Scam victim discovers ‘horrifying’ secret after checking her account security

Disclaimer: Names with an asterisk(*) beside them have been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.

Cybersecurity breaches are no laughing matter. How many of us never think to check our account security until it's too late? Even when we do, what we may find can be unsettling.

Genevieve* knew this all too well after she received a bone-chilling email that prompted her to delve deeper into her internet safety.

Her story is a stark reminder of the potentially distressing consequences of falling victim to a data leak.


Genevieve* had uncovered by digging through her Gmail that her first data leak happened in 2017, involving a website she used to read restaurant reviews and view menus.

The email tied to her account and the password was leaked onto private forums, not once, but twice, in 2019.


nathana-reboucas-O5v8heKY4cI-unsplash.jpg
Genevieve* discovered through Google that her information first leaked in 2017. Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash


Her phone number was also leaked on the internet in 2021.

‘I remember getting notified about it and changing my passwords in a hurry,’ Genevieve* told a news outlet. ‘But nothing really happened.’


She could always tell when her personal information was shared because a surge of scam calls typically followed it: 'I can tell it’s been posted somewhere when I get a bunch of new scam calls.'

One particularly daunting email jolted her to action. The subject line has her full name and past password on it. Inside, the email claimed her phone, email and even her camera were hacked, and it had pictures and videos of her in compromising positions.


Screenshot 2023-08-21 130608.png
Genevieve* received an email that contained her private information. Credit: Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk/Unsplash

For a moment, Genevieve* was caught in a whirlwind of overwhelming terror and bewilderment.

'I just started sobbing. I didn’t know what to do.'


Fortunately, she quickly spotted a glaring inconsistency. The password mentioned had long been retired; it wasn’t connected to her existing accounts.

While this was a massive relief, it did nothing to lessen the fear that underscored the incident.

Moving on from the distressing email, she decided to scrutinise her account, enabling her to uncover the shocking scale and extent of attempts to invade her privacy.

Every day, her account saw at least twelve different intrusion attempts.

'It was pretty horrifying,' she admitted. 'It was just so many people, every single day, trying to get in.'

Despite the many attempts, the intruders couldn’t gain access to her account due to her retired password.


This frightening story is becoming very common, as Nigel Phair from the University of New South Wales’s (UNSW) Institute for Cyber Security warns. 'We’ve had three really big data breaches in the last six months,' he shared.

Genevieve’s* data leak might have been from shopping and lifestyle digital platforms.

Phair advises voluntarily sharing as minimal data as possible, keeping the safety fixtures like multifactor authentication employed wherever possible.

When asked about dealing with scam emails, Phair provides simple, direct advice. 'Ignore them, delete them, don’t engage.'


Needless to say, Genevieve* didn’t engage in the terrifying email. She knows that these cybercriminals feed on panic and fear.

Phair said she was right not to engage as its threat wasn’t real and that she did the right thing by deleting it.

‘That’s just criminals scaring her,’ he said. ‘They have a well-established playbook.’

Genevieve* has since implemented robust security measures for all her accounts, using two-factor authentication and deploying an authenticator app, which undeniably is a smart step forward to safeguard her digital footprint.

More than securing your accounts, staying informed is vital to avoid being a victim of such scams. You can read posts at our Scam Watch forum to learn about scams. You may also post your experiences there to warn other members.

If you encounter any cyber scams, you may report them to ReportCyber, an initiative of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

You may also contact Services Australia's Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 or send a report to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission here.

To check if you have been a victim of a data leak, you may access Google’s Dark Web Report through your account or visit the Have I Been Pwned? website here.

Key Takeaways
  • Genevieve's* personal data was leaked years ago, leading to her receiving scam emails and calls until recently.
  • She received a disturbing email claiming to have hacked her accounts and recorded her prompting her to check her account security.
  • She found multiple failed attempts to access her account worldwide, confirming that although her out-of-date information was still being circulated, her accounts remained secure.
  • Nigel Phair from UNSW’s Institute for Cyber Security advises people to provide as little personal information as possible when using shopping and lifestyle apps and ensure they use multi-factor authentication.

