I know that you visit 18+ content emails try to extort the victimContents of the threatening email messageCommon email spam themes: how to avoid getting infectedRemove I know that you visit 18+ content! and protect your computer
In short, criminals try to scare victims by saying they managed to get some sort of access to device’s camera, allowing them to record you secretly. Currently, there are two known scams circulating around the web, one claiming to have hacked user’s smartphone camera, while the other claims to have access to computer’s camera. However, you shouldn’t worry because the cyber criminals are simply trying to make you panic and act without thinking.
Contents of the threatening email message
I know that you visit 18+ content email scam starts with criminals message that says he/she was able to record you with your camera and microphone without your knowledge while you “satisfy” yourself. Furthermore, the crook presents the “deal” – you pay him/her 500$ and he/her won’t distribute the taped videos to your contacts. The next paragraph looks confusing, as the criminal incoherently attempts to explain how the alleged “malware” bypassed device’s security measures. According to the message, the criminal didn’t try to reach user’s passwords, but connected to camera and contacts list, which, according to him, avoids “detection.” Speaking from technical aspect, this is utter nonsense, as despite of functionality, known malware can get detected in most cases. Nonetheless, this doesn’t matter in this case, because the malware that the attacker is speaking of simply doesn’t exist, and never was present on your device. One is simply trying to scare you into paying the ransom. The rest of the message includes a Bitcoin wallet address including spaces, which the attacker instructs to remove. He/she also warns that the address is case sensitive, and that the “coins” should be sent within a few days. Another paragraph instructs the “victim” to do a factory reset on a phone, stating that this will remove the malware installed on the device. The scammer also advises the recipient to consider quitting watching adult-only content as this can make “a mess in the brain.” Finally, the message ends with a statement to ignore further emails as the attackers machines “are programmed to send this message multiple times.” All in all, judging from the email, it is clear that the scammer is quite young and inexperienced and most likely even lacks technical IT skills, as some of the statements doesn’t make sense at all. In case you’re still worried about your security, you can scan your device with anti-malware software such as INTEGO. Speaking of the email, you should simply remove I know that you visit 18+ content from your inbox and mark it as spam as well.
Common email spam themes: how to avoid getting infected
The amount of email spam has risen during these pandemic times, as more people spend time indoors and consequently spend more time using computers than usually. As a result, the cybercriminals are getting active and creative when it comes to email scam schemes. You should know that there are many deceptive email themes that the attackers usually try to apply in their campaigns: Track Parcel Delivery Scam. During lockdowns and other restrictive measures to prevent COVID-19 spread, more and more people shop online. Cyber criminals leverage this for their own benefit, crafting up emails that imitate legitimate DHL, DPD, UPS and other parcel delivery company messages. Such emails can include a fake tracking link that leads to a phishing website or a domain serving malicious download, or an infectious email attachment in DOCX, PDF, ACE, IMG or other formats. Make sure you stay away from such emails, especially if you didn’t order anything online. The attackers can spoof their email, which can actually be revealed by viewing original contents of the message via mail client settings. I recorded you and want a ransom. Just as the one described previously, this scam relies on scare tactics. These emails claim they have recorded the victim doing something private and threaten to publish this material online or send it to the victim’s contacts if the attacker’s demands are not met on time. Such emails typically ask to pay ransoms. You have missing/pending payment or you need to view attached invoice details. This is another popular scam scheme that mostly distributes malware. The attackers compose a message that urges you to view its attached contents and reply immediately. Unfortunately, doing so can result in severe malware infection. You should never open such emails if you do not know the sender, or if you didn’t wait for an email from it.
