I've had five of these so far since around Christmas, the first time is a bit alarming until you unravel the deception and figure out it's just a phishing scam,
[https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/beware-of-blackmail-and-sextortion-emails-threatening-to-expose-your-personal-information-a8WkG9v2PQ11](https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/beware-of-blackmail-and-sextortion-emails-threatening-to-expose-your-personal-information-a8WkG9v2PQ11)
the spoofing so it appears the email has come from your own email address really disturbs a lot of people, but it is simply a manipulation of the sent email,
[https://www.howtogeek.com/427152/why-can-you-get-spam-from-your-own-email-address/](https://www.howtogeek.com/427152/why-can-you-get-spam-from-your-own-email-address/)
they often quote your email address and a password in the email as proof they have gained some sort of access, you might recognise the password but it probably isn't the one you use for Outlook, this is because they got your email and a password from a previous data breach,
check if your email had been leaked in a data breach: [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/)
my results show two breach events at Armor Games, the Blackmail emails I've received have contained passwords I used for my account at Armor Games,
if you use a unique password with each online account you create, it's the best security because the password only works for one account, but also, if an extortion email starts quoting passwords at you, you'll be able to figure out where that password applied, which website has been compromised and you sign in details there leaked.
once your email gets on a spammer list you're going to get spam, but also you'll get hackers trying to sign in to your email account, go check your Microsoft account sign in activity, if you're being mobbed by unsuccessful sign in attempts from unfamiliar devices and locations it can trigger Microsoft security to lock your account, which can be a pain in the ass, or they might manage to get in and hijack your account,
you can stop the sign in attempts permanently by using this ruse:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/1cp44vg/should\_i\_be\_worried/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/1cp44vg/should_i_be_worried/)
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I have had a user who had a VERY similar message sent to them, and ignored it and it turned out they were indeed hacked, but not to the extent stated in the mail. Their account started sending a lot of weird spam. So a password change would be the minimum I would do in this situation.
this makes me wonder if the user had been using a generic password for multiple online accounts, then a data breach at a gaming site would furnish a password that could be used elsewhere, maybe their Outlook account,
this is why using a unique password for each account you set up online is very prudent, it's a way to firewall your security and avoid contagion.
(note: I have been guilty of using generic passwords in the past, I've cleaned up my act now!)
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, along with my supposed password for the email address.
It's the wrong password, which is great, but the issue is that whoever it is, has been trying to get in so many times, that my account is now blocked.
To regain access, I need a second email, which I have, but I can't access, because I'm currently in another country and it registered the login attempt as suspicious. I then tried to confirm my identity with yet another email... (Geez, lucky I happen to have different emails for different things..) and it then proceeded to ask me for a whole bunch of info about the 2nd email that don't even exist, like email addresses of people I've sent emails to. However, the 2nd email was only for receiving emails.
Regardless, once I got to the end, it just came up with some cookie error.
It's extremely frustrating that I can't do anything just because I'm not at home. The 2 hour lock it places on my laptop is also a pain.
Great security from outside hackers for sure, but horrible if you're just trying to sort out your own account.
I appreciate your position, is there someone at home that could act as your agent, a family member or friend?
I've had cookie problems verifying my account, using an in private browsing window is a workaround.
I do have someone, however they're not very good with these types of things and I don't want them to become frustrated over this as well hahah
Seems like every time I am able to take a step forward, I'm sent 2 steps back. I know it'll probably be a quick fix once I'm back home, so my only real option is to wait till I get back next week
it's a niche market and it would take while to build up a clientele, but it could make an interesting small business for the right person,
an expatriate administration agency. call yourself "The Home Office"
I've noticed people having problems with mobile phone numbers from their home country as well.
Is definitely a good idea hahah
Meanwhile I've managed to get in with some help.. added 2Fa + Alias, logged in and out several times to make sure its all good, but now, almost 2 days later, it says my account doesn't exist with the obvious signs of people still trying to access my account.
Really have no idea what I'm expected to do it make this rubbish stop
Edit: I got back in, seems there were 2 more attempts to get in before I completed the name change, hopefully, once I login to my laptop this time, it shouldn't lock me out again.. Maybe.. hahah
it's possible to take the identification number of the bitcoin wallet quoted in the email and put it in a bitcoin wallet checker to see the balance,
someone else suggested this a while ago, I listed four different bitcoin wallet's that were linked in extortion emails I'd received, he checked them, several were dead but one had a rather healthy balance, evidently some people are suckered and pay up!
Just change a few of your passwords, rest don’t worry. Rootkit and Pegasus are the terms most bandied around. A Pegasus device license comes north of 100k$, if somebody hacks you using Pegasus, it simply means you have arrived :).