Remember, your information is your power. Protect yourselves, your data and your peace of mind in this increasingly digitised world.

Have you had a similar experience or know someone who fell victim to a scam? Share them in the comments below!
 
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I had a similar thing happen several years ago, threatening to contact my family and friends and tell them all about my visits to pornographic sites etc. etc. they also had a couple of my passwords and wanted me to pay thousands of dollars to stop them releasing anything. I knew it was a scam as have never visited the sites they were implying. I showed it to our policeman neighbour who told me to take a copy of it, delete it, report it to scamwatch site, and change my passwords. I did all this and never heard another thing from them.
 
Gsr I received the same email, Name, Password, and a threat to expose to all of my contacts the enormous number of pornographic sites that I had visited and all of the compromising positions I had been photographed in! LoL (none here buddy) and to pay them in bitcoin if I wanted to avoid the headache! What will they think of next? I reported the Ransomware to Scamwatch and already had a different password, but it did give me a start for a moment or two. 👁
 
Yes I have had a few of these emails over the years. It is a scam and I just deleted and ignored them as I knew I had not been on the sites they said I had. Its not very nice and not really a laughing matter but I did get a little laugh out of what they said they had filmed me doing?????
 
Last edited:
Disclaimer: Names with an asterisk(*) beside them have been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.

Cybersecurity breaches are no laughing matter. How many of us never think to check our account security until it's too late? Even when we do, what we may find can be unsettling.

Genevieve* knew this all too well after she received a bone-chilling email that prompted her to delve deeper into her internet safety.

Her story is a stark reminder of the potentially distressing consequences of falling victim to a data leak.


Genevieve* had uncovered by digging through her Gmail that her first data leak happened in 2017, involving a website she used to read restaurant reviews and view menus.

The email tied to her account and the password was leaked onto private forums, not once, but twice, in 2019.


View attachment 27946
Genevieve* discovered through Google that her information first leaked in 2017. Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash


Her phone number was also leaked on the internet in 2021.

‘I remember getting notified about it and changing my passwords in a hurry,’ Genevieve* told a news outlet. ‘But nothing really happened.’


She could always tell when her personal information was shared because a surge of scam calls typically followed it: 'I can tell it’s been posted somewhere when I get a bunch of new scam calls.'

One particularly daunting email jolted her to action. The subject line has her full name and past password on it. Inside, the email claimed her phone, email and even her camera were hacked, and it had pictures and videos of her in compromising positions.


View attachment 27947
Genevieve* received an email that contained her private information. Credit: Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk/Unsplash

For a moment, Genevieve* was caught in a whirlwind of overwhelming terror and bewilderment.

'I just started sobbing. I didn’t know what to do.'


Fortunately, she quickly spotted a glaring inconsistency. The password mentioned had long been retired; it wasn’t connected to her existing accounts.

While this was a massive relief, it did nothing to lessen the fear that underscored the incident.

Moving on from the distressing email, she decided to scrutinise her account, enabling her to uncover the shocking scale and extent of attempts to invade her privacy.

Every day, her account saw at least twelve different intrusion attempts.

'It was pretty horrifying,' she admitted. 'It was just so many people, every single day, trying to get in.'

Despite the many attempts, the intruders couldn’t gain access to her account due to her retired password.


This frightening story is becoming very common, as Nigel Phair from the University of New South Wales’s (UNSW) Institute for Cyber Security warns. 'We’ve had three really big data breaches in the last six months,' he shared.

Genevieve’s* data leak might have been from shopping and lifestyle digital platforms.

Phair advises voluntarily sharing as minimal data as possible, keeping the safety fixtures like multifactor authentication employed wherever possible.

When asked about dealing with scam emails, Phair provides simple, direct advice. 'Ignore them, delete them, don’t engage.'


Needless to say, Genevieve* didn’t engage in the terrifying email. She knows that these cybercriminals feed on panic and fear.

Phair said she was right not to engage as its threat wasn’t real and that she did the right thing by deleting it.

‘That’s just criminals scaring her,’ he said. ‘They have a well-established playbook.’