Remove I know that you visit 18+ content! and protect your computer
If you have received the described email, you should remove I know that you visit 18+ content email and, if you’re feeling insecure, scan your device with anti-malware. We highly recommend INTEGO, which can scan both mobile iOS and Mac computers, plus protect them in real-time (premium version). You can find a general guide how to remove malware from Windows or Mac computers below. OUR GEEKS RECOMMEND Our team recommends a two-step rescue plan to remove ransomware and other remaining malware from your computer, plus repair caused virus damage to the system: GeeksAdvice.com editors select recommended products based on their effectiveness. We may earn a commission from affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. Learn more. Get INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Windows to remove ransomware, Trojans, adware and other spyware and malware variants and protect your PC and network drives 24/7. This VB100-certified security software uses state-of-art technology to provide protection against ransomware, Zero-Day attacks and advanced threats, Intego Web Shield blocks dangerous websites, phishing attacks, malicious downloads and installation of potentially unwanted programs. Use INTEGO Antivirus to remove detected threats from your computer. Read full review here. RESTORO provides a free scan that helps to identify hardware, security and stability issues and presents a comprehensive report which can help you to locate and fix detected issues manually. It is a great PC repair software to use after you remove malware with professional antivirus. The full version of software will fix detected issues and repair virus damage caused to your Windows OS files automatically. RESTORO uses AVIRA scanning engine to detect existing spyware and malware. If any are found, the software will eliminate them. Read full review here. To remove the unwanted program from your computer, use these instructions below to uninstall associated programs or apps from your Windows or Mac computer. Then scroll down for instructions how to clean each affected web browser individually.
Remove malware from Windows
Windows 10/8.1/8 users Click on the Windows logo to open Windows menu. In search, type control panel and select the matching result. Then go to Programs and Features. Windows 7 users First, open Windows menu by clicking on the icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Then go to Control Panel and find section called Programs. Click on the Uninstall a program option under it. Windows XP users In Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Uninstall unwanted programs Once in Programs and Features, look through the list of installed programs. You can click on Installed on tab to sort the programs by their installation date. Right-click on suspicious programs you can’t remember installing and choose Uninstall. Follow instructions provided by the Uninstall Wizard, click Next and finally Finish to uninstall the unwanted program from your PC.
Remove malware from Google Chrome Remove suspicious Chrome extensions Change Start Page settings Change default search settings Remove push notifications from Chrome If you want to get rid of the annoying ads and so-called push-notifications viruses, you must identify their components and clean your browser. You can easily remove ads from Chrome by following these steps: Reset Google Chrome browser
Remove malware from Mozilla Firefox Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox Change Firefox Homepage Alter preferences in Firefox Remove annoying push notifications from Firefox Suspicious sites that ask to enable push notifications gain access to Mozilla’s settings and can deliver intrusive advertisements when browsing the Internet. Therefore, you should remove access to your browser by following these simple steps: Reset Mozilla Firefox
Remove malware from Microsoft Edge Remove suspicious extensions: Change MS Edge Start Page and default search engine: Turn off push notifications in Edge If you keep receiving pop-up ads or other promotional content while browsing on Microsoft Edge, your browser might be corrupted by a potentially unwanted program (PUP). You have to clean it — follow these easy instructions: Clear browsing data
Remove malware from Safari Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions Change Safari Homepage and default search engine Remove push notifications on Safari Some suspicious websites can try to corrupt your Safari by asking to enable push notifications. If you have accidentally agreed, your browser will be flooded with various intrusive advertisements and pop-ups. You can get rid of them by following this quick guide: Reset Safari
Remove malware from Internet Explorer TIP: If you are still using IE, we strongly advise using Microsoft Edge or a different browser because Microsoft is no longer providing technical or security support for IE browser. Remove suspicious extensions from IE Change default search provider and remove suspicious ones Change IE Home Page Block pop-up notifications on Internet Explorer Suspicious websites can gain access to your Internet Explorer browser through push notifications. If you enable them even by accident, you will start receiving numerous annoying ads and other advertising content while browsing. The easiest way to remove push-notification viruses is by performing the following steps: Reset Internet Explorer
Alternative software recommendations
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Removing spyware and malware is one step towards cybersecurity. To protect yourself against ever-evolving threats, we strongly recommend purchasing a Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which provides security based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Includes ransomware protection. See pricing options and protect yourself now.
System Mechanic Ultimate Defense If you’re looking for an all-in-one system maintenance suite that has 7 core components providing powerful real-time protection, on-demand malware removal, system optimization, data recovery, password manager, online privacy protection and secure driver wiping technology. Therefore, due to its wide-range of capabilities, System Mechanic Ultimate Defense deserves Geek’s Advice approval. Get it now for 50% off. You may also be interested in its full review.
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