What is the “Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” email scam

“Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” email scam is part of a deceptive sextortion email campaign that threatens to expose nonexistent videos. It’s a classic sextortion email.

 

 

If you ever receive an email claiming that your computer has been hacked and that a video of you will be released if you don’t pay, know that it’s a scam. These types of emails are known as sextortion scams, and they’re nothing more than spam emails that make false claims.

Sextortion scams are all more or less the same. They all follow the same pattern. These types of emails first try to catch your attention with eye-catching subject lines. In the case of the “Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” email scam, the subject line reads “You have an outstanding payment”.

Users who click on the email and start reading may immediately become alarmed because it explains that their computers have been hacked and complete access has been given to the hacker. Supposedly, malware was downloaded on users’ computers when they visited an adult website. This supposedly allowed the hacker to turn on/off the webcam and microphone.

In a mocking tone, the email sender proceeds to explain that they supposedly made a video of you watching pornography. They threaten to send the video to all of your contacts if you do not agree to pay. The sum demanded by these scams always differs but it’s usually between $1,000 and $2,000 to be paid in Bitcoin.

It goes without saying that paying anything would be a waste because these types of emails are merely scams. None of their claims are legitimate. If you ever get this email, you can just remove “Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” email scam from your inbox.

Subject: You have an outstanding payment.

Hello there!

Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you.
Around several months ago I have obtained access to your devices that you were using to browse internet.
Subsequently, I have proceeded with tracking down internet activities of yours.

Below, is the sequence of past events:
In the past, I have bought access from hackers to numerous email accounts (today, that is a very straightforward task that can be done online).
Clearly, I have effortlessly logged in to email account of yours (-).

A week after that, I have managed to install Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all your devices that are used for email access.
Actually, that was quite simple (because you were clicking the links in inbox emails).
All smart things are quite straightforward. (>_<)

The software of mine allows me to access to all controllers in your devices, such as video camera, microphone and keyboard.
I have managed to download all your personal data, as well as web browsing history and photos to my servers.
I can access all messengers of yours, as well as emails, social networks, contacts list and even chat history.
My virus unceasingly refreshes its signatures (since it is driver-based), and hereby stays invisible for your antivirus.

So, by now you should already understand the reason why I remained unnoticed until this very moment…

While collecting your information, I have found out that you are also a huge fan of websites for adults.
You truly enjoy checking out porn websites and watching dirty videos, while having a lot of kinky fun.
I have recorded several kinky scenes of yours and montaged some videos, where you reach orgasms while passionately masturbating.

If you still doubt my serious intentions, it only takes couple mouse clicks to share your videos with your friends, relatives and even colleagues.
It is also not a problem for me to allow those vids for access of public as well.
I truly believe, you would not want this to occur, understanding how special are the videos you love watching, (you are clearly aware of that) all that stuff can result in a real disaster for you.

Let’s resolve it like this:
All you need is $1750 USD transfer to my account (bitcoin equivalent based on exchange rate during your transfer), and after the transaction is successful, I will proceed to delete all that kinky stuff without delay.
Afterwards, we can pretend that we have never met before. In addition, I assure you that all the harmful software will be deleted from all your devices. Be sure, I keep my promises.

The email is written in a way that would alarm users. The mocking tone would make users feel ashamed even if they have not watched pornography. Unfortunately, these scare tactics have been proven to work.

Some sextortion emails reveal users’ real passwords

In an effort to appear more convincing, sextortion scammers sometimes reveal users’ real passwords in these types of emails. This is a common tactic and has proven to work because in users’ minds, how would the sender know the password if not because they hacked their computers? The explanation for this is actually quite simple.

Malicious scammers buy users’ data from hacker forums, and passwords are commonly included. Passwords, email addresses, and other sensitive/personal information are usually stolen from various services. If a service does not have good security (e.g. password hashing), hackers can easily steal it. The hackers then sell the stolen data to other malicious actors, who use it for things like sextortion scams.

If you receive a sextortion email that contains a password you use, the service for which you used that password has been breached and data has been stolen. You need to change the password immediately. You should also never reuse passwords because if one account is compromised, others become vulnerable as well.