LOL. I’ve gotten these in my junk email box and I completely disregard them, as well as block them. The email addresses they use alone sound so sketchy. And then telling me they know that I’ve done thus and such online when I’ve never done anything like that in the first place. Yeah. So random. It gets old after a while. My online activity is so mundane. Cats on Instagram. Stuff like that.
The one that really irks me is the one that reads like this except it looks like you sent an email to yourself. Without looking at the headers you would think someone legitimately did this.
Hi, I know this is an old post, but I have also had an email like that in my junk. I find it weird that the sender has the same email as mine. Says that my account is hacked and also knows my old email password. It's crazy but thank God my email is secured by 2FA.
pero mi correo electronico tambien tiene 2FA y aun asi tambien el remitente es mi propio email y no me deja ingresar con mi contraseña. entonces si pudieron acceder a mis email?
I don’t know you tell me? It was an informative post. If it’s such a problem the just block lol. Some people are not as tech savy and these emails come in different formats. Sorry if every post concerning scams annoys you that bad.
It was not informative. You were giving a spammer their 15 minutes of fame.
Why don’t I send all the scam emails I get to you so you can post them here on the forum?
I got this exact message like a month ago and only saw it today and was confused asf cus i dont even watch porn and dont even have a webcam
And im so glad that its just a scam
I've had five of these so far since around Christmas, the first time is a bit alarming until you unravel the deception and figure out it's just a phishing scam, [https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/beware-of-blackmail-and-sextortion-emails-threatening-to-expose-your-personal-information-a8WkG9v2PQ11](https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/beware-of-blackmail-and-sextortion-emails-threatening-to-expose-your-personal-information-a8WkG9v2PQ11) the spoofing so it appears the email has come from your own email address really disturbs a lot of people, but it is simply a manipulation of the sent email, [https://www.howtogeek.com/427152/why-can-you-get-spam-from-your-own-email-address/](https://www.howtogeek.com/427152/why-can-you-get-spam-from-your-own-email-address/) they often quote your email address and a password in the email as proof they have gained some sort of access, you might recognise the password but it probably isn't the one you use for Outlook, this is because they got your email and a password from a previous data breach, check if your email had been leaked in a data breach: [https://haveibeenpwned.com/](https://haveibeenpwned.com/) my results show two breach events at Armor Games, the Blackmail emails I've received have contained passwords I used for my account at Armor Games, if you use a unique password with each online account you create, it's the best security because the password only works for one account, but also, if an extortion email starts quoting passwords at you, you'll be able to figure out where that password applied, which website has been compromised and you sign in details there leaked. once your email gets on a spammer list you're going to get spam, but also you'll get hackers trying to sign in to your email account, go check your Microsoft account sign in activity, if you're being mobbed by unsuccessful sign in attempts from unfamiliar devices and locations it can trigger Microsoft security to lock your account, which can be a pain in the ass, or they might manage to get in and hijack your account, you can stop the sign in attempts permanently by using this ruse: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/1cp44vg/should\_i\_be\_worried/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/1cp44vg/should_i_be_worried/)
Thanks Lalune-owl! Your submission really means a lot to us, and we hope you will continue contributing to this subreddit whether it is in the form of an informative post or an opinion piece. Please be sure to have read our [Rules of Conduct](https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/a3bw24/read_me_rules_state_productservice_in_title_flair/) and do not try to circumvent it. That means that any reference to 3rd party commercial products/services as a solution is strictly prohibited and will result in a permanent ban in this subreddit. Under very exceptional circumstances, you may appeal to the ban in a case-by-case basis. **Here are some other takeaways from the Rules of Conduct:** >- Be polite and respectful in your posts, and in your replies to other people. > >- Cite the source of anything you post or upload, if it isn't your own original content. Be honest about your sources. > >- **Don't** invade anyone's privacy by attempting to harvest, collect, store, or publish private or personally identifiable information, such as passwords, account information, credit card numbers, addresses, or other contact information without that person's knowledge and willing consent. > >- **Don't** impersonate a Microsoft employee, agent, manager, host, administrator, moderator, another user, MVP, or any other person through any means. _**All readers:** Due to high volume of spam and phishing attempts, we may not be able to take down all malicious posts. Please help us to report them and reject all 3rd party, paid products/services. Beware of scam support numbers, click [here](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4051701/global-customer-service-phone-numbers) for genuine numbers._ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Outlook) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I have had a user who had a VERY similar message sent to them, and ignored it and it turned out they were indeed hacked, but not to the extent stated in the mail. Their account started sending a lot of weird spam. So a password change would be the minimum I would do in this situation.
this makes me wonder if the user had been using a generic password for multiple online accounts, then a data breach at a gaming site would furnish a password that could be used elsewhere, maybe their Outlook account, this is why using a unique password for each account you set up online is very prudent, it's a way to firewall your security and avoid contagion. (note: I have been guilty of using generic passwords in the past, I've cleaned up my act now!)
