You May Not Know Me Email Scam

What is "You may not know me"?

The "You may not know me" scam is proliferated using the 'spoofing' method: scammers falsify email addresses to make it seem as if recipients of emails are also senders.

Cyber criminals send this email to many people hoping that some will fall for the scam and pay a ransom to prevent distribution of a compromising video. In fact, the video does not exist. This is a common scam used to extort money from users. These emails should not be trusted and the best option is simply to ignore them.

Scammers behind the "You may not know me" email state that they have 'cracked' the recipient's device (supposedly a computer) and hacked the email account. They also claim that they infected the computer with malware when the user was visiting an adult website.

They go on to state that this malicious program is capable of working as a remote access tool, which allows "hackers" to access the user's webcam and monitor all computing activities. Furthermore, these cyber criminals also claim that they have stolen passwords, logins, contacts, and files.

The main goal of this email is to make recipients believe that an embarrassing video was recorded while they were visiting an adult website and watching a video containing adult content. Scammers make threats to proliferate the recorded video (send it to all of the recipient's contacts) unless their ransom demands are met (money is paid).

The cost for them to take no action (and not distribute the video) is $695, which must be paid in Bitcoins using a provided Bitcoin wallet address. The deadline is 48 hours. If they are not paid within this time, they state that they will distribute the recorded video.

They promise to delete the video as soon as payment is received, and also warn users not to try to contact any authorities. As mentioned in our introduction, this is simply a scam and emails of this type should never be trusted or taken seriously.

Threat Summary:

Name	You May Not Know Me Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of one's computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

"You may not know me" is just one of many scams and very similar to We Are Not Going To Steal A Lot Of Time, I Am A Spyware Software Developer, and So I'm The Hacker Who Broke Your Email. 

Most are used to extort money from people by making threats, however, scammers also use email campaigns to infect computers with viruses - they send emails that contain malicious attachments.

In these cases, they often trick email recipients into opening the included attachment, which is usually a Microsoft Office document or PDF document, archive file, executable (.exe), or other file. By opening the malicious attachment, users trigger download and installation of a computer infection (such as LokiBot, TrickBot, Emotet, AZORult, Adwind, and so on).

Cyber criminals use these email campaigns to infect computers with viruses designed to steal personal details such as logins and passwords, banking details, or to spread other infections such as ransomware. In this way, they attempt to proliferate malicious programs that record information, which is used to generate revenue.

Users with computers infected with viruses of this type often experience problems relating to financial losses, privacy, browsing safety, and so on.

We receive a great deal of feedback from concerned users about this scam email. Here is the most popular question we receive:

Q: Hi pcrisk.com team, I received an email stating that my computer was hacked and they have a video of me. Now they are asking for a ransom in Bitcoins. I think this must be true because they listed my real name and password in the email. What should I do?

A: Do not worry about this email. Neither hackers nor cyber criminals have infiltrated/hacked your computer and there is no video of you watching pornography. Simply ignore the message and do not send any Bitcoins. Your email, name, and password was probably stolen from a compromised website such as  Yahoo (these website breaches are common). If you are concerned, you can check if your accounts have been compromised by visiting the haveibeenpwned website.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

To proliferate or install computer infections, malicious attachments must first be opened. Archive file (such as ZIP, RAR, etc.) must be extracted and the included file executed (opened), whilst executable files must be executed, and so on. If the attachment is a Microsoft Office document, once opened, it asks for permission to enable macro commands.

If these commands are enabled, the malicious document downloads and installs a computer infection. Generally, computers cannot be harmed without opening attachments presented in emails sent cyber criminals via spam email campaigns.

How to avoid installation of malware?

If you receive an email from an unknown/suspicious sender containing an irrelevant attachment, do not open it without first carefully studying the message. Download software using official and trustworthy sources only. Avoid using third party software downloaders and installers, since these are often monetized by promoting rogue applications.

Install software with care and check "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar settings. In some cases, software developers use the "bundling" method, and thus potentially unwanted applications are hidden within download/installation settings. Update software using tools or implemented functions provided by official developers.

