A scheme is hitting email inboxes across the country that uses public images of people’s homes to attempt to trick them into sending scammers thousands of dollars in Bitcoin.
Michael Morimoto received the first email a few weeks ago. It included his name, address, phone number and a PDF document. In the document, there was an image of his home in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, appearing to have been pulled from Google Maps street view.
In the threatening letter, the perpetrator claimed to have installed spyware on his devices and to have compromising images and videos they threatened to release to all his contacts if he didn’t send $2,000 worth of Bitcoin.
“Your heart just kind of sinks because there’s always a part of you that thinks, ‘Oh my God, is this real?’ Hackers have gotten so sophisticated,” Morimoto said.
Morimoto has received two more since, both from different, random email addresses.
“This most recent one I got did say, ‘You don’t know what I’m capable in Robbinsdale!'” he said.
Cyber security expert Sean Lanterman said the perpetrator is likely overseas and does not have any compromising content.
“This email in particular is a modern take on an old scammer favorite,” Lanterman said.
He said the scheme is likely a consequence of data breaches.
“You’re not going to convince them that what they’re doing is wrong, and really all you’re doing is showing them, ‘Hey, I’m a real person and I was very concerned about the email you sent me,'” he said.
If you do get what could be a blackmail email:
- Don’t reply,
- Don’t pay any money,
- Report the email.
Lanterman suggests checking to see if your information was compromised in a data breach, through websites like haveibeenpwned.com.
“Any device someone has they are getting email on has a feature for emails just like this one,” he said. “And it is the delete key.”
The Email
From: “bell whitford” <belllekeqizoy@gmail.com>
It’s important you pay attention to this message right now. Take a minute to relax, breathe, and really dig into it. ‘Cause
we’re about to discuss a deal between you and me, and I don’t play games. You do not know me but I know ALOT about
you and you must be thinking how, right?
Well, you’ve been treading on thin ice with your browsing habits, clicking through those girlie videos and venturing into the
darker corners of cyberspace. I placed a Malware on a porn website and you visited it to watch(know what I mean?).
While you were busy watching videos, your smartphone started working as a RDP (Remote Device) which gave me
complete access to your device. I can look at everything on your screen, switch on your camera and mic, and you wouldn’t
even suspect a thing. Oh, and I’ve got access to all your emails, contacts, and social media accounts too.
Been keeping tabs on your pathetic existence for a while now. It is just your bad luck that I noticed your misadventures. I
gave in more time than I should’ve looking into your personal life. Extracted quite a bit of juicy info from your system. and
I’ve seen it all. Yeah, Yeah, I’ve got footage of you doing embarrassing things in your room (nice setup, by the way).
I then developed videos and screenshots where on one side of the screen, there’s the videos you were playing, and on the other
half, its you doing naughty things. With just a single click, I can send this filth to all of your contacts.
I see you are getting anxious, but let’s get real. As a family man, I’m ready to wipe the slate clean, and allow you to move
on with your regular life and forget you ever existed. I am going to present you two options.
First Alternative is to turn a deaf ear this e mail. Let me tell you what is going to happen if you pick this option. Your
video will get sent to your contacts. The video is straight fire, and I can’t even fathom the embarrasement you’ll face when
your colleagues, friends, and fam watch it. But hey, that’s life, ain’t it? Don’t be playing the victim here.
Second option is to pay me, and be confidential about it. We’ll call this my “keep the secret fee”. Now let me tell you
what will happen when you pick this path. Your dirty secret remains private. I’ll wipe everything clean once you send
payment. You’ll make the payment by Bitcoin only. I want you to know I’m aiming for a win-win here. I am a man of my
words.
Transfer Amount: USD 1950
BITCOIN ADDRES S IS : 1JtaNZvC9y61tr8D2G5NWuEmDkbVkYtuRz
Once you pay up, you’ll sleep like a baby. I keep my word.
Note: You got one day to sort this out and I will only accept Bitcoin. I have a unique pixel within this mail, and at this
moment I’ve been notified that you’ve read through this email message. This email and Bitcoin address are custom-made
for you, untraceable. If you are unfamiliar with Bitcoin, google it. You can buy it online or through a Bitcoin ATM in your
neighborhood. There’s no point in replying to this email or negotiating, it’s pointless my price is fixed. As soon as you
send the complete payment, my system will inform me and I will wipe out all the dirt I got on you. Remember if I suspect
that you’ve shared or discussed this email with someone else, your video will instantly start getting sent to your contacts
and I will post a physical tape to all of your neighborhood next week. And don’t even think about turning off your phone
or resetting it to factory settings. It’s pointless. I don’t make mistakes.
See you here?