTYpK1. This wallet currently has nothing in it, so that’s a good sign.

Here’s a transcript of the email message:

Subject: Evidence against you
From: Mia

Howdy,

Wish you actually will not really mind my english sentence structure,
considering that i am from Indonesia. I toxified your machine with a malware
and now have all of your personal information out of your operating system.

It was installed on a mature web page then you have selected the movie,
it, my program quickly gain access to your computer.

Afterward, your webcamera started to record you soloing, in addition i
captured a footage that you’ve viewed.

After some time it also pulled out every one of your device contact
information. In case you want me to wipe out your all that i have got – send
me 450 euros in bitcoin it is a cryptocurrency. It is my btc wallet number –
1JjJEse3yWwbuWy1yixyp1k5p9cTgTYpK1

Now you will have 21hrs. to make a decision The minute i will receive the
transaction i am going to get rid of this footage and every thing
completely. Otherwise, you should be certain this video is going to be
forwarded to all of your buddies.

Do Not Reply to This Email

As you can see the email message might sound frightening to some people and seem real because it may show you your past or current password. However, the email message is just another sextortion scam and there have been many like it in the past.

Even if your device does not have a camera you will still receive a message that says they recorded you through your camera. And even if you have never visited an adult website you will still receive a message saying that you did.

The downside to receiving this email message is that your email address and other information may have been leaked online following a breach that occurred on a website like Yahoo, Adobe, LinkedIn, and Experian. Sensitive data such as your name, email address, password, and telephone number may be floating around somewhere on the dark web or someone may have been able to purchase a list that obtained your information.

To see where your information may have been leaked or which breach your information was obtained from go to https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and submit your email address. You will receive a free detailed analysis instantly.

If you want to make sure your computer is not infected with malware and that no one can gain access to your online accounts I recommend that you change all your passwords and scan your computer for malware.

Make sure to employ some of these best practices when making a new secure password:

• Do not reuse the same password for multiple accounts. Use unique passwords wherever possible.
• Use strong passwords with numbers, letters, and special characters such as !@$#.
• Use two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security along with your password.
• Use a reputable password manager if you have trouble remembering multiple passwords.

And finally, here are instructions to scan and completely remove malware from your computer using Malwarebytes and HitmanPro:

How to scan your computer for malware

1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software to scan your device and remove malicious files and potentially unwanted programs.

2. To install the program, locate and double-click the executable file you just downloaded. The file can usually be found in the Download folder.

3. Choose if this is for home or work use and click Agree and Install to begin installing Malwarebytes. Once the installation is complete, click Finish.

4. Once Malwarebytes is installed, open the program and click the Scan Now button on the dashboard – or go to the Scan tab and click the Start Scan button.

5. When the scan is complete click the Quarantine Selected button.

6. If Malwarebytes says “All selected items have been removed successfully. A log file has been saved to the logs folder. Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the removal process. Would you like to restart now?” click the Yes button to restart your computer.

7. Download HitmanPro to perform a second-opinion scan and remove any remaining malicious trace files. A second-opinion scan is important when removing malware and malicious files from your computer.

8. To install the program, locate and double-click the executable file you just downloaded. The file can usually be found in the Download folder.

9. Once HitmanPro is installed, open the program and click Next to start scanning your device. *If you are using the free version you may choose to create a copy or perform a one-time scan.

10. When the HitmanPro scan is complete, click the Next button.

11. To activate the free version of HitmanPro: enter your email address twice and click the Activate button.

12. Click the Reboot button.