E-Mail Password Threat

Also use a password manager.
If they manage to get a key logger onto your computer, all they get is a copy/paste command. They will still be able to see what you write but not where it goes.

Admin

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

One of any of many data breaches through the years. Side affect of using the same password and email on multiple sites.

Check out the website "Have I been pwned" ... Over half a billion cracked accounts.

It's just a scam to get you to send money. I keep getthig them saying that they've been watching me on my camera doing all sorts of nasty stuff. Of course the fact that I put a piece of masking tape over the camera and microphone right after I pulled it out of the box and before I ever turned it on, sort of gives them away. I keep adding them to the junk folder and they keep changing the message perameters so I see the next one. Right now my junk filter dumps 75 to 100 pieces of garbage a day. Eventually they'll get tired of it and I never see the trash anyway so no pain.

turbojimmy wrote:

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

From any of the dozens of corporate breaches. Most recently Facebook, USPS and Starwood (Hilton).

Change passwords frequently and scan for ransomware. I have mixed emotions about storing data in "the cloud" but it's probably a good idea to at least backup the important stuff out there (Google Drive and iCloud come to mind). If your machine gets locked down with ransomware you can recover it.

How timely. I just received an email from Quora that they were hacked. I don't even remember setting up an account but do read their stuff occasionally. Below is an excerpt from the email:

What information was involved
The following information of yours may have been compromised:
• Account and user information, e.g. name, email, IP, user ID, encrypted password, user account settings, personalization data
• Public actions and content including drafts, e.g. questions, answers, comments, blog posts, upvotes
• Data imported from linked networks when authorized by you, e.g. contacts, demographic information, interests, access tokens (now invalidated)

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

From any of the dozens of corporate breaches. Most recently Facebook, USPS and Starwood (Hilton).

Change passwords frequently and scan for ransomware. I have mixed emotions about storing data in "the cloud" but it's probably a good idea to at least backup the important stuff out there (Google Drive and iCloud come to mind). If your machine gets locked down with ransomware you can recover it.

Expect more of them. You are now on somebody’s list. I don’t even download them, just delete on the server.

Got my first one the other day. They had my old password and when telling me what they saw on my webcam, I knew it was bs cause I don't have a webcam. Don't have any of "those" pictures on computer either.
Ignore it and label it spam.

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

They bought it. Good news is the passwords are generally old, and they aren't trying to actually use them or anything. Just a scare tactic.

fwiw, longer and more complex passwords don't do you any good when some big company gets hacked and they steal all your info.

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

That's what I was going to ask. Showing a password would concern me.

Pirate wrote:
How would they know one of his passwords?

Probably got caught by a phishing scam.