Threatening emails

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nick_p...@mac.com

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Apr 25, 2024, 1:16:46 AM4/25/24
to Sussex Macuser group
Help/advice very much appreciated please. See attached email below.

I think I received a first email like this a couple of weeks ago which I deleted. My name is correct and it’s my main email address.
I have never participated 'preparing content for publication' with anyone. There are no ‘intimate videos’ and no ‘bad mouthing’ etc.
The Duke of Wellington’s remark comes to mind, “Publish and be damned”.

My question is (and there’s always the suspicion that one day I might get a real ransom demand with the threat of locking me out of my laptop etc) how to avoid the real deal? Is a VPN the best way? Making regular backups I suppose would be backing up any malicious code etc so wouldn’t help?
Any best practice tips in this increasingly dodgy online world that is developing?
Many thanks,
Nick

Subject: The money hasn't been transferred to our account.
Date: 24 April 2024 at 17:29:58 BST



138-05566

I'll be brief. I prepared all the content with your participation for publication.
Don't look at the subject, I had to get your attention somehow.
My e-mails that I sent to you remained without reaction.

I will tell you about one of the surprises. In addition to intimate videos and questionable correspondence.
I'm also going to publish audio recordings I made on your phone of you bad-mouthing very important people in your life.
Let them know what you say about them when they can't hear it.

Good luck to you and I'm sorry this is happening, but like I said, it's nothing personal, it's just my job.
By the way, you keep believing everything the mass media says and writes on the internet.
You learned how to use a search engine, but you still can't use your head. But things don't always go as planned, do they?

I'll start with social media, and you can search there if you're interested.
And I'll make sure everyone who needs it gets a private message with the information I've gathered.

You have one last chance, if you make it in time. Otherwise, you'll see and hear for yourself.
My BTC wallet is the same: 19tWNhBbjDHBHk9FqQzhU5k7w2E9pRQrrU
Amount $696.
I won't give you any more time.

I'll delete the information as soon as I receive payment.
"Hasta la vista, baby."

Jason Kitcat

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Apr 25, 2024, 2:21:20 AM4/25/24
to sm...@googlegroups.com
Hi Nick

Emails like that are scams trying to get people sucked in and paying up. They are not based on fact. 

The inbuilt protections for Apple devices are excellent. However you can buy extra protection from a reputable supplier such as Kapersky. Microsoft 365 also includes Defender which is reasonably good (we use it to protect government Macs). 

Using a password manager like 1Password and enabling two factor authentication is a big plus. Because then you will have a different complex password for each account making it harder for anyone to do much damage. 

Finally just be really careful about what links you click on and where you put your information. Lots of attacks are about making you thing a friend or relative or boss needs help urgently. In the “rush” you don’t notice it’s not really your bank or courier or whatever you are typing information into.

NCSC has really good advice in clear language https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families

Hope that helps 
Jason

On 25 Apr 2024, at 06:16, nick_public1 via Sussex Mac User Group <sm...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Help/advice very much appreciated please. See attached email below.
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nick_p...@mac.com

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Apr 25, 2024, 2:29:06 AM4/25/24
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That’s very helpful. Many thanks Jason.
Nick

Jason Davies

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Apr 25, 2024, 4:58:22 AM4/25/24
to nick_public1 via Sussex Mac User Group

Just to echo that they send these out to thousands of people. There is a video-based version involving 'turning on your webcam and recording you doing XXX' which was interesting to receive early in lockdown when I was running a Mac Mini without a camera within 100 yards of the computer.

They rely on you jumping to the conclusion that when you said XYZ yesterday (and feel subconsciously guilty), you will be scammed.

I get the same 'webcam' email about something that has never happened in a room with a camera about once a month, still;)

Cheers,

Jason

nick_p...@mac.com

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Apr 25, 2024, 2:50:41 PM4/25/24
to Sussex Macuser group
Thanks Jason. I wasn’t going to cough up any money but it’s good to get a bit of background and hear other smuggers’ experiences. I guess with AI developing apace all these kind of things will get automated  and more pernicious. 
They still a slightly uneasy feeling though for a time.
Nick

Jason Davies

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Apr 26, 2024, 2:05:39 PM4/26/24
to nick_public1 via Sussex Mac User Group
On 25 Apr 2024, at 19:50, nick_public1 via Sussex Mac User Group wrote:

> I guess with AI developing apace

Risking going off-topic but probably of general interest. A colleague (at my university) who works in digital education told us the other day about an interview (over Teams) that was deep-faked. They said it was very realistic, seemed like a human, but (being savvy people) they noticed a slight pause before answering questions, even ‘are you ready to begin?’

Smelling a rat, they added a new question about ‘your book detailing your life growing up in Grimsby’ to which a real human would have replied ‘sorry, what? Are you thinking of someone else?’ but this candidate (after the slight pause) began saying more about their book and experiences.

They think whoever it was was after access to our (quite sensitive) university resources.

Scary stuff...

nick_p...@mac.com

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Apr 26, 2024, 4:32:16 PM4/26/24
to Sussex Macuser group
Interesting. I wonder how long the giveaway signs will still be around. Some AI portrait photos of people without the comparative genuine portrait are excellent even now and would fool nearly everyone. Hopefully AI will also allow the development of a ’Sherlock Holmes’ capacity to detect fakery.
Nick
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Stephen Watson

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Apr 27, 2024, 5:42:23 AM4/27/24
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Yikes!

You meet your destiny on the road you take to avoid it. ~ Carl Jung

> On 26 Apr 2024, at 19:05, 'Jason Davies' via Sussex Mac User Group <sm...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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