on 07-04-2022 09:49
I received the below email 3 days ago and have followed all of the instructions at https://www.virginmedia.com/help/security/why-is-my-virgin-media-email-hacked
(I've removed the password and my email address from the below mail but the password was correct!!!? the email was sent to me from my own email address 😞 ). I've also forwarded the mail to report phishing at uk gov etc
I've scanned my computer - no malware found, no forwarding instructions ... so how the hell did they get hold of my password?? None of my non VM accounts (with different passwords) have been hacked (so far). I know VM had a security breach in 2020 but claimed no passwords were stolen. If they didnt get my password from me .. and I dont think they did, they must have got it from VM? Fortunately, no damage (so far) - have you seen anything like this before?
Thanks
Teknophobe
Date: 01 May 2030 at 08:15
Subject: ALERT! I'm hacked you and stolen you information
Hey
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.
Some time ago I hacked you and got access to your email accounts
address deleted
Obviously, I have easily hack to log in to your email.
Your password: (deleted)
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 **bleep** 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 $400 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: bc1qc7uw3ll3zj83c0jk5cryduns6f3rlju3ac4v6p
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
Answered! Go to Answer
on 17-05-2022 18:38
@Bossman2 If you believe that it came from a Virgin Media account you can report it here:
You can check if it has already been reported via this page: http://netreport.virginmedia.com/netreport/index.php
If it isn’t listed then report it by selecting the option for security enquiry/phishing report. Copy the email text and headers into the evidence section.
I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media, I'm a VM customer. There are no guarantees that my advice will work. Please read the FAQs
Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks
on 17-05-2022 20:04
@Bossman2 now if you really have evidence that this was some kind of ‘inside job’ then I would suggest that you post all of your evidence here, because I absolutely promise you that VM as a company won’t be interested in your claims in the slightest and have no mechanism at all for you to report it internally.
on 17-05-2022 20:05
Thanks Graham
on 17-05-2022 21:06
They will when they read what I have just sent to them.
He/she was trying to hide their IP too behind a VPN however their IP is also on the virgin network.
Plus they have done a fatal mistake with my email by changing the password because the particular email address they have hacked is not attached to an active virgin account so the only way the password could be changed is internally so they have left a trail leading right back to them, internally and externally.
There's a saying "don't **** on your own doorstep" and that's exactly what they've done this time because I used to work in I.T myself so I've done all the investigative work, the weasels got control of my facebook account too and put a code generator on it so I can't get back so hopefully they get caught now and it will be a bit of justice for all the virgin media customers who've had this done to them
on 17-05-2022 21:10
I've also reported them to Action Fraud so they will hopefully be getting a visit soon either at their desk in work or at their front door, either way, they are ******* now.
on 17-05-2022 21:13
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction guys and if the hacker is reading this it's called Karma you little rat
on 19-05-2022 11:42
Hi Bossman2, thank you for returning to this thread to keep it updated.
I am glad to hear you have reported this to Action fraud so they can complete a thorough investigation and prevent this from happening to others - I am so sorry that it happened to you.
In terms of moving forward and offering you further support with this, there are a couple of things we can do:
1) We can support you in resetting your password to ensure your account is as secure as possible.
2) We can raise a complaint for you with your feedback and experience so we can investigate further. We will need to send you a PM to do this, and will get you to send in the additional evidence you have to support your case so this can be reviewed alongside your feedback.
Please do be aware, in any instance an internal investigation is needed we are unable to share the findings of this in a public forum, or with yourself directly. We will investigate your case and claim thoroughly, and any appropriate actions will be taken.
You can find our complaints code of practice here.
Once raised you can view your complaint here.
I will send you a PM now to confirm a few details and offer further support with this. You will find the PM in your Inbox in the top right corner of the page.
All the best!
on 19-05-2022 11:58
Thanks Molly
20-08-2022 10:40 - edited 20-08-2022 10:46
leaked passwords
I have also had in the past these type of emails claiming they have your password, in my case it was an old one dating back to 2005 and may have also been used for the linkedin website which was hacked in 2016. My password was leaked 3 times.
The leaked passwords are usually due to website hacking/data breaches where hackers post online the hacked data.
Leaked passwords can be checked on the have I been pwned website and avast hack check, but if the password is hacked or not strong then it may well be listed on these websites as a leaked password.
It is wise never to use the same password across different websites and also use a strong password.
In the event of getting blackmail type emails claiming they have your password, simply update the password.
It is wise to regularly update passwords and ensure they still do work, often they do not if not used for a few years.
Do a regular antivirus check on devices and check router/hub passwords are working.
Any dubious emails that appear to originate from virgin or any other sender are probably spoofed and from a hosted server or a private server, but in the past I have reported some to the VM abuse reporting form, but most scam email senders use a VPN or software to hide the true sender IP address, so the sender could be any unknown person or hacker group in any country.
I used to get a lot of these "I have hacked you emails and stolen your password", but they stopped when I reported them to the action fraud scam email reporting service.
alf28
on 14-10-2022 21:12
Hi Bossman 2, The same threat template is happening to me, so the perp is still at large. Must be working their way through a number of accounts - mine dates back to pre-cable/broadband (virgin.net).
7-10 days for VM IT to resolve