Forum: Author Hangout

This jackass thinks I'm a cheap date

Bondi Beach 🚫

Today I received a demand to pay $2000 to keep my porn habits secret. It was all I could do not to reply that I was outraged that they thought my secrets were only worth $2000.

The letter is too long to post here, but here's the key excerpt:

Your secret remains your secret. I'll destroy all the data and evidence once you come through with the payment. You will make the payment through Bitcoin only. Pay attention, I'm telling you straight: 'We gotta make a deal'. I want you to know I'm coming at you with good intentions. I stand by my promises.
Transfer Amount: $2000
[Bitcoin address redacted]
Once you pay up, you'll sleep like a baby. I keep my word.
Pay Attention: You have one day in order to make the payment and I will only accept Bitcoins (I have a special pixel in this email, and now I know that you've read this e-mail). My system will catch that Bitcoin payment and wipe out all the dirt I got on you. Don't even think about replying to this or negotiating,

~ JBB

Replies: akarge Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster) Vonalt Switch Blayde DBActive Vonalt The Outsider Vonalt

akarge 🚫

@Bondi Beach

About 10 or 15 years ago, I got an email that was an extortion threat. I was told that I was being watched and would be killed if I contacted the police. The wording was such, that I could detect an African accent in it. (Calling his gang his 'fellows', etc.) Return address was in Nigeria.

So of course, I contacted the police (non-emergency line) just on the 0.1% chance that it was true. The cop and I had a great laugh. I used to have that message saved for posterity, but sadly I lost it.

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Bondi Beach

I just received the same threat now!

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I just received the same threat now!

Only one?

Earlier this year I received a flurry telling me the perp had secretly activated my webcam and would send a video of me masturbating to porn to all my contacts unless I sent them a quantity of bitcoin.

AJ

Replies: Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@awnlee jawking

Only one?

I receive one every couple of weeks, but it's funny when I open a thread about something and that thing pops up in my mail notifications.

Vonalt 🚫
Updated:

@Bondi Beach

There many variations to this scam, depending how ambitious and knowledgeable the bad guys are of their victim. I read some accounts where the scammers went as far as using google maps to track down the victim's house and use the street view to intimidate their victim. Of course, the bad guys haven't really visited the victim's location. They are using the fear factor to scare the victim into complying. Unfortunately, in this case most victims are young teens. They are made to send nude photos of themselves to the scammer which in turn is just put out on the internet anyway. That is the reason why we see so many young teens who have committed suicide after becoming a victim.

Replies: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 🚫
Updated:

@Vonalt

I read some accounts where the scammers went as far as using google maps to track down the victim's house and use the street view to intimidate their victim.

Mine included a Google Street View image that showed a vehicle in the driveway but not [ed.] my house. It also had my name, address and [no-longer-in-use] telephone number. All public information.

There have been so many reports of data breaches that it's hard to know whether any of this info actually came from one of them.
~ JBB

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫

@Bondi Beach

Massachusetts is actually a castle doctrine state, so let them try. I'll get a shotgun and I'll met them that way.

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Bondi Beach

I got one too.

DBActive 🚫

@Bondi Beach

Someone hacked this site for emails?

Replies: Dominions Son Bondi Beach

Dominions Son 🚫

@DBActive

Someone hacked this site for emails?

I haven't gotten this. I'm almost (but not quite) feeling left out. :)

Replies: Dinsdale

Dinsdale 🚫

@Dominions Son

I had such a mail maybe two years ago, but not in the account I use for SOL (amongst other things), someone claiming to have pictures or a video of me getting my rocks off in front of a screen. Can't remember any more details than that.

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫
Updated:

@Dinsdale

Isn't that a First Amendment right, here in the States? I mean, you're worshiping the God (or Goddess) of the Phallus, right?

Bondi Beach 🚫

@DBActive

Mine was directed to my RL email, not Joe's.
~ JBB

Vonalt 🚫

@Bondi Beach

I have a family member in law enforcement and most of these attacks are coming from obvious sources. They get several complaints a week and unfortunately kids are the victims

Replies: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 🚫

@Vonalt

What are the obvious sources? Nigerian scammers? For kids, other students? Are they the same ones who regularly send me what they claim are PayPal invoices and invite me to call them to straighten out any errors?
~ JBB

Replies: Dominions Son Sarkasmus

Dominions Son 🚫

@Bondi Beach

Are they the same ones who regularly send me what they claim are PayPal invoices and invite me to call them to straighten out any errors?

I get phishing emails that my PayPal account has been suspended. Yeah right, I closed my PayPal account a couple of years ago.

Replies: The Outsider BlacKnight

The Outsider 🚫

@Dominions Son

Either that, or I get the "you've won!" emails from places I've never heard of ...

Like I'm that lucky ...

BlacKnight 🚫

@Dominions Son

My favorite of those was the one where they'd cloned the actual PayPal email format... right down to the warning saying to never, ever do exactly what the email was telling me to do.

Sarkasmus 🚫
Updated:

@Bondi Beach

What are the obvious sources? Nigerian scammers?

Actually, most of that stuff originates from the US and China...

Basically, every time a site gets breached and their database is accessed, the stolen data gets compiles into tiered-priced packages they then sell. They can sell the entire database for a few hundred bucks, or a list of all the email addresses and passwords for a dollar amount, or just a list of the email addresses for a single-digit cent amount.
The latter is used for untargeted mass phishing/spam/blackmail attempts. Though, with how OP described the wording of the email, I'd suspect that this is also either a completely blind attempt at reaching someone who's scared enough to just pay, or maybe the email list they used was obtained from an actual porn site, so the chance for success is a little higher than if you just assume that everyone will have watched porn they're ashamed about...