Genevieve* has since implemented robust security measures for all her accounts, using two-factor authentication and deploying an authenticator app, which undeniably is a smart step forward to safeguard her digital footprint.

More than securing your accounts, staying informed is vital to avoid being a victim of such scams. You can read posts at our Scam Watch forum to learn about scams. You may also post your experiences there to warn other members.

If you encounter any cyber scams, you may report them to ReportCyber, an initiative of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

You may also contact Services Australia's Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 or send a report to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission here.

To check if you have been a victim of a data leak, you may access Google’s Dark Web Report through your account or visit the Have I Been Pwned? website here.

Key Takeaways

  • Genevieve's* personal data was leaked years ago, leading to her receiving scam emails and calls until recently.
  • She received a disturbing email claiming to have hacked her accounts and recorded her prompting her to check her account security.
  • She found multiple failed attempts to access her account worldwide, confirming that although her out-of-date information was still being circulated, her accounts remained secure.
  • Nigel Phair from UNSW’s Institute for Cyber Security advises people to provide as little personal information as possible when using shopping and lifestyle apps and ensure they use multi-factor authentication.

Remember, your information is your power. Protect yourselves, your data and your peace of mind in this increasingly digitised world.

Have you had a similar experience or know someone who fell victim to a scam? Share them in the comments below!
Hi

Are these messages legitimate?

Appreciate help.
 

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Hi

Are these messages legitimate?

Appreciate help.
Mmm, it looks legitimate, but that means nothing. If you want to be sure perhaps instal an anti virus app and run it to check. I have AVG free on my phone, but there are plenty of others - just check the Play Store
 
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Reactions: Bindii
Mmm, it looks legitimate, but that means nothing. If you want to be sure perhaps instal an anti virus app and run it to check. I have AVG free on my phone, but there are plenty of others - just check the Play Store
Thank you
 
I think every bodies information is available every where, when I get texts or emails I don't recognise I just delete them and I do get dozens of them a day so obviously my details are out there
 
Same thing happened to us recently. We contacted our internet provider, they said do nothing. We took a long hard look at when and how tis could of happened and the timing of the strange scammy stuff we had been getting and traced it back to the attack on Medibank. Makes you feel better when you have a starting point but to be told they havesexually explicate images of you and they will share you doing sexual acts to your family and friends, is very unnerving.
 
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Reactions: Gsr
Disclaimer: Names with an asterisk(*) beside them have been changed to protect the privacy of the individual.

Cybersecurity breaches are no laughing matter. How many of us never think to check our account security until it's too late? Even when we do, what we may find can be unsettling.

Genevieve* knew this all too well after she received a bone-chilling email that prompted her to delve deeper into her internet safety.

Her story is a stark reminder of the potentially distressing consequences of falling victim to a data leak.


Genevieve* had uncovered by digging through her Gmail that her first data leak happened in 2017, involving a website she used to read restaurant reviews and view menus.

The email tied to her account and the password was leaked onto private forums, not once, but twice, in 2019.


View attachment 27946
Genevieve* discovered through Google that her information first leaked in 2017. Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash


Her phone number was also leaked on the internet in 2021.

‘I remember getting notified about it and changing my passwords in a hurry,’ Genevieve* told a news outlet. ‘But nothing really happened.’


She could always tell when her personal information was shared because a surge of scam calls typically followed it: 'I can tell it’s been posted somewhere when I get a bunch of new scam calls.'

One particularly daunting email jolted her to action. The subject line has her full name and past password on it. Inside, the email claimed her phone, email and even her camera were hacked, and it had pictures and videos of her in compromising positions.


View attachment 27947
Genevieve* received an email that contained her private information. Credit: Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk/Unsplash

For a moment, Genevieve* was caught in a whirlwind of overwhelming terror and bewilderment.

'I just started sobbing. I didn’t know what to do.'


Fortunately, she quickly spotted a glaring inconsistency. The password mentioned had long been retired; it wasn’t connected to her existing accounts.

While this was a massive relief, it did nothing to lessen the fear that underscored the incident.

Moving on from the distressing email, she decided to scrutinise her account, enabling her to uncover the shocking scale and extent of attempts to invade her privacy.

