I recently received a sextortion email. Its sender claimed that he had had used malware to create a video of me in a private moment while viewing a porn site. He intended to send an email of the video to my Facebook contacte if I did not send $2000 bitcoin in 24 hours. As proof, he provided my password.

I admit it launched a wave of anxiety that lasted for a few days, although I almost immediately identified the scam. I reread thr email and noticed a couple of things...

The password was a very old password that I had not used in years. My Facebook account has a different password.

If he had a video why didn't he send it to me? That would have been more convincing.

I googled the text of the email and it turned out to be a known scam.

So, why all the anxiety?

It turns out that I have things to hide. I have done things that I would not want to have announced from the rooftops. Its nothing criminal, but it would be embarrassing. It might even change my relationships.

Specifically, I can honestly say that I am no longer a frequent visitor to porn sites. I am not judging anyone else, either. I just find that my relationship is more healthy with Mrs. Lowpriest when I concentrate on us than escape to fantasy. I have also concluded that it seems wrong to objectify other people. But again, I know that everyone will have their own opinion, too. It's also true that there have been times when I did not live up to this view.

I learned something about myself in the first few moments after reading the email. I said to myself, "So be it." I would be releived to no longer have something to hide.

For me the experience touches a raw nerve. I have other things to hide.

I have not believed the claims of the mormon church for years. Yet I pretend that everything is normal. I go to meetings with my wife (back when) and I don't complain. I duck callings and assignments and I don't raise difficult questions. I lay low.

I have not pushed my feelings on others because I feel like it would change my relationships if I did. Many would rather watch a video of me viewing a porn site than hear me deny belief.

So be it. I am done with secrets. When the current virus thing is over I am NOT going back.

I got one of those as well appx 2 days ago.

I also received 5-6 of them over a short time span about a year ago. Same old password routine, said they'd activated my laptop cam showing me, uh, doing stuff while watching said porn and would send it to everyone on my email contact list. I laughed, tossed the emails and of course nothing happened.

Worst thing you can do in those cases is respond. Even telling them to eff off lets them know they got through and a live one is on the hook.

I got it too, I knew it was fake because I've never had a FB account and the pass word was blank.

My camera can't see much below my chest so the video of me abusing myself isn't possible.

I don't think you will be the only one not going back.

The number of con artists out there never fails to surprise me. It's like those robocalls that try to tell you that your Windows computer has a virus or that your car's warranty will soon be out of date (I had a 15-year old car at the time. Ya think the warranty is out of date? lol)

On a milder end, you have lots of people pushing dubious "expertise" in MLMs. You have "fitness coaches" who look like the last time they got off the sofa was 1994. You have "wellness coaches" who are not nurses or registered dieticians. People are asked to spend thousands of dollars on a machine that will ionize their water for supposed health benefits. And so on.

The truth is, there is a certain subset of people who want your money by any means necessary.

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young wanted their followers' money, and resources, and women. They wanted their followers' minds and hearts. They got them, too. Religion can be a particularly insidious con. Think about the TV evangelists who own private jets. Nice work if you can get it.

Joseph's con has gone on long enough. The Mormon church has enough money. It has enough temples. But it wants more, more, more. More of your time. More of your money. More of your resources. Enough!

If you still have it, I would report the email that you got to your email service provider. You are right, it's a well-known scam, and your service provider should be filtering it out before it ever hits your inbox. You were not fooled, but some people might be.

Thanks Summer.

I will report it to my provider.

I also read something about FTC.gov that might be worth checking.

The con people need to be stopped.

Everyone has a right to have secrets about themselves, and to have a sex life of their own choosing without interferences from others who are not a part of your sex life. If you and your wife have a 'no porn' agreement, you should probably re-negotiate that with her. If she can't keep her mouth shut about private issues that you talk to her about, then the marriage is terribly flawed anyway. Other than that, you have a right to your privacy, even if others seek to exploit you unfairly over it.

When it comes to the church, I don't think a person should stay a member long-term if they are living long-term contrary to the church beliefs. You are not struggling with pornography. You're struggling with the church. That conflict is unhealthy for you.

As long as your sexual preferences do not harm children or others, there is nothing wrong with having them. Others don't need to know about them anymore than they need to know your bank account balances. If someone steals money out of your bank accounts, the exact amounts that were there and that they took are not shameful. Neither should you see your sexual desires as shameful. You are in a prison of belief that creates toxic shame. To break out doesn't mean you need to put aside your sexual desires nor to change who you are or what you want to do. Revenge porn puts people in jail because the victem has a right to privacy. Extortion of the kind that you describe should also be a crime. Be honest with those in your world who have some right to know, and double-down on your right to privacy with everyone else. If a peeping tom secretly took pictures through your bedroom window of you and your wife having sex together, the answer wouldn't to stop having sex with her. You have a right to privacy and to reject the toxic shame.

Thanks azsteve. I think you are right. I don't have a problem with porn. I am not a prude, but I try not to take anything to excess.

My wife and I get along fine with most things. In fact, she is pretty cool about almost everything except the church. She is nuts when it comes to the church.

And the church is unrelenting. Since the suspension of meetings I have received a couple of dozen emails from ward and stake leaders. They all want to say life is going to get back to normal and in the meantime keep doing everything we say. Its a mind control fiesta.

I guess I feel violated by the church in the same way as I did by the email scam. It's like they are saying send us money or we will ruin your life.

If you don't send me money I will publish your browser history.

...and make big money.

Invasion of privacy is one of the most despicable thngs a human being can encounter. Unless you are attempting to forcibly interfere with the rights of another human being it is nobody's business what you do!!!!

This is cyberbullying.
It was tried on me and I just kept deleting the emails unopened and finally they stopped



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/2020 12:43PM by thedesertrat1.

