Advisory Regarding Scam Emails
Posted by Calico UK - 12:00 on 26 September 2018
We've recently been contacted by customers who've received emails from ransomers saying that your accounts have been hacked, that they've infected your PC, that you've been caught doing this or that on webcam, that they've accessed your social media accounts, and that you need to pay up or else the webcam footage will be made public.
Here's an example of some emails we've seen:
This sort of scam has been around for years. However the latest emails add a new twist of authenticity by appearing to come from your own email address and by including what they say is your password.
What should you do if you receive one of these emails? First, don't send any money. These emails are part of scam. It's all lies. No webcam footage exists. Your PC won't have been infected by them.
Secondly, check the password that is included in the email. In the cases we've seen, the example passwords they display are close to the recipients' password, so it makes it look as if the ransomers are telling the truth. We think that they've managed to get hold of a set of old passwords from an old shopiing site or social media site, and are trying their luck. If the password matches a password you use, then you need to update your passwords wherever you've used it.
Thirdly, if you use the same password for several different logins, please change your policy and use separate passwords for each login - this will reduce your vulnerability when a password gets leaked.
Fourthly, although the emails appear to come from your own email address, they don't. It's very easy for spammers/hackers to spoof the sender's email address. If you ever get an email which looks as if it came from your own account, be on the alert.
Lastly, if in doubt, please forward the email to us for inspection.
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