Fake software updaters should not be used, since they proliferate potentially unwanted, rogue applications. You are advised to use Microsoft Office 2010 or later, since older versions do not include "Protected View" mode, which prevents downloaded documents (malicious email attachments) from downloading and installing malware.

If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "You may not know me" email message:

Subject: Everton prepared to let trio leave the club in January with James... tepyim

 

Dear alt.karl@gmx.de

 

You may not know me and you are probably wondering why you are getting this e mail, right?
I'm a hacker who cracked your devices a few months ago.
I sent you an email from YOUR hacked account.
I setup a malware on the adult vids (porno) web-site and guess what, you visited this site to have fun (you know what I mean).
While you were watching videos, your internet browser started out functioning as a RDP (Remote Control) having a keylogger which gave me accessibility to your screen and web cam.
after that, my software program obtained all of your contacts and files.

You entered a passwords on the websites you visited, and I intercepted it.

Of course you can will change it, or already changed it.
But it doesn't matter, my malware updated it every time.

What did I do?

I created a double-screen video. 1st part shows the video you were watching (you've got a good taste haha . . .), and 2nd part shows the recording of your web cam.

Do not try to find and destroy my virus! (All your data is already uploaded to a remote server)
– Do not try to contact with me
– Various security services will not help you; formatting a disk or destroying a device will not help either, since your data is already on a remote server.

I guarantee you that I will not disturb you again after payment, as you are not my single victim. This is a hacker code of honor.

Don’t be mad at me, everyone has their own work.
exactly what should you do?

Well, in my opinion, $695 (USD) is a fair price for our little secret. You'll make the payment by Bitcoin (if you do not know this, search "how to buy bitcoin" in Google).

My Bitcoin wallet Address:
1KpioVDQJ47uQ8vepwwtaKDwUpyWLXV8cJ, 1AgexGi34oNAHXS9vs8ZrtKw5ULkV1LoWg, 1s21MkGGWRP1eeGj5UQZVM97yRdEHojgd, 1AzVpAbxm9ASVKnXyJ8PwccmK9KYo1x6fA, 19utGeSLKhvj9zVrRjy2axBqZ222eg3Hni, 1K4JEY74c5puP86EPKo6HmNrB571kT8kG2, 1Hi47wpCrN2joKSoEcRXBhvtpe9Vu8X1cJ, 16ohM4oFgd4iy3SQWTptMrF6RvryYXAX9F, 12wmxvfVgcG8hwZjLqaBohxP8AWk6bodgH, 19Eqn33cA15qg9niSxBonDHQSu4bLfqAtS, 1HoajV32DBeSe98QYCMMX5oEqU9iy8c7Wa, 1Ep8dntVe4D63YuHnGcq52gVA4rCj1jaTP, 1Hp1rDtB6cZ5xWtMhbx58p7MDvRSkXRjfS, 18xueRUcw7WiHcfcr4Lt4P8Eee3DrnxX3c, 16NSUU3NXh9GtGGVnjvavSk1aUB6Fz7pSF, 13ohHyBiBgsinkNkhyqDHZDTvdALzHqV2V, 1HmWB1LMugSxyffThnxzqiq6q3gknChiMq, 1HMsu3Dg3ocegPN2psqQtnsgZESeHVuxmN

(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it)

Important:
You have 48 hour in order to make the payment. (I've a facebook pixel in this mail, and at this moment I know that you have read through this email message).
To track the reading of a message and the actions in it, I use the facebook pixel.
Thanks to them. (Everything that is used for the authorities can help us.)
If I do not get the BitCoins, I will certainly send out your video recording to all of your contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so on. Having said that, if I receive the payment, I'll destroy the video immidiately.
If you need evidence, reply with "Yes!" and I will certainly send out your video recording to your 6 contacts. It is a non-negotiable offer, that being said don't waste my personal time and yours by responding to this message.

Another variant of "You May Not Know Me" email:

Text presented within this message:

Subject: This account has been hacked! Change your password right now!

