A new disturbing email scam has emerged that aims to trick victims into paying bitcoin ransoms. Using social engineering tactics that prey on fear, these fraudulent messages claim a hacker has fully compromised the recipient’s device.
Dubbed the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” scam, this con uses flimsy evidence and empty threats in an attempt to extort money from the unaware. While these emails may sound concerning, they are completely fabricated by criminals.
In this comprehensive guide, we will break down how this scam works, provide examples of the scam email, offer advice for victims, and equip you with knowledge to avoid falling for this fraud. Forewarned and forearmed against such cyber extortion ploys.
Overview of the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” Scam
The “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” scam exhibits many hallmarks of a classic sextortion con. The criminals rely on the exploitation of human emotions like anxiety, panic, and the fear of public embarrassment.
By claiming to have deeply personal videos of the recipient, the scammers hope the target will be frightened into complying with their demands. However, these claims are false, designed to trick victims out of money.
Here is how the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” email scam looks:
Hi!
I’m a Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System a few months ago.
This means that I have full access to your account: At the time of hacking your account(xxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.com) had this password:
You can say: this is my, but old password! Or: I can change my password at any time!
Of course! You will be right, but the fact is that when you change the password, my malicious code every time saved a new one!
I’ve been watching you for a few months now. But the fact is that you were infected with malware through an adult site that you visited.
If you are not familiar with this, I will explain. Trojan Virus gives me full access and control over a computer or other device. This means that I can see everything on your screen, turn on the camera and microphone, but you do not know about it.
I also have access to all your contacts and all your correspondence from e-mail and messangers.
Why your antivirus did not detect my malware? Answer: My malware uses the driver, I update its signatures every 4 hours so that your antivirus is silent.
I made a video showing how you masturbate in the left half of the screen, and in the right half you see the video that you watched. With one click of the mouse, I can send this video to all your emails and contacts on social networks. I can also post access to all your e-mail correspondence and messengers that you use.
If you want to prevent this, transfer the amount of $950 to my bitcoin address (if you do not know how to do this, write to Google: “Buy Bitcoin”).
My bitcoin address (BTC Wallet) is: 1AJ4syJxPPP7hYhURPiQUQMY4LurJgYvY8
After receiving the payment, I will delete the video and you will never hear me again. I give you 48 hours to pay. I have a notice reading this letter, and the timer will work when you see this letter.
Filing a complaint somewhere does not make sense because this email cannot be tracked like my bitcoin address. I do not make any mistakes.
If I find that you have shared this message with someone else, the video will be immediately distributed. Bye!
Some key things to know about this scam include:
Targets everyday internet users – These scam emails blast out randomly to ensnare as many victims as possible. Anyone with an email could potentially fall prey.
Exploits fear and shame – The email tries to scare recipients into paying the ransom by threatening to share humiliating videos that do not actually exist.
Demands untraceable payment – The scammers insist on payment by bitcoin, which allows them to remain anonymous and withdraw money instantly.
Makes bogus hacking claims – The message falsely claims the recipient’s device was compromised and infected with malware, which is fabricated.
Threatens distribution of footage – If the ransom isn’t paid, the criminals threaten to send imaginary embarrassing videos to the target’s email and social media contacts.
Tries to avoid tracking – By claiming email responses won’t be read, the scammers try to prevent email tracing tools from uncovering their location.
Pressures urgency – The 48 hour timeframe adds urgency to pay the ransom before the non-existent videos get leaked. This gets victims to act rashly out of fear.
Preys on the vulnerable – Elderly individuals, as well as those with mental health issues, are often prime targets for these exploitative extortion scams.
Next, let’s examine exactly how this devious scam works from start to finish.
How the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” Scam Works
The “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” extortion scam operates in several stages:
1. Criminals Obtain Email Addresses
The first step is for the scammers to acquire large caches of potential victims’ email addresses. These are gathered through various underhanded means, like:
Hacking websites and databases to steal email lists
Scraping public internet forums and social media sites for emails
Purchasing email lists from shady dark web brokers
Using bots to harvest emails from across the web
2. Fraudulent Email Template Created
The criminals then design an email template containing their fake hacking claims and extortion demand. The message is crafted to sound credible, citing technical jargon about malware installation and supposed full system access.
3. Scam Emails Blasted Out
Using the stolen email lists from step one, the scammers send their fraudulent emails en masse to millions of potential victims. The more emails blasted out, the more potential targets they ensnare.
4. Recipients Open and Read Email
As the scam messages land in inboxes around the world, some recipients inevitably open and read them. If the target exhibits any gullibility or computer inexperience, they may fall for the scam that was crafted just for them.
