After my dad passed in November, I just hadn't had it in me to blog this year... Up until a few days ago when I opened an email that just ticked me off, and is so ludicrous I had to stop my DIY project to write this blog!
One of my Nutcracker Publishing email addresses received the following extortion email from someone threatening to send my contacts a video showing me watching porn.
To amelia@nutcrackerpublishing.com amelia@nutcrackerpublishing.com
I am well aware nutpubco is your pass words. Lets get directly to the purpose. No one has compensated me to check you. You do not know me and you're most likely wondering why you're getting this e-mail?
in fact, i placed a software on the 18+ video clips (pornographic material) web-site and there's more, you visited this web site to experience fun (you know what i mean). When you were viewing videos, your web browser began working as a Remote control Desktop that has a key logger which gave me accessibility to your display as well as webcam. after that, my software collected your complete contacts from your Messenger, social networks, and email . and then i created a video. 1st part shows the video you were watching (you have a good taste hehe), and next part shows the view of your cam, and it is u.
You get two different choices. Lets explore each of these choices in aspects:
Very first choice is to skip this email message. as a result, i most certainly will send out your actual recorded material to just about all of your contacts and then just consider about the embarrassment you will get. or in case you are in a romantic relationship, how it would affect?
other option would be to pay me USD 928. We will describe it as a donation. in this instance, i will promptly delete your video. You can carry on with your daily life like this never took place and you will not hear back again from me.
You will make the payment via Bitcoin (if you don't know this, search 'how to buy bitcoin' in Google search engine).
BTC address to send to:
16uTj2LHybRCHXxss3W59Qe747LYgLH959
Nutpubco is not one of my passwords, but an acronym for Nutcracker Publishing Company. Those of us who have been around since the infancy of the internet will recall that names could not be spelled out the way they are today.
My extortionist gave me two choices: send them a $928 donation via Bitcoin or risk embarrassment. I had to rack my brain wondering, 'Why didn't he just round it off to a thousand!?'
After exploring my two choices I opted NOT to send a donation, but instead forwarded it to phishing-report@us-cert.gov. Then I forwarded it to my son, Jordan, who always advises me on IT issues such as this one; he's still laughing.
I considered what my family, friends, and business contacts might think if they were sent a video from/of me watching porn, and told Jordan that at my age it could only enhance my reputation. Friends who know me well will find this funny, and the rest of you may find it disappointing to discover it's a hoax (admit it—some of you were hoping I had been caught in the act).
As for my business contacts, there's a saying in the book industry: Any publicity is good publicity.
Perhaps the funniest thing in the entire extortion email is the implied threat of how it could affect my romantic relationship. After 30 years of marriage, I'm pretty sure embarrassment is not how it would affect my husband.
All kidding aside, it would not look good for a children's book writer to be seen watching a porn video.
Hey there big bunny, how about we generate some heat? Nuclear is hot! And so is Tickles Tabitha's Porn-tankerous Mommy!
Nuclear is Hot! |
Porn-tankerous Mommy? |
It wouldn't be difficult to find a video interview of me that could be used to create an incriminating fake video. Judging by what I see going across my social media pages nothing is more believable than a lie (fake news) that makes people feel better about their own transgressions.
However, I doubt the guy who sent this email knows much about me other than my email addresses. He's playing the odds and the odds are good that some of his targets will pay him in bitcoin.
The nut at Nutcracker Publishing will not be one of them.
Certainly none of my dear FB friends would ever want to believe they could watch a video of me watching porn!? (Read with a drawl.) Cause that's Southern women-speak for, let me know how y'all infidels like the video!