I have an e-mail saying I have ransom ware

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Level 1

9 points

I have an e-mail saying I have ransom ware

Hello Folks,

I am wondering if, other than waiting for disaster in a couple of days, is there any way I can confirm that I have ransom ware, or that I don't? I am running MAC OS X 10.14 Mojave on a MacAir, plus an iPhone 6 and 8 in the family.

I remembered to check my spam folder today, something I rarely do. And I noticed an e-mail that is from MY e-mail address. It says that if I don't send $800 through Bitcoin, they will lock up my computer AND barrage all of my contacts with hate filled and pornographic e-mails. They said they got my e-mail password from some insecure web site I went to, and they included a password which I have used in the past, but it was NEVER the PW for that e-mail account or anything I would actually or especially like to keep secure. I keep my MAC software up to date, I keep the MAC Firewall on, and I run Avast Security and keep that updated. We have 2 iPhones, and don't run anything special on them, but do keep them updated.

But as I am not going to pay, I guess I will find out in a couple of days what is going to happen. But is there anything I can do before hand to know if this is real? Is there any program I can get before the 48 hours are up that might help?

Thanks for any help!

Bill

MacBook Air, iOS 10.3.1

Posted on Nov 3, 2018 1:23 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 3, 2018 3:10 PM in response to BillyBob67

Scam... Google bitcoin scam or see this:

"Nasty" sexploitation scam demands bitcoin ransom - CBS News

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

136,121 points

Nov 4, 2018 5:41 AM in response to BillyBob67

FWIW, you should uninstall Avast. Macs do not need antivirus programs and they cause performance problems and occasionally quarantine/delete files they shouldn't.

See: Effective defenses against malware and other threats

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Answer 3

leroydouglas

Level 10

199,326 points

Nov 3, 2018 1:46 PM in response to BillyBob67

I remembered to check my spam folder today, something I rarely do

If you did not look in your SPAM folder—you would not be the wiser.

Scam.

Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Nov 3, 2018 2:10 PM in response to BillyBob67

Phony "tech support" / "ransomware" popups and web pages

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Answer 5

Nov 3, 2018 7:39 PM in response to BillyBob67

They can put whatever from address they want just as easily as you can put any return address on a snail mail envelope.

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Answer 6

Nov 4, 2018 6:50 AM in response to BillyBob67

Open your email client and type an email. Address the email to your recipient and change the FROM field to whoever you want.

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Answer 7

BillyBob67 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 3, 2018 2:44 PM in response to BillyBob67

I read all the links. One thing still concerns me. As far as I can tell, the threatening e-mail appears to be from MY e-mail address. When I hover over my name in the "from" section, it shows my correct e-mail address. The PW is incorrect- though one used long ago and never for any e-mail account or for any thing where security is extra important, like finances, e-mail, etc. But the e-mail address that it is from is correct. Can they do that without having my e-mail PW or infecting my computer?

Bill

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Answer 8

BillyBob67 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 4, 2018 5:15 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

Wow! I did not know "they can put whatever from address they want just as easily as you can put any return address on a snail mail envelope.". I would not know how to do that if I sent an e-mail out, how to make it look as though it came from someone else, and even from the person I was sending it to. But, I obviously am not a hacker or highly skilled computer person!

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Answer 9

BillyBob67 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 4, 2018 5:27 AM in response to BillyBob67

I went ahead and changed my e-mail PW yet again. Even though they did not have the correct PW to go with my e-mail address. I ran a full system scan in Avast, which I already used on my system for a long time. It found 20 files it could not scan, and 5 threats that all had "phishing" in the title, I deleted those 5. This is scary stuff. Even though it appears unlikely they have placed anything on my computer that can lock it up or that they will be able to send out ugly e-mails in my name, I have even considered closing that e-mail account that I have used for many years and starting from scratch at another e-mail address. I suppose they could not send e-mails in my name from that address in if I closed it?

I'm just trying to think of what precautions I could take, even though most seem to think the threat is not real. I wonder if there is any soft ware for MACs that can actually find and remove ransom ware?

Thanks again to all for your advice.

Bill

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Answer 10

BillyBob67 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 3, 2018 2:19 PM in response to BillyBob67

Thanks everyone! Yes, I also thought I should not have looked into my spam folder.

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Answer 11

dialabrain

Level 10

136,121 points

Nov 3, 2018 2:25 PM in response to BillyBob67

FWIW, It's not unreasonable to look in a spam folder. Sometimes legitimate emails end up there. I normally don't get more than 5-6 spam emails a week and I always look. 😎

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