5. Ransom Demands Made
The email contains ransom payment instructions, demanding $950 in bitcoin to the scammer’s provided wallet address. Threats of leaking embarrassing videos are made if the ransom isn’t paid within 48 hours.
6. Some Victims Send Payment
If the scam works, the emotionally-manipulated recipient overlooks the email’s dubious claims and sends the ransom payment in bitcoin per the demands. This is the scammer’s desired outcome.
7. Criminals Disappear with the Money
Upon receiving payment in their anonymous bitcoin wallet, the scammers simply cut off all contact with the victim. Since bitcoin transactions are irreversible, victims have no way to recover their funds from these criminals.
8. Scammers Repeat the Process
With a fresh financial windfall in hand, the hackers repeat the process and blast out more scam emails to different potential victims. Rinse and repeat, making easy money off this exploitation.
This anatomy illuminates how these scams leverage fear to manipulate targets into overlooking logic and hastily sending ransom payments. Next, let’s explore how to recover if you fell victim.
What to Do If You’ve Fallen Victim to This Scam
Finding out you paid a ransom to hackers impersonating you online is a nightmare scenario. If this happens to you, here are tips on responding:
Don’t pay any more money – Cut off all contact with the scammers and never send additional payments, no matter how threatening they seem.
Report the email – Forward the scam email to your email provider’s abuse team and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Notify contacts – If you paid the ransom, the criminals may still try to contact your friends and family asking for money while posing as you. Warn your contacts that it’s a scam.
Boost security – Change all account passwords, run antivirus scans, turn on two-factor authentication everywhere possible, and monitor closely for signs of misuse.
Watch for tax fraud – Be on high alert for tax refund fraud, as scammers may have obtained key personal details enabling them to file taxes in your name.
Seek legal counsel – Speak with a lawyer regarding filing a report with the authorities. They may be able to trace the bitcoin wallet payments to identify the criminal.
Get emotional support – Being extorted online can take a serious mental toll. Seek counseling or join a support group to help process feelings of violation. You are not alone.
Learn from the mistake – As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. Use this as a lesson to be more vigilant against online scams going forward.
With proper reporting and enhanced security, you can limit the damage caused by these scammers. Don’t let shame prevent you from seeking help – there are resources available.
Is Your Device Infected? Scan for Malware
If your computer or phone is slow, showing unwanted pop-ups, or acting strangely, malware could be the cause. Running a scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free is one of the most reliable ways to detect and remove harmful software. The free version can identify and clean common infections such as adware, browser hijackers, trojans, and other unwanted programs.
Malwarebytes works on Windows, Mac, and Android devices. Choose your operating system below and follow the steps to scan your device and remove any malware that might be slowing it down.
Malwarebytes for WindowsMalwarebytes for MacMalwarebytes for Android
Run a Malware Scan with Malwarebytes for Windows
Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.
Download Malwarebytes
Download the latest version of Malwarebytes for Windows using the official link below. Malwarebytes will scan your computer and remove adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious software for free.
(The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)
Install Malwarebytes
After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.
You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.
Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.
When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.
On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.
Enable “Rootkit scanning”.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.
In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.
Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.
Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.
To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Quarantine detected malware
Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.
Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.
Restart your computer.
When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.
Once the scan completes, remove all detected threats. Your Windows computer should now be clean and running smoothly again, free of trojans, adware, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Malwarebytes for Mac is an on-demand scanner that can destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss without costing you absolutely anything. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free, and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Download Malwarebytes for Mac.
You can download Malwarebytes for Mac by clicking the link below.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the setup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes for Mac Installer which will guide you through the installation process. Click “Continue“, then keep following the prompts to continue with the installation process.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.
Select “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer”.
The Malwarebytes Welcome screen will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
Click on “Scan”.
To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes for Mac will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware, browser hijackers, and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malware that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
After scanning, delete any detected threats. Your Mac should now be free from adware, unwanted extensions, and other potentially harmful software.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious program on your computer, you might want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove a malicious program from your computer, please ask for help in our Mac Malware Removal Help & Support forum.
Run a Malware Scan with Malwarebytes for Android
Malwarebytes for Android automatically detects and removes dangerous threats like malware and ransomware so you don’t have to worry about your most-used device being compromised. Aggressive detection of adware and potentially unwanted programs keeps your Android phone or tablet running smooth.
Download Malwarebytes for Android.
You can download Malwarebytes for Android by clicking the link below.
In the Google Play Store, tap “Install” to install Malwarebytes for Android on your device.
