Scams and phishing
The email that quotes your old password and makes threats
The subject line is your own password. The message says your webcam recorded you and demands payment. It is frightening and almost always false.
1 min readWhat to do if
The short version
An email claims to have hacked your computer and recorded you, and shows a password you once used as proof. It is a bluff.
What the email says
The message claims the sender put malware on your computer, watched you through your webcam and has embarrassing video. It demands payment in cryptocurrency within a day or two, or the video will be sent to your contacts. To prove it, it shows a password you have used.
Why it is almost certainly a bluff
The password comes from an old data breach at some website. Nobody took it from your computer. Huge lists of leaked email addresses and passwords are traded online. Scammers send the same message to thousands of people from those lists, hoping a few will be scared enough to pay.
There is no video. If there were, the sender would show some of it. The same message, word for word, has been sent to countless people.
What to do
- Do not reply and do not pay. Paying marks you as someone who will pay again.
- Change that password anywhere you still use it, and give each account its own password.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for email and other important accounts.
- Report it to IT if it came to a work address, then delete it.
- If the message mentions real details beyond the password, or you are worried, talk to IT. They can check the computer.
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