Every day, her account saw at least twelve different intrusion attempts.

'It was pretty horrifying,' she admitted. 'It was just so many people, every single day, trying to get in.'

Despite the many attempts, the intruders couldn’t gain access to her account due to her retired password.


This frightening story is becoming very common, as Nigel Phair from the University of New South Wales’s (UNSW) Institute for Cyber Security warns. 'We’ve had three really big data breaches in the last six months,' he shared.

Genevieve’s* data leak might have been from shopping and lifestyle digital platforms.

Phair advises voluntarily sharing as minimal data as possible, keeping the safety fixtures like multifactor authentication employed wherever possible.

When asked about dealing with scam emails, Phair provides simple, direct advice. 'Ignore them, delete them, don’t engage.'


Needless to say, Genevieve* didn’t engage in the terrifying email. She knows that these cybercriminals feed on panic and fear.

Phair said she was right not to engage as its threat wasn’t real and that she did the right thing by deleting it.

‘That’s just criminals scaring her,’ he said. ‘They have a well-established playbook.’

Genevieve* has since implemented robust security measures for all her accounts, using two-factor authentication and deploying an authenticator app, which undeniably is a smart step forward to safeguard her digital footprint.

More than securing your accounts, staying informed is vital to avoid being a victim of such scams. You can read posts at our Scam Watch forum to learn about scams. You may also post your experiences there to warn other members.

If you encounter any cyber scams, you may report them to ReportCyber, an initiative of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).

You may also contact Services Australia's Scams and Identity Theft Helpdesk on 1800 941 126 or send a report to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission here.

To check if you have been a victim of a data leak, you may access Google’s Dark Web Report through your account or visit the Have I Been Pwned? website here.

Key Takeaways

  • Genevieve's* personal data was leaked years ago, leading to her receiving scam emails and calls until recently.
  • She received a disturbing email claiming to have hacked her accounts and recorded her prompting her to check her account security.
  • She found multiple failed attempts to access her account worldwide, confirming that although her out-of-date information was still being circulated, her accounts remained secure.
  • Nigel Phair from UNSW’s Institute for Cyber Security advises people to provide as little personal information as possible when using shopping and lifestyle apps and ensure they use multi-factor authentication.

Remember, your information is your power. Protect yourselves, your data and your peace of mind in this increasingly digitised world.

Have you had a similar experience or know someone who fell victim to a scam? Share them in the comments below!
Eek, i cant even understand a lot of this article or the links (I'm a sitting duck yes, but cant do much about it being so bloody dum when it comes to tech stuff like this)! :(
 
It's a bit concerning that one has to spend several hours a day searching websites for the latest in scams and how to avoid them if wanting to take it to the max. The basic rule is to not open anything suspicious which requires personal and banking details to be given unless you are sure that it is legitimate. Unfortunately, human inquisitiveness makes us want to open emails when we should not. Don't give in to inquisitiveness, it will hurt you.
 
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Reactions: Bellclare
This happened to a family member and she was horrified. She tried contacting her provider but they told her she did not own the email address. The scammer seems to have transferred her account. I told her to start a new one and then notify anyone who she wants to keep in contact with but I don't think she has. They had threatened to tell all her contacts what she was doing which was a lie anyway as I am one and have never been notified. The scammers are just hoping the scaremongering will the money they say must be paid to the Bitcoin account. She does not get any emails sent to her even the monthly charge but she can get webmail direct. It all seems strange to me
 
If it is not known to you or you are requested to download an app or click on a link do one thing DELETE.
 
I got an sms yesterday from supposedly my bank saying I was short of $77.00 on my minimum payment for the month and pay it straight away to avoid late fees. It didn’t say to put any of my personal info on but I have an automatic payment in place. I spent an hour or two trying to contact someone to speak to on my app and on the phone number I have and I got told no problem it was just a scam or hoax. Delete it after sending a copy to the address they gave me and then delete it. Exactly what I did. These things always worry me and I was shaking. They say a fool with his money is always parted. I am not a fool and I always think twice .
 

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