 

You may not know me and you are probably wondering why you are getting this e mail, right?
I’m a hacker who cracked your email and devices a few months ago.

Do not try to contact me or find me, it is impossible, since I sent you an email from YOUR hacked account.
I setup a malware on the adult vids (porno) web-site and guess what, you visited this site to have fun (you know what I mean).
While you were watching videos, your internet browser started out functioning as a RDP (Remote Control) having a keylogger which gave me accessibility to your screen and web cam.
After that, my software program obtained all information.

You entered a passwords on the websites you visited, and I intercepted it.
Of course you can will change it, or already changed it.
But it doesn’t matter, my malware updated it every time.
What did I do?

I backuped device. All files and contacts.
I created a double-screen video. 1st part shows the video you were watching (you’ve got a good taste haha . . .), and 2nd part shows the recording of your web cam.
exactly what should you do?
Well, in my opinion, $1000 (USD) is a fair price for our little secret. You’ll make the payment by Bitcoin (if you do not know this, search “how to buy bitcoin” in Google).
My Bitcoin wallet Address:
1Mbwc2qwfrKjWS2N83wmohbHUtr35HKgNe, 19vBDAb9FtqDsCoTK3WUgmo2XhujJWVMsU, 1FeTKB65csAWpzzE1MMBAkeiGeXt1ri3wx, 1PySaTv351ess2WFYRqVynNTmopzWcTzMY, 1HVssPWk1x258c3KYKpKMpvqCsSiUjfxwc, 1L7AuiXQGCqokVWy8icWCAoQwuKzTiLwyi, 1JEzeyg5wNBAS8y6c3LWh1ARU9JWZibWLS, 196FGBPW7JzPNCNjRZLtvpn3s6Ugppgdt1, 1LW3mco8pzBhJMpZJDeFeqx1oEpQcsF3r5, 15tGCMyPbDq4sJMV1Dhh5h5Mv9gYub7p7U, 1CVWM8m5ZMnVWc2SWYQ11hErrLSeHm1GsD, 14ReGPgZkGbhD43vAySr5GfkGWLUGuNBUZ, 1PAtx9bqa398TnSoXd2f1P8CKev71XbtCv, 1QHvYpm82AE4zE4FCHAhRwcV4WkR6qsG4
(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it)

Important:
You have 48 hour in order to make the payment. (I’ve a unique pixel in this e mail, and at this moment I know that you have read through this email message).
To track the reading of a message and the actions in it, I use the facebook pixel.
Thanks to them. (Everything that is used for the authorities can help us.) If I do not get the BitCoins, I will certainly send out your video recording to all of your contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so on.

Another variant of "You May Not Know Me" spam email:

Text presented within this email:

Hi, this account was infected! Modify the password immediately!
You may not know me me and you obviously are most likely surprised why you're receiving this particular email, proper?
I'mhacker who exploitedyour emailand OStwo months ago.
Do not waste your time and make an attempt to get in touch with me or try to find me, in fact it's impossible, since I sent you this message using YOUR hacked account.
I've build in spyware on the adult vids (porno) site and guess that you have watched this website to enjoy it (think you understand what I mean).
Whilst you were keeping an eye on films, your internet browser started out functioning like a RDP (Remote Control) with a keylogger that granted me access to your display and web camera.
Next step, my programgatheredall info.
You have put passcodes on the online resources you visited, and I caught all of them.
Without a doubt, you'll be able to modify them, or perhaps already changed them.
However it doesn't matter, my app renews it regularly.
And what did I do?
I generated a reserve copy of your device. Of each file and contacts.
I created a dual-screen record. The 1 part reveals the clip that you were watching (you have a good preferences, haha...), and the 2nd screen shows the movie from your own web camera.
What must you do?
Clearly, in my opinion, 500 USD is a inexpensive price for our little secret. You'll do the deposit by bitcoins (if you don't know this, go searching “how to buy bitcoin” in Google).
My bitcoin wallet address:
1ECEpaRhUMf5RG9TDxT2Hrg8dyQ41qxTc6, 1KP8QyvSwqWhndEnjaPHxjvQugkQ79q91P, 1FsDGqSSYcW9RwaAoZWE9Gg5V5EYYuVWKy, 1C2QQxwBqSc6rJvdeTTw9AmdJWud9y3Lwk, 12q4HmZZg13BpPEnMYmHUjXxevG3FbULFL, 186TdQEpbuACMNEHwAiYGk6uu2D8CkNqEF, 12HzaNqdS7388WCwoiAASPeuar1yotv9Ex, 18CfWDPYMEvpCPwctsqH1zhiK3FxwozSBv, 14AgiVgfNwgY8ZbvxvRRrc1vz2FhjAbhhJ, 1Npfaku5BghWwWqRBrxKQC2w2naM1cbdnB, 1CpJ3iCbe77tzg7q2JwJfgH72BeouZ38aA, 1xikfj4pTXsJvinHcaPvGgi2w7e5KrB2d, 193qGHXBucC4pVyYZKsGEBVjBFWfktRBbF, 1PUvTwDNJDfPPFJsT1eDScL1HMtW1RCjb9
(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it).
Attention:
You will have 48 hours in order to make the payment. (I have an exclusive pixel to this e-mail, and right now I know that you've read through this email).
To trackthe reading of a letterand the actionswithin it, I utilizea Facebook pixel. Thanks to them. (The stuff thatcan be usedfor the authorities may helpus.)

