How to spot scams like "We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device"
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device"?
Upon reviewing this email, our team has determined that its intent is to deceive recipients into sending money to scammers. It claims that a device has been hacked and provides payment instructions. Recipients should ignore this and similar emails to avoid monetary loss, information theft, or other issues.
More about the "We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device" scam email
This scam email employs fear and urgency to manipulate recipients. The email claims that the sender's team has compromised the recipient's device and gathered evidence of infidelity. To prevent the evidence from being shared with the recipient's spouse, the email demands a payment of $300 worth of Bitcoin, which must be made in 48 hours.
The scammers warn that not complying will lead to the exposure of incriminating content to the spouse and online platforms. The email preys on the recipient's fear of public embarrassment and attempts to coerce the recipient into paying the requested amount. Scammers often use emotional manipulation tactics to exploit individuals and extract money.
| Name | We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device Email Scam |
| Threat Type | Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud |
| Fake Claim | Recipient's device has been hacked |
| Cyber Criminal Cryptowallet Address | bc1qlksvtfvl5js2lrzs7ew3z86pqhu0f9f93q7mrn |
| Disguise | Letter from hackers |
| Symptoms | Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the 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. |
Similar scam emails in general
These emails often contain urgent and alarming subject lines to grab the recipient's attention. The content generally involves claims of having compromising information, such as evidence of infidelity or personal secrets, and demands a payment or action to prevent the information from being exposed.
Additionally, these emails often use fear, urgency, and emotional manipulation to pressure recipients into complying with the scammers' demands. It is important to note that cybercriminals can include malicious links or files in their fraudulent emails.
Examples of scam emails are "Your Password Has Been Changed", "Your Email Has Been Restricted", and "Please Confirm Your Account".
How do spam campaigns infect computers?
Malware can infiltrate users' computers via email when they interact with harmful attachments or activate links within phishing emails. These deceptive emails often disguise themselves as genuine communications. They may involve a range of file types, such as documents (PDF or DOC), executable files (EXE), ISO files, JavaScript files, or compressed archives (ZIP).
When these files are opened or executed, the hidden malware contained within them becomes active, resulting in a computer infection.
How to avoid installation of malware?
Avoid opening of email attachments or clicking on website links from sources that appear unfamiliar or suspicious. Only download software from reputable and verified sources. Regularly update both your operating system and software with the latest security patches.
Install a reliable antivirus or anti-malware program and conduct regular system scans to detect and remove potential threats. Exercise caution when dealing with pop-ups or advertisements on dubious websites, as they may lead to malware installations.
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 "We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device" email letter:
Subject: Your Device is Hacked: Evidence (Files) are Available
Hello,We hacked & extracted information from your device which shows you are cheating on your spouse and ths evidences has been compiled and ready to be shared with your spouse if you do not cooperate.
Just a little favor from you to us can go along way in ensuring things don't get bitter with your spouse finding out so kindly send an equivalent of $300 (token) worth of bitcoin to this wallet : bc1qlksvtfvl5js2lrzs7ew3z86pqhu0f9f93q7mrn
Trust me, this is very little compared to what will happen if you don't cooporate with us (I & my team of hackers) and i believe you love your family.
In 48hrs time,if we don't receive this token of 200$ worth of btc from you, you will receive pictures and screenshots via email and same will be sent to your spouse and online space as well.
Your time starts counting now and note that any attempt to file a complaint will not result to anything as this e-mail cannot be traced and same as my bitcoin id but If, by any chance I find out that you have shared this message with anyone else, I will make things go viral immediately.
Rdgs
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Quick menu:
- What is We Hacked & Extracted Information From Your Device scam?
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why did I receive this email?
Scammers send identical letters to numerous recipients, anticipating that they will deceive someone. These spam emails lack personalization.
I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?
If you have shared any account credentials, take immediate action to change all your passwords. In the event you've disclosed other personal information like credit card details or ID card information, promptly get in touch with the appropriate authorities.
I have downloaded and opened a file attached to an email, is my computer infected?
If the file was an executable, then it is highly likely. However, if it was a document (such as .pdf or .doc), there's a chance you may have avoided the infection, as in some instances, merely opening the document is not sufficient for malware to penetrate the system.
Was my computer actually hacked and does the sender have any information?
No, your computer has not been hacked or infected.
I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?
Transactions of this nature are practically untraceable, implying that retrieval is not feasible.
I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?
No, simply opening an email is entirely innocuous. It is the act of clicking links within the email or opening attached files that can result in system infections.
Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?
Indeed, Combo Cleaner possesses the ability to identify and remove nearly all recognized malware infections. It's important to note that advanced malware often conceals itself deeply within the system. Consequently, conducting a full system scan is essential.
Outstanding!
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