Computer security professionals discovered a new variant of Bitcoin email scam which titled with “Your happiness depends on this letter” . The body of this scam contained the following: “I am from the squad of web criminals in Vietnam. I use your working email because I think that it will be checked.“. Like before, this bitcoin blackmail scam spreads via spam emails. The spam is sent out to thousands of emails at a time.
“Your happiness depends on this letter” – email scam
Example of the Bitcoin email scam:
Your happiness depends on this letter Hello my victim. I am from the squad of web criminals in Vietnam. I use your working email because I think that it will be checked. Last month our group infected porn site and as far as you pressed on a play button your system started recording your screen and switching on camera to cop you masturbating.Eventually I guess you understand which content Ive got. Also, my program started your device function as remote desktop with many possibilities as keylogger,parser etc. To sum up, my program collected all data,especially all your contacts from messengers,mails,social networks.If you do not want us to use it agains you it is necessary to make a transaction of 710 dollars using bitcoins (cryptocurrensy).I know that you have this sum. Use this Bitcoin address to pay-17Ma8thmEE2utvAg7y9jS8ejWj6iuj5sKu You must copy and past it. If you send bitcoins We will delete everything about you.There are a lot of information about how to buy bitcoins, just read it... For example you can buy them at coinbase .com. If you have a problem with this, you can search comfortable BTC ATM through coinatmradar. You have exactly 24 hours since you open this message to pay.You can complain cops, but they can not find us we use botnet, also I do not live in your country.If you want us to show proofs we can share everything to seven mates from your data after that I will give you their contacts. If you want you will ask them if they have received something or not.For some questions just reply. Think twice.
This email is a typical fake blackmail scam. Someone claims that he captured video of you while you visited porn sites, then threats to send the video to everyone in your contact lists, if you do not pay 710 dollars using bitcoins. Scammers sent this scam out to thousands of emails in the hope of tricking a least a few people into sending the requested ransom.
If you receive this blackmail scam, just ignore the scammers’ empty threats. The best way to deal with the scam email is simply to move it to trash!
How to protect yourself from “Your happiness depends on this lettere” email scam
- Don’t panic.
- Do not pay the ransom.
- Do not reply to the “Your happiness depends on this letter” email spam.
- Report it to the FBI.
- Mark the email as JUNK (SPAM).
- Scan your PC for any malware as a precaution.
How to scan your computer for malware
KVRT (Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool) is a free removal utility that can check your machine for a wide range of security threats such as the ransomware, adware, potentially unwanted programs as well as other malware. It will perform a deep scan of your machine including hard drives and Windows registry. After a malware is found, it will allow you to delete all detected threats from your PC with a simple click.
Download Kaspersky virus removal tool (KVRT) from the following link.
129082 downloads
Author: Kaspersky® lab
Category: Security tools
Update: March 5, 2018
After downloading is done, double-click on the KVRT icon. Once initialization procedure is complete, you will see the Kaspersky virus removal tool screen as shown on the screen below.
Click Change Parameters and set a check near all your drives. Press OK to close the Parameters window. Next click Start scan button for checking your PC for the ransomware and other trojans and malicious apps. While the KVRT is scanning, you may see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
Once finished, Kaspersky virus removal tool will display you the results as displayed in the following example.
Review the results once the tool has done the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click on Continue to begin a cleaning procedure.
How to stop phishing pages
Run Ad Blocker such as the AdGuard in order to stop phishing pages, unwanted advertisements, malvertisements, pop-ups and online trackers, avoid having to install malicious and adware browser plug-ins and add-ons that affect your system performance and impact your system security. Browse the World Wide Web anonymously and stay safe online!
Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard on your MS Windows Desktop by clicking on the link below.
26655 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
When downloading is finished, double-click the downloaded file to run it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown on the screen below.
Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick guide as shown on the screen below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick instructions that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you start your personal computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop phishing pages, unwanted ads, as well as other harmful or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
