this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

how do they know your house tho thats what am wondering

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you are a homeowner, property transaction records are public information in the US. Plenty of data brokers collate from the numerous city/county databases for those who only know your name.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)

They likely buy leaked data that would include things like your full name and email, perhaps an address. Even if an address isn't there, legal data brokers often have your address for a small payment anyways. From there they likely use something like Google Street view.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I worked for an ISP that uses Openreach's infrastructure in the UK. In order to make changes to customer installations or repairs we had to call an Openreach Contact Centre. These were basically big call centres in India. Many of my customers got contacted by scammers from India shortly after me contacting Openreach about their accounts using information like their address, contact details and information about the work they were receiving, and demanding things like card details to ensure the work went forward.

It was obvious Indian workers in those call centres were taking pictures of customer account details and using that info to scam those customers, but my company refused to do anything about it because we "lacked evidence" and just told us to let customers know any communication about their accounts would come directly from us and we'd never ask for any card details etc.

I'm certain any other companies, whether UK or US, that use centralised admin from India and similar places with poor security will be plagued with these exact same issues.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

It's really not a hard screening algorithm: do I know this person, or have I done business with this company? OK, does the URL check out? Then I'll respond to that person's email or go log into that company's website, not using a link from the message I received. Otherwise, it's spam.

Also, there are no pictures of my dick online, or of me having sex. Anyone claiming otherwise doesn't know me. Nice and easy.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (2 children)

For me this would not work. I have my own domain and give out like [email protected] So if the email is sent to that I wound just know who leaked my email adress. Change email and ban everything to to the old adress. I never get spam this way.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you send all outgoing email from individualized addresses too?

I do the same as you ([email protected]), but all my outgoing emails come from ([email protected]), it worked great for about 5 years until people with me in their address book started getting hacked.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I can in Thunderbird but I don't reply to companies. They have no reply email adress. Like here is your order number or there is our latest campaign. I use customer chat for help or company have internal message system like banks. In general I like to avoid using email due to the protocol design.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Thats pretty clever. I might have to start doing that.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

You have no idea what I'm capable of in <>. 🤣

Such an obvious mail merge. I'd imagine there is a way to automate pulling the Google Street View images and pasting them in the document, but I don't know how it's done.

But yeah, I got version 1 from that article and just shook my head at such a pathetic extortion attempt. I was like, "C'mon now...everyone in my life knows I'm a polyamorous hedonist. I could sell some of them whatever video you could ever possibly have of me that you definitely don't. 😂"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How much are you charging?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Seventy thousand dollhairs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

My wife got that one twice already. Not very bright people.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 month ago

Watching me while I'm browsing the net?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I got example 1 verbatim about a month ago complete with Google street view picture of my house. Jokes on them, all of my porn viewing is on an ancient tablet that does not have a front facing camera.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I got one a couple years ago that included an old password I had used to use. It was sent to my work email but because it had that info in it I did legit get scared...until it said it recorded me jerking it over my webcam. I don't have a webcam.

I found out at least 2 other coworkers got similar emails so me thinks a shitty work vendor got hacked

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

ah yes, plaintext

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Me too. They had an old address I lived at five years ago. I'm shaking, I'm shaking.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

That's the way to win. Never fill in your actual address. Just keep them trying and make up new fake addresses as soon as you can.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I've got a variant of this one about 15 times (minus the picture of my house). I sometimes read it out to my partner for the luls. I never keep a web cam attached to my computer, so I find it even more hilarious with the details they go into about my jerking activities and the questionable porn I watch (everything I enjoy is insanely tame lol)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They really are just looking for the lowest common denominators.

I don't have a webcam attached to my desktop, and my laptop is only used for work, and anyway it has a physical plastic cover over the camera.

A lot of people will have a very similar setup so it'll be very obvious that they don't have anything. The only people this will actually catch out are those with a guilty conscience.

I bet they have a disproportionate number of politicians pay up

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

You make it tempting to actually read scam email …. Almost

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago

Ha! I don't even have a house!

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