When the installation process has finished, tap “Open” to begin using Malwarebytes for Android. You can also open Malwarebytes by tapping on its icon in your phone menu or home screen.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process
When Malwarebytes will open, you will see the Malwarebytes Setup Wizard which will guide you through a series of permissions and other setup options. This is the first of two screens that explain the difference between the Premium and Free versions. Swipe this screen to continue. Tap on “Got it” to proceed to the next step. Malwarebytes for Android will now ask for a set of permissions that are required to scan your device and protect it from malware. Tap on “Give permission” to continue. Tap on “Allow” to permit Malwarebytes to access the files on your phone.
Update database and run a scan with Malwarebytes for Android
You will now be prompted to update the Malwarebytes database and run a full system scan.
Click on “Update database” to update the Malwarebytes for Android definitions to the latest version, then click on “Run full scan” to perform a system scan.
Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.
Malwarebytes will now start scanning your phone for adware and other malicious apps. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Remove Selected”.
When the scan has been completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes for Android has detected. To remove the malicious apps that Malwarebytes has found, tap on the “Remove Selected” button.
Restart your phone.
Malwarebytes for Android will now remove all the malicious apps that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your device.
When the scan is finished, remove all detected threats. Your Android phone should now be free of malicious apps, adware, and unwanted browser redirects.
If your current antivirus allowed a malicious app on your phone, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your phone after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Restore your phone to factory settings by going to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset.
After cleaning your device, it’s important to protect it from future infections and annoying pop-ups. We recommend installing an ad blocker such as AdGuard. AdGuard blocks malicious ads, prevents phishing attempts, and stops dangerous redirects, helping you stay safe while browsing online.
Frequently Asked Questions About the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” Scam
1. How does the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” scam work?
This scam begins with an email claiming the recipient’s operating system was hacked months ago. It threatens to send embarrassing videos to contacts unless a $950 bitcoin ransom is paid within 48 hours. This is completely fabricated to trick victims.
2. What are some key details in the scam email?
Claims full access to accounts and screens
Says it infected device with undetectable malware
Threatens to leak adult videos spliced with personal data
Demands untraceable $950 bitcoin payment to provided wallet
Warns contacting others or seeking help is useless
3. What are some tactics used in the scam email?
Exploits fear, panic, and embarrassment
Cites old passwords to appear credible
Pressures urgency to pay quickly before videos get sent
Makes targets feel powerless to stop the threats
Attempts to avoid email tracking to hide scammers’ location
4. What type of personal information is compromised?
No personal data is actually compromised. The hackers’ claims of videos and account access are completely fabricated to extort money. They do not have any sensitive information.
5. Does paying the ransom help?
No, paying only enables the scammers and funds their criminal operations. There are no videos to delete, so paying provides no benefit. The scammers typically disappear after receiving payment.
6. What happens if I don’t pay the ransom?
Nothing happens if the ransom is not paid, as the scammers have no compromising footage to distribute and no actual access. They are merely using empty threats in hopes of tricking victims into paying. Not paying is the recommended action.
7. Should I report the scam email?
Yes, report the scam email to your email provider’s abuse team and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. This helps authorities track and shut down these fraudsters. Also warn your contacts in case they receive similar video threats.
8. How can I recover if I already paid the ransom?
If you paid, immediately contact your bank and police. Monitor accounts closely for misuse. Enable two-factor authentication everywhere and change passwords. Seek counseling for stress. But the likelihood of recovering lost funds is unfortunately very low.
9. How can I boost security after receiving the scam email?
Scan devices for malware, change passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, monitor accounts closely, and be extra vigilant for any further contact attempts by the scammers. Also watch out for other scams targeting the same email address.
10. How can I avoid becoming a victim of this scam?
Be skeptical of threat emails demanding untraceable payments. Look for signs like threats, limited timeframes, and claims of total access as red flags. Stay calm and think critically before taking any action. When in doubt, seek help. Don’t let fear override your best judgement.
The Bottom Line
The emergence of the “Hacker Who Has Access To Your Operating System” scam makes it evident that users must stay skeptical in the face of threats demanding quick payments.
This guide has armed you with specific knowledge on how these scams leverage social engineering and fear against victims. But with greater awareness, we can work together to combat these frauds.
Remember, alleged hackers contacting you demanding untraceable payment in bitcoin are almost certainly running a scam. Never act solely based on emotions like fear or panic. Stop and think critically before taking any action.
The supposed embarrassing videos, access to accounts, and contact threats are all bluffing tactics to coerce ransom payment. But armed with the information in this article, potential victims can stop these criminal extortion schemes in their tracks.
Stelian leverages over a decade of cybersecurity expertise to lead malware analysis and removal, uncover scams, and educate people. His experience provides insightful analysis and valuable perspective.
