Removal guides

So, I know that you visit 18+ content Email SCAM

I know that you visit 18+ content emails try to extort the victim

Hi! So, I know that you visit 18+ content! is the starting line in currently active email scam campaign. If you received this email, it means that you are dealing with a scammer trying to convince you that your smartphone was infected and he/she was able to record you with your camera. According to the message, the cybercriminal demands paying 500$ ransom in Bitcoin, or the attacker will send the recorded content to your contacts. The first thing you should know is that this claim isn’t real, and you have nothing to worry about. Moreover, do not pay money for the scammer!

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.

Screenshot of the deceptive email.

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.

NameI know that you visit 18+ content Email Scam
TypeScam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Email Subjecti have you
Ransom demand500$ in Bitcoin; 0.012 BTC
Cryptowallet address1GfdASr4zrJbEdDBqPNC3W4yM7cUab3jd3
DistributionMass distribution of identical emails using potential target email address lists obtained in dark web forums or email scrapers
RemovalRemove the email from your inbox. You can also scan your PC with INTEGO to ensure there’s no malware left.

Remove spyware and malware using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.

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.

Some examples of scam emails claiming to have recoded the victim on device’s camera.

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.

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malware Removal Tutorial

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 Mac

  1. Click on Finder.
  2. Go to Applications folder.
  3. Look for suspicious applications you can't remember installing. Right-click them and select Move to Trash.
  4. After moving all suspicious apps to Trash, right-click the Trash bin in Mac's Dock and select Empty Trash.
To remove Mac threats automatically, we strongly recommend using robust and well-reviewed antivirus solution INTEGO.

Remove using INTEGO ANTIVIRUS for Mac (includes scanning for iOS devices). The one-of-a-kind security suite provides VirusBarrier X9 real-time protection against Mac and Windows-based malware, removes existing threats and scans for malware in popular e-mail clients. Includes NetBarrier X9, an intelligent firewall for home, work and public connections.

Remove malware from Google Chrome

Remove suspicious Chrome extensions

  1. Open Chrome and type chrome://extensions into address bar and press Enter.
  2. Here, look for suspicious extensions, and Remove them.
  3. Don't forget to confirm by pressing Remove in the confirmation pop-up.

Change Start Page settings

  1. In Chrome address bar, type chrome://settings and press Enter.
  2. Scroll down to the On startup section. Check for suspicious extensions controlling these settings, and Disable them.
  3. Additionally, you can set browser to Open a specific page or set of pages via these settings. Simply choose this option, click Add a new page, enter your preferred URL (f.e. www.google.com) and press Add.

Change default search settings

  1. In Chrome URL bar, type chrome://settings/searchEngines and press Enter. Make sure you type searchEngines, not searchengines. Additionally, you can go to chrome://settings and find Manage search engines option.
  2. First, look at the list of search engines and find the one you want to set as default. Click the three dots next to it and select Make Default.
  3. Finally, look through the list and eliminate suspicious entries. Right-click the three dots and select Remove from the list.

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:

  1. In Google Chrome, press on Menu (upward arrow) in the top-right corner of the window.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Go to Privacy and Security > Site Settings.
  4. Open Notifications.
  5. Here, go to the Allow list and identify suspicious URLs. You can either Block or Remove by pressing on the three vertical dots on the right side of the URL. However, we suggest the Block option, so the site won't ask you to enable the notifications if you ever visit it again.

Reset Google Chrome browser

  1. The final option is to reset Google Chrome. Type chrome://settings in the URL bar, press Enter and then scroll down until you see Advanced option. Click it and scroll to the bottom of the settings.
  2. Click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  3. Click Restore settings to confirm.

Remove malware from Mozilla Firefox

Remove unwanted add-ons from Firefox

  1. Open Firefox and type about:addons in the URL bar. Press Enter.
  2. Now, click on Extensions (in the left section).
  3. Click Remove next to every suspicious browser add-on that you can't remember installing.

Change Firefox Homepage

  1. In Firefox address bar, type about:preferences and hit Enter.
  2. Look at the left and click the Home tab.
  3. Here, delete the suspicious URL and type or paste in the URL of a website you'd like to set as your homepage.

Alter preferences in Firefox

  1. Type about:config in Firefox address bar and hit Enter.
  2. Click I accept the risk! to continue.
  3. Here, type in the URL which has taken over your browser without your knowledge. Right-click each value that includes it and choose Reset.