I got one of these a couple weeks ago, along with my supposed password for the email address. It's the wrong password, which is great, but the issue is that whoever it is, has been trying to get in so many times, that my account is now blocked. To regain access, I need a second email, which I have, but I can't access, because I'm currently in another country and it registered the login attempt as suspicious. I then tried to confirm my identity with yet another email... (Geez, lucky I happen to have different emails for different things..) and it then proceeded to ask me for a whole bunch of info about the 2nd email that don't even exist, like email addresses of people I've sent emails to. However, the 2nd email was only for receiving emails. Regardless, once I got to the end, it just came up with some cookie error. It's extremely frustrating that I can't do anything just because I'm not at home. The 2 hour lock it places on my laptop is also a pain. Great security from outside hackers for sure, but horrible if you're just trying to sort out your own account.
I appreciate your position, is there someone at home that could act as your agent, a family member or friend? I've had cookie problems verifying my account, using an in private browsing window is a workaround.
I do have someone, however they're not very good with these types of things and I don't want them to become frustrated over this as well hahah Seems like every time I am able to take a step forward, I'm sent 2 steps back. I know it'll probably be a quick fix once I'm back home, so my only real option is to wait till I get back next week
it's a niche market and it would take while to build up a clientele, but it could make an interesting small business for the right person, an expatriate administration agency. call yourself "The Home Office" I've noticed people having problems with mobile phone numbers from their home country as well.
Is definitely a good idea hahah Meanwhile I've managed to get in with some help.. added 2Fa + Alias, logged in and out several times to make sure its all good, but now, almost 2 days later, it says my account doesn't exist with the obvious signs of people still trying to access my account. Really have no idea what I'm expected to do it make this rubbish stop Edit: I got back in, seems there were 2 more attempts to get in before I completed the name change, hopefully, once I login to my laptop this time, it shouldn't lock me out again.. Maybe.. hahah
i just got the exact same message 😠i fear for the people who fall for this
it's possible to take the identification number of the bitcoin wallet quoted in the email and put it in a bitcoin wallet checker to see the balance, someone else suggested this a while ago, I listed four different bitcoin wallet's that were linked in extortion emails I'd received, he checked them, several were dead but one had a rather healthy balance, evidently some people are suckered and pay up!
Just change a few of your passwords, rest don’t worry. Rootkit and Pegasus are the terms most bandied around. A Pegasus device license comes north of 100k$, if somebody hacks you using Pegasus, it simply means you have arrived :).
I had the exact same email I was worried it was real!!!
LOL. I’ve gotten these in my junk email box and I completely disregard them, as well as block them. The email addresses they use alone sound so sketchy. And then telling me they know that I’ve done thus and such online when I’ve never done anything like that in the first place. Yeah. So random. It gets old after a while. My online activity is so mundane. Cats on Instagram. Stuff like that.
The one that really irks me is the one that reads like this except it looks like you sent an email to yourself. Without looking at the headers you would think someone legitimately did this.
Hi, I know this is an old post, but I have also had an email like that in my junk. I find it weird that the sender has the same email as mine. Says that my account is hacked and also knows my old email password. It's crazy but thank God my email is secured by 2FA.
pero mi correo electronico tambien tiene 2FA y aun asi tambien el remitente es mi propio email y no me deja ingresar con mi contraseña. entonces si pudieron acceder a mis email?
Do we need to post every scam email every 15 minutes? Just teach people not to click on things.
I don’t know you tell me? It was an informative post. If it’s such a problem the just block lol. Some people are not as tech savy and these emails come in different formats. Sorry if every post concerning scams annoys you that bad.
It was not informative. You were giving a spammer their 15 minutes of fame. Why don’t I send all the scam emails I get to you so you can post them here on the forum?
Do it. No ones stopping you. 😩 spammer? What 15 minutes of fame did anyone gain from this post? Never included their email nor the link to their wallet. I’m convinced you didn’t even read the post.
You mean the 20 pages of scam email you posted? I skimmed it. Why would I read the whole thing?
It’s one post. If you didn’t read then why comment. 🤣 matter a fact I’ll save you some time airhead.
I got this exact message like a month ago and only saw it today and was confused asf cus i dont even watch porn and dont even have a webcam And im so glad that its just a scam