About “I Have To Share Bad News With You” Email Scam

I Have To Share Bad News With You Email Scam is classified as a sextortion scam because according to the email, a private video of you would be released if you do not agree to pay the requested sum of money. It’s a classic example of a sextortion scam that’s been going around for a number of years now. While it may seem alarming at first, pay no attention to the contents of the email because it’s nothing more than a scam.

Sextortion emails usually have eye-catching subject lines. For example, the subject line of this particular email is “Payment from your account”. Since the emails usually end up in the junk/spam folder of your inbox, scammers try to catch your attention with money-related topics.

Once you open the “I Have To Share Bad News With You” email, the sender will try to intimidate you into believing that your computer has been hacked. Scammers will use various alarming language like “Approximately few months ago I have gained access to your devices, which you use for internet browsing”, and “I have downloaded all your information, data, photos, web browsing history to my servers”. Supposedly, the “hacker” purchased your email address which somehow gave them access to your email account. They were then able to install malware onto all devices you use to sign in to that email. Supposedly, the malware allows the “hackers” complete access to your device, including giving them permission to turn on/off your microphone and video camera.

The email goes on to claim that not only was the sender able to steal all of your data but they also made a video of you watching pornography. They threaten to send a dual video (the video you were watching on one side and a video of you on the other) to all your contacts unless you agree to pay the requested sum of money, which, in this case, is $950 in Bitcoin.

If you know anything about computers and malware, the contents of the email will make very little sense. First of all, unless you have a very easily guessable password for your email account, hackers won’t be able to access your account just because they know your email address. Second, unless you were clicking on malicious links and email attachments in emails left and right, infecting your computer with malware is not all that easy. Finally, malicious actors don’t spy on random users in hopes that they will visit pornography websites so they can blackmail them.

None of the claims in the email are correct. There is no malware on your computer, nor is there a video of you watching pornography. Pay no attention to such emails, and remove “I Have To Share Bad News With You” Email Scam from your inbox as soon as you get it.

Subject: Payment from your account.

Greetings!

I have to share bad news with you.
Approximately few months ago I have gained access to your devices, which you use for internet browsing.
After that, I have started tracking your internet activities.

Here is the sequence of events:
Some time ago I have purchased access to email accounts from hackers (nowadays, it is quite simple to purchase such thing online).
Obviously, I have easily managed to log in to your email account (****@****.com).

One week later, I have already installed Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all the devices that you use to access your email.
In fact, it was not really hard at all (since you were following the links from your inbox emails).
All ingenious is simple. =)

This software provides me with access to all the controllers of your devices (e.g., your microphone, video camera and keyboard).
I have downloaded all your information, data, photos, web browsing history to my servers.
I have access to all your messengers, social networks, emails, chat history and contacts list.
My virus continuously refreshes the signatures (it is driver-based), and hence remains invisible for antivirus software.

Likewise, I guess by now you understand why I have stayed undetected until this letter…

While gathering information about you, I have discovered that you are a big fan of adult websites.
You really love visiting porn websites and watching exciting videos, while enduring an enormous amount of pleasure.
Well, I have managed to record a number of your dirty scenes and montaged a few videos, which show the way you masturbate and reach orgasms.

If you have doubts, I can make a few clicks of my mouse and all your videos will be shared to your friends, colleagues and relatives.
I have also no issue at all to make them available for public access.
I guess, you really don’t want that to happen, considering the specificity of the videos you like to watch, (you perfectly know what I mean) it will cause a true catastrophe for you.

Let’s settle it this way:
You transfer $950 USD to me (in bitcoin equivalent according to the exchange rate at the moment of funds transfer), and once the transfer is received, I will delete all this dirty stuff right away.
After that we will forget about each other. I also promise to deactivate and delete all the harmful software from your devices. Trust me, I keep my word.

This is a fair deal and the price is quite low, considering that I have been checking out your profile and traffic for some time by now.
In case, if you don’t know how to purchase and transfer the bitcoins – you can use any modern search engine.

Here is my bitcoin wallet: 1L6XxPRuLJdr6JCqw8dwNUm1wFLisrGREL, 1LKWDMofCWVgDSUH3Qoui6LxJ2VSUtsDCE, 1xPr18gM8YKsaiUkGz9MgpjtwcBQcME2i, 16aqr3rXxCtxa8AK3ErftnBQLfzyyhjpXJ, 1Hjpu99iHc3oi55ZJKf6RHhKbwit8vEzTS

You have less than 48 hours from the moment you opened this email (precisely 2 days).

Things you need to avoid from doing:
*Do not reply me (I have created this email inside your inbox and generated the return address).
*Do not try to contact police and other security services. In addition, forget about telling this to you friends. If I discover that (as you can see, it is really not so hard, considering that I control all your systems) – your video will be shared to public right away.
*Don’t try to find me – it is absolutely pointless. All the cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous.
*Don’t try to reinstall the OS on your devices or throw them away. It is pointless as well, since all the videos have already been saved at remote servers.

Things you don’t need to worry about:
*That I won’t be able to receive your funds transfer.
– Don’t worry, I will see it right away, once you complete the transfer, since I continuously track all your activities (my trojan virus has got a remote-control feature, something like TeamViewer).
*That I will share your videos anyway after you complete the funds transfer.
– Trust me, I have no point to continue creating troubles in your life. If I really wanted that, I would do it long time ago!

Everything will be done in a fair manner!

One more thing… Don’t get caught in similar kind of situations anymore in future!
My advice – keep changing all your passwords on a frequent basis

How did scammers obtain your email?

The only correct claim in this scam email is scammers purchasing your email address from hackers. If your email address has ever been leaked or part of a data breach, it’s likely being sold on various hacker forums. Emails and other personal information get leaked all the time for various reasons, and once the information is out there, there’s not much you can do. You can check whether your email address has been leaked on haveibeenpwned. If your information has been leaked, you can at least be on guard when dealing with unsolicited emails.

In some cases, in an attempt to make an email seem more legitimate, scammers also include users’ passwords. The passwords are usually old but currently used ones also get revealed. According to the sextortion emails, scammers have the passwords because they hacked users’ computers. For some users, this may seem convincing enough because how else would they have it? In reality, passwords are obtained the same way email addresses are. They are bought by scammers from hacker forums. When passwords are not protected by the service you use, they can be exposed. If you ever receive a sextortion email that reveals a password you use, do not panic and simply change the password. And keep in mind that you should never reuse a password because if it gets leaked once, it could be used to access your other accounts. Passwords should also be unique to each account and contain a mixture of uppercase/lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Using a password manager may also be a good idea.

I Have To Share Bad News With You Email Scam removal

You can just remove I Have To Share Bad News With You Email Scam from your inbox if you get it. They will usually land in the spam/junk folder anyway so you might not even notice them. And remember, none of these kinds of emails are ever legitimate.

If a sextortion email comes with an attachment and you open it, you need to immediately scan your computer with anti-malware software because such attachments can often contain malware. In general, you should never open email attachments without double-checking them first. You can use your anti-malware software to scan them or VirusTotal.