If I do not get bitcoins, I shall immediately direct your videofile to each of your contacts, including relatives, co-workers, etcetera.

Yet another variant of "You May Not Know Me" email spam campaign:

Text presented within this email:

Hello.

You may not know me and you are probably wondering why you are getting this email, right?
I've been observation you for a few two months.

You can check it - I sent this message from your account ******

The fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited.

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).

If you are not familiar with this. I'll tell you. With the help of a virus, I can control every action on your devices

This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it.

Why your antivirus did not detect malware? answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 3 hours so that your antivirus is silent.
I made a video showing how you satisfy yourself in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched.

With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts.
If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $754 to my bitcoin address
(if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: "Buy Bitcoin").
My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 1Q2pVgd9YradB42risptr8tsydKrVDSD2A

After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again. I give you 48 hours to pay.
I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter.
Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address.
I do not make any mistakes.

If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed.

Updated variants of these scam emails are using an image instead of text, bitcoin address has a QR code next to it:

Bitcoin addresses used in this spam campaign:

• 1BHKshzCyC13XsbwmaT1apubiUuWvBxPsu
• 1KkbnKU17jevepbTUh2eNsLZu4s3qDDc7R
• 1C1Zx9VgKECALuK4pfcH8qMkjxRFx4bdyH
• 1KJmbnch5pcKqWJY3j2B6k4ySUVAY9L4A6
• 1HdoWSBZmcqB2tt8t7Rnz2ENHnt6sZq64w
• 1CXg6o3seAqWUCuXb6WYCQhcFhug8Q9EUe
• 17c1VuW1mP7czvJwHQuUbWTFV8D9iiMp8Z
• 12u3v7rcDpHwTNeQ2HEmEfh2kPYP3sNy4n
• 1DWiCneJrkoJ3P8JG7jWyhqPhH1DkDS5Xw
• 128ue8W9eTH3p9CAE7R3DgPUTJZvc1AiRq
• 1FTGAPnfQG8MY744mgGPDPWTRcXtm9dqsM
• 1HPPRMMBe89D91PEKKDKGy5xu74EHTawTJ
• 164hA3Gpa9SwCnKjW2mskQxtsQ8F18iE8c
• 164qrVEm4Q2EExX8FL9sxqZan1ZAd7R6zk
• 1C3tfuSXcm49cCRxVKqLzGS5KaFgvvRQmH
• 1G2E4fDtrMF4S8XwUnsbKDvKyct3YMReH6
• 1H1tXqjXW7NXQA6VEfUEWPpsHN6Sw7gQmT
• 1Q2pVgd9YradB42risptr8tsydKrVDSD2A

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Quick menu:

• What is You May Not Know Me spam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

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