Unfortunately, There Are Some Bad News For You Email Scam

“Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” scam email threatens to expose video

“Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” is a fake sextortion email scam campaign. The scammer falsely claims to have obtained access to user’s devices, hacked email accounts, installed Trojans, downloaded files from user’s computer, and also recorded a sexually explicit video of the computer user. The email sender asks to pay a ransom, and threatens to share the video with recipient’s friends, colleagues and relatives, or even release it to public, if the scammer’s demands’ are not met.

If you have received this email, you should know that it is a complete scam and the email sender has no video of you. This email is being distributed to thousands of potential targets online and is intended to scare the computer user. Therefore, you should not worry that some compromising video of you exists, because the statements provided by the scammer are nothing else than lies.

Overview of the scam email message

The “Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you” email usually has a subject line that says “You have an outstanding payment,” although it varies depending on the case. The scammer then greets the target victim and suggests there are some bad news. The crook then proceeds to provide false statements about victim’s devices he/she hacked and browsing history accessed.

The lies continue further, as the cybercriminal provides alleged sequence of past events. According to the scam email, the sender has previously bought access to numerous email accounts and logged into the recipient’s email account. Furthermore, one has allegedly managed to install Trojan horse to the computer. This is backed up by a sentence that claims the user has been clicking links provided in inbox emails. Next, the scammer claims to have accessed the computer user’s camera, microphone and keyboard, as well as download various personal data, including contacts, emails, social networks, chat history, and more.

Finally, the email sender states that one has managed to find out that the user is a “huge fan of websites for adults.” Next, the scammer claims to have recorded and montaged several intimate videos of the computer user, and threatens to publish them, unless the user pays a ransom. The scammer demands paying $1750 via cryptocurrency. The note instructs to purchase Bitcoin worth the same amount and then transfer it to one of provided Bitcoin wallet addresses. The email also recommends doing so within 48 hours after reading the email.

Finally, the scam email includes a list of actions that user should not attempt taking, and list of things one should not be concerned about.

People who have received email threatening to expose video should know that it is a sextortion email scam. Its claims should be ignored. Do not try to reply to the email, or, even worse, send money to the scammer. Whoever is behind this email is simply trying to cause fear for you by claiming to have private recordings of you and control your device. Do not be afraid to use your devices and simply delete the email.

IMPORTANT. It is important not to click on attachments or links provided by the scammer, even if one claims to provide proof of collected material. Scammers often try to infect user’s computer with malware after causing frustration and sense of urgency for the recipient.

If you suspect that you may have installed some untrustworthy programs or malware lately, simply scan your device with a trustworthy antivirus. Our team recommends using INTEGO Antivirus for this task.

