Have you received an email that demands ransom and claims to know your passwords?

Threatening Email Content

Have you ever received an email threatening to do one of the following? 

  • Expose embarrassing photos or browser history obtained from your computer
  • Encrypt or delete files on your computer

The email may claim to know your passwords, and it may even contain a password you have used in the past. Some of these scammers find previously compromised usernames and passwords on the dark web, and then use that information for extortion. 

Most of the time you can simply delete these messages or report them to the ATUS Help Desk. If the message contains a password that is familiar to you, make sure none of your online accounts still use that password. 

Here is an example of one of these messages from December, 2018:

Email that says your account has been hacked