Hey everyone, I recently received a pretty alarming email that actually seems to be from my own email address. It claims that some spyware called Pegasus has been installed on all my devices and that they captured explicit videos of me while I was watching some 'controversial' material. Now, they're demanding $1550 in cryptocurrency to avoid sharing this supposed evidence. I've talked to a friend who has gotten similar emails and we think it might just be a spoof. I'm feeling a bit paranoid and stressed about it though. What steps can I take to check if I really have Pegasus on my devices? Also, how can I prevent spoofing in the future? Honestly, part of me just wants to get rid of all my electronics, but I can't just do that!
3 Answers
The email isn't really from yourself. The 'From' field can be spoofed to show anything, even your email. To find the actual sender, you’d need to check the email header. As for the blackmail, it's just a scare tactic. I work in IT security and this is common. But hey, if you're worried about old passwords, check your email on haveibeenpwned.com to see if it's been leaked, and change any passwords as needed. Otherwise, don’t stress about it!
Been there! Spoofing can happen when someone fakes the sender’s address in an email to make it look like it’s from someone else. It’s annoying but it happens a lot!
First off, this is definitely a scam! If they had actual spyware on your devices, they would easily provide evidence, like screenshots. The fact that they haven’t means they’re just trying to scare you into sending money. Just delete the email and move on! It's also a good idea to tell your friend about it so they’re aware.
The best first step is to change your email password and just ignore that email. Don’t engage with them!
Thanks for the reassurance!