Threat Summary

Name	Unfortunately, There Are Some Bad News For You Email Scam
Type	Email Scam, Phishing, Sextortion Scam
Email subject line	You have an outstanding payment
Deceptive statement	The scammer falsely claims to have hacked into the recipient’s email account and installed Trojans on all devices, plus recorded intimate recordings of user during visits to porn websites. The email threatens to publish these videos unless a ransom demand is paid.
Ransom amount	$1750 in Bitcoin
Criminals’ Bitcoin wallet addresses	17Ga9z9f3HFBafsmMq76NVsVX5r1CzxhaP, 1CW1kBHJsuS9zRj5qvpoAgEwDJQA3bUVPW, 1JSrCb8fwX15475Jztt3yA7JWHXzzxTX9h, 1B4h63LjY8ZZBLuk1r5s6HkeVRV5W6uRE2, 17kmbhxxMsrFhmQNim1jbjD6AeBUQ2SbYp, 1HQWaFbMUvQqeRQsWzyX4HsAvzvhVLqZxL, 1C2ek9b57xdVY9rPUaUnczxN5vGjVS8EhA, 1pSw6eh5GoWtBrETzPbM36DGxc6Tes5Mp, 1LrBGezKti4m2cov7CKuurLnCfQvjp2o1A, 1LV8rSHsXYQ9JWUM4LRAGywH8RA6DXH6A7, 1Mjt2xobFExdZBGfjTVDcgzJWQxRxoHBdA, 153tGcwGFcj33YXxtjvgnzCYW1FhcPo1CM, 1771s891APz1wNKdn5fe3Vknmf5pN18cWu, 1Bg62SYMjRfcSVaUM9VoAcr8Fy6bX2qQbN, 1GvxuP9puQCMNQvEKuwNrLeGwp9LWV4822, 1LzA9kzQkGDTYSfbbLE8gK5RAJ5ke32ntC, 12vuAcRSYDWuGHEVNVtQaEjBCBevps3ZcE, 1EeaB9n9RKCsxbzzmVNNPbcu9Lrq89Bm4Y, 1PQfyHsqnU1mpQHgbgNsbAxDLw5u2mgqgb, 1Aohp9uhpReFfZirTimqD1LUYtZ2gpvBtP, 1kZ8v4CZ29izLdtacgkdsCkMU5P7uVqKJ, 19emozKjqs4dUv3JjsHSXtKPDcGYwW2e5X, 18QoRGdPTpu6wMVKjf8PA43ZXndAJfrHvM, 15kiZUAtEYRC3m5ZWo2DYkrCeGbj5fRhDN, 1EaTepwwBEDQhmHsjuwQtX5V3ZMnnTbnY8, 1P8zGx51BpyxEy5jBgr5ugoPXbSgyd7fpw, 1B5ic9iQpyafTEfWxHM4Xq6PkzbickrL8g, 13Hayv2eeuwHTcUNhZVeCJytdBQosoSwVq, 1FhTVkgUpVyWNRG8bJkgyJipEmoEtitZwd, 15KquhG7RGkyXvEVT1aXLgPt4qgBEVe8rN, 19PRxthVN1P9hsXcStqc2Kp8Yy4hXyXVau, 1MW4maqRuqi62YiRNMaBiHT65WJJMEAvQw, 1Dwi3dsfYEzbU3QDtjNC8DNfoaVNAcNRYC, 1BwDYXp1YCa2NLfGiF5Gfnkmgf61MqupHb, 17YJKh4TNBDrgFKfbjbQHCGEmZH8uvFoVp, 1B33LTohL4pWrZsjSpzLYjZ6WorWkwnoGE, 1K8g3n8Z9t265pMYuhpKc8jfmPS6cY7Qcr, 18wgLNrXoSqtCDSiTuAgQs9gfojHeecSnN, 1M4bujoHX8TVpWw65zxNHKeDTHZXouZcpR, 1GvZB6bVDrt6ynaR9YEUSE1H2K8DzPLtmq, 1YcRyyF4obSGLyh1QJ9jyxv67ksYmM2oc, 1Dgd4jfNiGPoRrRPNgwgw2vcr6TgNGJ2FB, 13jKLyAFhjVRiWyg1TTPVjweFBAyUyBiy8, 114vHR5SDqqX7DAtYcFe7hmCZD4Jsad3jH, 12gHyoR78pjHpfueWUYyMudnwNMc6NGEPY, 1KXiY1reDCotVXpYdar6zoNknqGAsi1WeG
Potential damage	The scammers might trick people into sending money to them over false claims. They might also request remote desktop connection to drop malware on your computer. Additionally, such emails may include links or attachments leading to a malicious file.
Distribution	Email spam campaigns
Removal	If you suspect that scammers dropped malware on your computer via remote desktop connection, remove it from your PC using trustworthy software. To repair virus damage on Windows OS files, consider scanning with RESTORO (secure download link).

How to tell if sextortion email is real?

“You have an outstanding payment” blackmail email that claims to deliver some bad news is similar to many other sextortion emails. The first thing you need to remember after receiving a similar message is to not panic. The absolute majority of such extortion emails turn out to be scam. There is no reason to believe the scammer’s claims about some video, even if they seem ominous.

Think about it this way – why is the email sender blaming you without showing any proof? The answer is because they do not have anything on you. Even if they attach some files, or URLs, clicking on them would be a bad idea because that’s a common way of infecting target’s device with malware.

Next, do not think about responding to the email. Doing so will only result in more threats as the scammer will try to convince you to pay the ransom.

Sometimes, these scammers will include a real password of yours in the email subject line. The reason behind this is that cybercriminals can buy leaked passwords and other data from dark web and use that information as an extra detail to scare you. Often times, these are old passwords that you no longer use, or have changed a while ago. If you’re concerned, you can change the mentioned password wherever it is still used, and consider using strong passwords for all of your accounts.

Another question that concerns recipients of this email threatening to expose video is that sometimes it appears to be sent from the user’s own email account. If you’ve noticed this, you should know that email addresses can be spoofed. There are hundreds of websites that allow doing this, and it is a common technique used by cybercriminals to conceal their suspicious-looking email address.

In addition, you can scan your computer with an up-to-date antivirus to detect malware, and remove it, if any is found. However, remember that cybercriminals are only pouring false claims to make you feel ashamed and scared enough to send them money.

Remove the scam email and check your computer for malware

If you have received the Unfortunately, there are some bad news for you scam email, just delete it. If you’re concerned about your privacy, you can check your passwords and update them with stronger versions, or set up additional protection by enabling two-factor authentication for your accounts.

Additionally, you can scan your computer with antivirus software to see if any threats are installed. It is highly recommended to do so, if you have clicked on some suspicious URLs or email attachments lately.

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