In that sense, I wouldn't worry about SOL having been breached until spam emails come around that seem more targeted. Like, emails like OP described, but targeted at authors, and not with a threat about exposing porn habits but exposing what kind of "porn" the recipients are producing.

The Outsider 🚫
Updated:

@Bondi Beach

I hope you told that 'person' they could f--k off? (I have very little patience these days ... And good luck doing that on my closed MBP laptop ...)

Replies: Dinsdale Bondi Beach

Dinsdale 🚫

@The Outsider

I never reply to any such mails, no reason to tell the sender that the address is in use.

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫

@Dinsdale

That sounds like a better plan ... my anger gets me in trouble these days ...

Replies: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach 🚫

@The Outsider

I was tempted, if only briefly, to demand "proof of life"— that is, (a) 10 seconds of video of me, (b) at least three images from my hard drive, and (c) at least one title of a movie. Dumb idea for so many reasons, but fun to think about.
~ JBB

Bondi Beach 🚫

@The Outsider

OK, call me an idiot, but I did it. I couldn't resist. It's Friday, I had a good swim this morning and a FaceTime call from my younger daughter working in Spain, and I'm full of it this morning.

I had another letter, this time from "henry," and this is what I replied:

Hi henry,

Nice to hear from you. You think I'm a cheap date, right? $1950 for my stuff? Get real, dude. It's worth a lot more, as your scummy buddies have already told me.

Here's the deal. Pay attention, henry. I want proof. Send me at least 10 seconds of video and at least three images I have on my hard drive, and maybe, just maybe, we can talk.

Ignore me, and send the crap anywhere you like.

You have one day, one day only. No action means that's it. We're done, dude.

Replies: Switch Blayde

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Bondi Beach

OK, call me an idiot, but I did it. I couldn't resist.

You shouldn't have replied.

But on a lighter note, all you had to say was:

Wow! How can I buy those vids? I'd love to share them with my friends and family, especially my daughters who think I don't know what sex is.

Replies: Bondi Beach The Outsider

Bondi Beach 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Yes, I know.

OTOH I like your response very much---nice, tight and straight to the point. (Well, about my daughters, maybe not ... if they are JBB readers, which I doubt, they've never said anything)

~ JBB

The Outsider 🚫

@Switch Blayde

Immaculate conception?

I want to respond so badly to the scammer who copied other peoples' work, and it's taking all my strength not to, but I haven't yet...

At this point in my life, who cares? I've seen worse sh*t in my 30+ years a paramedic. I'm not impressed...

Replies: Michael Loucks samt26

Michael Loucks 🚫
Updated:

@The Outsider

Immaculate conception?

Cue pedant — that was Mary's conception by Joachim and Anna (a necessary point in Roman Catholic theology too esoteric to go into here). Jesus' conception was the Virgin Birth.

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫

@Michael Loucks

More than I learned growing up Catholic, that's for sure ...

Replies: Michael Loucks

Michael Loucks 🚫

@The Outsider

More than I learned growing up Catholic, that's for sure ...

In my experience, most Roman Catholics in the pews make the same error (to wit, my eldest son's HS girlfriend was RC and was adamant he and I were wrong. Her Italian immigrant grandmother set her straight!).

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫

@Michael Loucks

I haven't practiced since I went to college in 1987, so ...

samt26 🚫

@The Outsider

It would be nice to track them down and publicize them. There are some security services that advertise to do this, not sure how effective or what they charge but if you decide to go that route I'd be happy to donate, maybe others would also.

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫
Updated:

@samt26

I hope that there is a way, but I'm rarely that lucky...

Vidson&worshipflames < worshipflames@gmail.com >

Hello Good Day.

FINDING A PLACE: It's Supposed To Be Sweet And S... by Cathy L.c Maxwell , ASIN:B0DGCX2V4Y, I published has been flagged "Copyright Violations" Saying that you are demanding ownership..

Please how did this come about because, This book was kept on a public domain with it's copy right sold out and now it is being flagged...

please can you Help us to rectify this?
Thanks you

Has Lazeez been around for 95 years? I don't think so...

Vonalt 🚫
Updated:

@Bondi Beach

Sorry I didn't see your question. Like mentioned above, some of the scammers are here in the states. Scammers are not the only worries, kids can be targeted by bullies from their schools and online predators. The predators are what sells newspapers and why we hear so much about them. What surprised me, was who the online bad guys were. They could be people the victim knew, a friend, a relative or some person down the block.

Even countries aren't above running online scams. The North Koreans are supposedly good at running bitcoin scams directed at corporations and unsuspecting employees.

Its the same scams as before, just new ways to lighten your bank account. My favorite scammers are the ones calling claiming you have an outstanding warrant and want you to pay on line using gift cards or one time user debit cards. Strange how they all have foreign accents.

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫

@Vonalt

Like the cops would ever warn us first ... I laugh at those videos, or every time I see stories like that posted ...

Replies: Vonalt

Vonalt 🚫

@The Outsider

As my son would say, "BOLOs are always issued after the fact."

Replies: The Outsider

The Outsider 🚫
Updated:

@Vonalt

But, unless they are issued face-to-face, the radio waves are publicly accessible (Unless using a code, which I don't believe most departments have...)

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Forum: Author Hangout

This jackass thinks I'm a cheap date

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