I changed my DNS temporarily when Discord was blocked in my country. A few days later, someone contacted me claiming to have private photos and videos of me. They also seemed to have accessed my Telegram account, and I'm worried my computer may be compromised. Could changing DNS have caused this? Would reinstalling Windows 11 help, and can I do that without buying another license? What steps should I take to secure my accounts and remove possible malware? Do I need to replace any hardware?
4 Answers
Secure Telegram first, preferably from your phone or another trusted device. Open Settings, check Devices or active sessions, terminate anything you don’t recognize, and enable two-step verification. Change your email and other important passwords as well, making each one unique. If you reused a password, assume those accounts may also be at risk.
The timing may be coincidental. Scammers often send mass messages claiming they have webcam footage or private photos, and fake proof such as a message appearing to come from your own address is easy to create. The important question is whether they showed an authentic file or specific detail that could not have come from a generic scam. Either way, preserve evidence, avoid engagement, and consider reporting credible threats to the relevant authorities.
Changing DNS would not give someone access to your Telegram account or private files. DNS mainly controls how domain names are looked up; it does not provide account protection or expose your device by itself. The message may simply be a generic extortion scam, especially if they have not shown you genuine private material or provided specific proof. Don’t pay, reply, or open links and attachments. Save screenshots and report the account or message.
If you suspect the computer was infected, a clean Windows reinstall is a reasonable precaution. Back up only trusted personal files, create installation media from Microsoft’s official source, delete the existing system partitions during setup, install all updates, and download programs only from reputable sources afterward. If Windows was previously activated on that computer, choosing “I don’t have a product key” will usually allow the existing digital license to reactivate automatically. You normally do not need to replace hardware unless there is evidence of a firmware-level compromise, which is very uncommon.
Exactly—without genuine images or specific evidence, treat the claim as an intimidation tactic rather than proof that the computer was hacked.