Did you receive an e-mail saying “I have very bad news for you. 03/08/2018 – on this day I hacked your OS and got full access to your account“? Since you are reading this article, then probably Yes. And here comes the main question: Is the “I have very bad news for you” email real?
“I have very bad news for you” is an email scam like shown above
The “I have very bad news for you” email is nothing more than a phishing scam. Thousands of people around the world have received this email spam, so you are one of many. In this fraudulent message the someone claims to have hacked your internet router and OS of your device and took a screenshot of your computer screen while you were engaged in visiting the adult websites, then threats to send the screenshot to everyone in your address book if you don’t pay a $700 ransom through bitcoin (BTC wallet: 1FgfdebSqbXRciP2DXKJyqPSffX3Sx57RF, 12EMAbSboa1nvg518vcjvogSL4aDwaUCv9).
The original “I have very bad news for you” email scam with the ransom note:
Hello! I have very bad news for you. 03/08/2018 - on this day I hacked your OS and got full access to your account *** On this day your account *** has password: **** So, you can change the password, yes.. But my malware intercepts it every time. How I made it: In the software of the router, through which you went online, was a vulnerability. I just hacked this router and placed my malicious code on it. When you went online, my trojan was installed on the OS of your device. After that, I made a full dump of your disk (I have all your address book, history of viewing sites, all files, phone numbers and addresses of all your contacts). A month ago, I wanted to lock your device and ask for a not big amount of btc to unlock. But I looked at the sites that you regularly visit, and I was shocked by what I saw!!! I'm talk you about sites for adults. I want to say - you are a BIG pervert. Your fantasy is shifted far away from the normal course! And I got an idea.... I made a screenshot of the adult sites where you have fun (do you understand what it is about, huh?). After that, I made a screenshot of your joys (using the camera of your device) and glued them together. Turned out amazing! You are so spectacular! I'm know that you would not like to show these screenshots to your friends, relatives or colleagues. I think $700 is a very, very small amount for my silence. Besides, I have been spying on you for so long, having spent a lot of time! Pay ONLY in Bitcoins! My BTC wallet: 1FgfdebSqbXRciP2DXKJyqPSffX3Sx57RF, 12EMAbSboa1nvg518vcjvogSL4aDwaUCv9 You do not know how to use bitcoins? Enter a query in any search engine: "how to replenish btc wallet". It's extremely easy For this payment I give you two days (48 hours). As soon as this letter is opened, the timer will work. After payment, my virus and dirty screenshots with your enjoys will be self-destruct automatically. If I do not receive from you the specified amount, then your device will be locked, and all your contacts will receive a screenshots with your "enjoys". I hope you understand your situation. - Do not try to find and destroy my virus! (All your data, files and screenshots is already uploaded to a remote server) - Do not try to contact me (you yourself will see that this is impossible, the sender address is automatically generated) - Various security services will not help you; formatting a disk or destroying a device will not help, since your data is already on a remote server. P.S. You are not my single victim. so, I guarantee you that I will not disturb you again after payment! This is the word of honor hacker I also ask you to regularly update your antiviruses in the future. This way you will no longer fall into a similar situation. Do not hold evil! I just do my job. Good luck.
This email spam appears to be sent from your own email address, giving the perception of being legitimate. Spammers use your email address to commit your mailbox is hacked (such as potential identity theft). But do not be fooled. Email spoofing has been around for a long time! Scammers use it in phishing attacks to force users into thinking they have received mail message from a friend or trusted person.
We advises: do not to pay the ransom. If this email spam make money for its creators, then your payment will only increase attacks against you.
Threat Summary
| Type | Bitcoin Blackmail Scam |
|---|---|
| Ransom amount | $723, $781, $785, $760 |
| BTC Wallet |
|
What to do when you receive “I have very bad news for you” email scam
If you receive the email scam, just ignore the scammers’ empty threats. The best way to deal with the scam email is simply to move it to trash! Here are some easy steps which you need to follow after receiving these emails.
- Don’t panic.
- Do not pay the ransom.
- Do not reply.
- Report it to the FBI.
- Mark the email as JUNK (SPAM).
- Scan your PC for any malware as a precaution.
- Use AdBlocker to protect yourself from phishing.
How to scan your PC for any malware
In order to scan your PC system for malware — download MalwareBytes. It is free for home use, and identifies and removes various unwanted apps that attacks your computer or degrades personal computer performance. MalwareBytes Free can get rid of ad-supported software, potentially unwanted applications as well as malware, including ransomware and trojans.
Visit the following page to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Free for Windows. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
326459 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
Once downloading is done, close all windows on your computer. Further, open the file called mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as on the image below, click the “Yes” button.
It will display the “Setup wizard” that will help you install MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) on the machine. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once install is done successfully, click Finish button. Then MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will automatically launch and you can see its main window as displayed below.
Next, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the malware, adware, trojans and other security threats. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC system. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.
As the scanning ends, a list of all items found is created. Review the results once the utility has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes Anti Malware will start to remove malicious software. After that process is finished, you may be prompted to restart your PC system. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to delete browser hijacker infections, adware and other malicious software.
How to use AdBlocker to protect yourself from phishing
Running an ad-blocking application like AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, ad blocking software will also protect you from malicious ads and web-pages, and, of course, stop redirection chain to misleading, phising and similar pages.
AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
26655 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
When downloading is finished, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen like 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 image below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick instructions that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you start your system, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted popup advertisements, as well as other phishing, malicious or misleading web pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which can be found on your desktop.
French language version of the “I have bad news for you” blackmail scam:
Je vous salue! J’ai de mauvaises nouvelles pour vous.
10/11/2018 – ce jour-là, j’ai piraté votre système d’exploitation et obtenu un accès complet à votre compte à partir: *** Pas la peine de changer le mot de passe, mon logiciel malveillant l’intercepte à chaque fois. Comment c’était: Le logiciel du routeur auquel vous étiez connecté ce jour-là comportait une vulnérabilité. J’ai d’abord piraté ce routeur et y ai placé mon code malveillant. Lorsque vous êtes entré sur Internet, mon cheval de Troie était installé sur le système d’exploitation de votre appareil. Après cela, j’ai effectué une sauvegarde complète de votre disque (j’ai tout votre carnet d’adresses, l’historique des sites de visionnage, tous les fichiers, les numéros de téléphone et les adresses de tous vos contacts).
BTC: 12EMAbSboa1nvg518vcjvogSL4aDwaUCv9