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:

  1. In Mozilla Firefox, click on Menu (the three horizontal bars) on the top-right corner of the window, then choose Options.
  2. Click on Privacy and Security, then scroll down to Permissions section.
  3. Here, find Notifications and click Settings button next to it.
  4. Identify all unknown URLs and choose to Block them. Click Save Changes afterward.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

  1. In Firefox, type about:support in the address bar and press Enter.
  2. Click on Refresh Firefox...
  3. Click Refresh Firefox again to confirm.

Remove malware from Microsoft Edge

Remove suspicious extensions:

  1. Open MS Edge browser and click on the three dots button in the top right corner, then click on Extensions.
  2. Look through the list of installed extensions and find the ones you can't remember installing or simply suspicious-looking ones. Right-click on them and choose Uninstall. Then confirm by pressing Uninstall again.

Change MS Edge Start Page and default search engine:

  1. Click on the three dots again and go to Settings. First, make sure that you choose to Open Microsoft Edge with A specific page or pages option. Then click the X next to suspicious URLs and type in the one you want to set as your homepage. Click the Save icon to confirm.
  2. Click on the three dots > Settings. Scroll down and click on Show Advanced Settings. Then scroll down until you find Change search engine button. Click it. Here, select the search engine you prefer using and click Set as default.
    Additionally, we recommend selecting and Removing suspicious search engines.

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:

  1. In Microsoft Edge, open Menu (three horizontal dots) in the top-right corner of the screen and click Settings;
  2. Click on Advanced settings.
  3. Scroll down to the Website permissions section. Here, click Manage permissions.
  4. Find Notifications and Remove all suspicious websites.

Clear browsing data

  1. Click on the three dots in the top right corner again and click on Settings. Find Clear browsing data section and click Choose what to clear button.
  2. In the next window, select all options and click Clear.

Remove malware from Safari

Uninstall suspicious Safari extensions

  1. Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top left corner. Select Preferences in the menu that appears on the screen.
  2. Now, go to Extensions tab. Look at the left to see all installed extensions, click on suspicious ones and hit that Uninstall button as shown in the picture. Confirm your choice by clicking Uninstall again. Repeat until you get rid of all unwanted extensions.

Change Safari Homepage and default search engine

  1. In Preferences, open the General tab. Here, check what URL is set as your homepage. Delete it and type in whatever URL you want to set as your Safari Start Page.
  2. Next, go to the Search tab. Here, choose what Search engine you want to set as default.
  3. Next, click on Manage websites... then Remove all... and then Done.

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:

  1. Open Safari and click on Safari button in the top-left corner of the screen to select Preferences;
  2. Go to Websites tab and navigate to Notifications on the left side toolbar.

Reset Safari

  1. Click on Safari > Clear History...
  2. Then choose to clear All history and hit Clear History button to confirm.
  3. Go to Safari > Preferences and then open Privacy tab.
  4. Click Manage Website Data... then Remove All. To finish, click Done.
  5. Finally, clear Safari cache. In Safari Menu, click Develop > Clear Cache.
Chrome Firefox MS Edge Safari Internet Explorer

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

  1. Now, go back to Toolbars and Extensions.
  2. Below Show:, select All add-ons.
  3. Right-click suspicious extensions and choose Disable, or, if available - Remove.
  4. If any pop-up appears, confirm your choice.
    Tip: If you can't find any suspicious extensions, most likely you have uninstalled them via Programs and Features already. This mostly applies to IE browser.

Change default search provider and remove suspicious ones

  1. Open Internet Explorer and click on the gear icon in the top right of the window.
  2. Then select Manage Add-ons.
  3. Here, click on Search Providers tab.
  4. Here, we recommend setting Bing, Google or another trusted and well-known search provider as default. To do it, right-click the provider and choose Set as default.
  5. Now you can right-click suspicious search providers and choose Remove.

Change IE Home Page

  1. In Internet Explorer, click the gear icon in the top left corner.
  2. Choose Internet Options.
  3. Change Home Page URL to whatever page you want to use as your homepage.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. Click OK.

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:

  1. In Internet Explorer, click on the Menu (the gear button) on the top-right corner of the window, then select Internet Options.
  2. Go to the Privacy tab;
  3. Look for Pop-up Blocker section and select Settings;
  4. Scroll through all URLs and you can Remove them one by one or all at the same time. Click Close.

Reset Internet Explorer

  1. Click the gear icon in IE menu > Internet Options. Now click on Advanced tab.
  2. Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click Reset...
  3. Click on the checkbox next to Delete personal settings.
  4. Click Reset.
  5. To finish, click Close.

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.

Disclaimer. This site includes affiliate links. We may earn a small commission by recommending certain products, at no additional cost for you. We only choose quality software and services to recommend.

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