MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Dear Leon and Ben – I Will take My Chances and NOT Pay

By

We are all very sensitive when it comes to ‘our’ stuff and when we get a note such as the one below then it is only human to feel concern and worry at just how annoying some people can be.

Anyway – as a result of my swimming in the spam folder very often and alerting readers to potential spam and fraud emails I think that I have an above average bullshit-o-meter.

The e-mail below is one that did get me thinking twice and reading more than once. After assessing the threat I realised that the writer was just being plain stupid as the site in question is completely publicly available so if they ‘expose’ my data to the whole world they will not be doing any nasty to myself at all.

So I deleted the e-mail from ‘Ben’.

Then, this morning my suspicions that this was an elaborate scam were confirmed when Ben wrote again, followed quickly by ‘Leon’ with exactly the same e-mail. They must really think that I am either swimming in money or in the same dunce class as both of them

The e-mail is as below:

Your Site Has Been Hacked

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO SOMEONE IN YOUR COMPANY WHO IS ALLOWED TO MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS!

We have hacked your website (name of my web site was here) and extracted your databases.

How did this happen?

Our team has found a vulnerability within your site that we were able to exploit. After finding the vulnerability we were able to get your database credentials and extract your entire database and move the information to an offshore server.

What does this mean?

We will systematically go through a series of steps of totally damaging your reputation. First your database will be leaked or sold to the highest bidder which they will use with whatever their intentions are. Next if there are e-mails found they will be e-mailed that their information has been sold or leaked and your (name of my web site was here) was at fault thusly damaging your reputation and having angry customers/associates with whatever angry customers/associates do. Lastly any links that you have indexed in the search engines will be de-indexed based off of blackhat techniques that we used in the past to de-index our targets.

How do I stop this?

We are willing to refrain from destroying your site’s reputation for a small fee. The current fee is $2500 in bitcoins (BTC).

Please send the bitcoin to the following Bitcoin address (Copy and paste as it is case sensitive): DoNotUseThisBTCaddressAsIHaveChangedIt:io93LKf6NWhJA8L5cmD5p9u6WksjW9SC2ja4

Once you have paid we will automatically get informed that it was your payment. Please note that you have to make payment within 7 days after receiving this e-mail or the database leak, e-mails dispatched, and de-index of your site WILL start!

How do I get Bitcoins?

You can easily buy bitcoins via several websites or even offline from a Bitcoin-ATM.

What if I don’t pay?

If you decide not to pay, we will start the attack at the indicated date and uphold it until you do, there’s no counter measure to this, you will only end up wasting more money trying to find a solution. We will completely destroy your reputation amongst google and your customers.

This is not a hoax, do not reply to this email, don’t try to reason or negotiate, we will not read any replies. Once you have paid we will stop what we were doing and you will never hear from us again!

Please note that Bitcoin is anonymous and no one will find out that you have complied.
You are enquiring about?

Regards

Ben Harrel Harrel
hacker@cicoco.nl

I received the EXACT same e-mail from Leon Higgs Higgs at hacker@champagnejamain.com

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Views Since 15 July 2022: 30

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.