Even when I knew it was a fake I felt like I was getting mugged.

in b 4 ~ OPie is a degenerate exmo ~



in b 4 ~ RfM already knowed that long time ~



stay beautiful OPie ~




RfM loves you ~

You would be disappointed to find out how few people actually care.

Excellent. I got the same email. At first I felt violated then I realized if they could do what they claimed (they can't to me) what would it matter? It wouldn't. They hit my narcissism. That realization hurt the most. It wasn't the hiding things - we hide or obfuscate lots of things and think we are open book people.

What hurt the most was realizing I thought what I did in my most private moments mattered to anyone. Extortionist get higher prices the higher the personal estimation of oneself is in their mark.

In bitcoin no less.

I get spammed with offers to pay me to not type on the internet.

They've taken on a note of desperation lately.

But I shall accept their filthy lucre! I'll be here for you!

I got one to. I replied that i was a long haul trucker and would meet them any place of their choice and i would have cash. Don't rat me out, I will pay more. We need to meet. Haven't heard back yet.

And I can guarantee you that there is nothing anyone has that they could blackmail me with. Pictures or movies.

If I got this e-mail (I just go through and delete any e-mails that I don't recognize the sender without opening them before I read them), I'd laugh. Go ahead. Show whatever you think you have. Nobody who knows me would believe it, even those who don't like me.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2020 09:33AM by cl2.

they wouldn't be secrets...

Is it possible that we want to have secrets?

Just an fyi: I'm taking college courses on the brain and watching porn really does modify the brain. It's not beneficial.

What are the things in life that humans can do that don't modify the brain?

And I'm guessing that while porn brain modification is bad, that there are modifications that are good for the brain?

If you tell us that paying tithing and going on a mission modify the human brain in good ways, I'm afraid that ... there will be trouble in RfM city.

There a lot of things that can get out control and change your brain.

Drugs
Porn
Cults

You name it.

There is a lot of stuff about learning, the brain, sexuality that is garbage. A lot of it is motivated by researchers that have an agenda before they collect the data. Make sure you dig deeply into research that proposes that an activity is beneficial or not beneficial, and make sure the study was not created to give the answer the researchers wanted.

Is the moral of the story don't use the same password on facebook that you use for porn sites?

You should never give anyone money over the internet regardless of what they say. It is ALWAYS a scam. They prey on your emotions and make you feel like they have some inside knowledge when they don't.

In essence, you could say they are exactly like the LDS Church.
Don't ever give a scammer money. They will never stop. It will never be enough once they found an easy mark.

Glad to see you can be honest with yourself enough to finally can that eternal extortion crap. You have faced your fears and can now be authentic. Well done!

Almost everyone has similar kinds of secrets. It’s nobody’s business. Does knowing they could be exposed mean you should change your ways? IMO, I don’t think so. Most people would not care and would sympathise with you. It’s only mormons and other judgemental people that would think badly of you. I think a better lesson to be learned here is to stay away from the mormon church.
In an ideal world our intimate partner would participate in our fantasies. Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. Sexuality is a human thing and there needs to be an outlet for it. Mormonism would have us believe all of it is wrong. Instead, we should make up our own minds what is good for us without the opinions of others playing a part. Privacy and shame should be two separate things.

Staying away from the mormons would be my preferred choice but unfortunately my life is full of them.

I have considered telling everyone in that camp, "This is how I feel, deal with it," but that seems a little dramatic and it seems like I would be forcing my views on them.

Yes, sorry. Here I am in the UK and I am sometimes telling people to leave utah and similar things; it’s an attitude that’s perhaps insensitive of me. I guess on this occasion I meant I hope you manage not to internalise the shame of what they might think, and offer you some validation for being a decent person.

Thank you for your kind words.

I got the email saying a video would be sent to all of my contacts. Scared me silly. - I don’t need everyone who knows me seeing how small I am. I’m already worried about a few exes not sharing pics I shouldn’t have sent. The idea of that kind of humiliation was horrifying. Though I’ve since thought the best antidote is just to make it all public. Eventually there will be no secrets.

In the end I decided if they had anything they would have sent me the video. And thankfully nobody’s mentioned getting any emails featuring me . . .

But I’ve covered my laptop camera ever since.

Funny.

I thought the something similar. I can imagine someone watching my video and saying, "No big deal!"

Politics is in the air and the other day it got me wondering if someone like me had a chance of getting elected to something, anything. I know the opponents do opposition research, digging for dirt in your past. Like nearly everyone, there were some stupid, embarrassing things I did in my 20s and 30s. And there are a couple of things from later in life. Nothing illegal though, nothing scandalous, mostly just things that are nobody's business, or things that would damage other people involved more than they would hurt me. If confronted with crap from my past, I like to think I'd own up to it. "Yeah, I did such and such, and here are some other things your research didn't turn up. We all make mistakes. I learned from mine." At least, that's my fantasy response.

Be like Mark Zukerberg and cover up your camera.

Even at nearly 60 - but then most people are ;-)

You're right though. I use a desktop computer. I removed the webcam and only hook it up temporarily when I really need to use it.

Happy lockdown to all

Tom at home in Montreuil



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2020 08:52AM by Soft Machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHm9MG9xw1o

Give all my secrets away instead of paying tithing.

Everyone has secrets just some claim their secrets will get you to an imaginary place of the CK. I could have a secret to cure Covid instantly but you would have to pay 10% of your income ahead of time.

Warrior71783 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I
> could have a secret to cure Covid instantly but
> you would have to pay 10% of your income ahead of
> time.


Only Corona? How about cancer?

That is quite a clever scam, I've received similar ones, though not mentioning a password.

If it's any comfort, every man in the world's heart misses a beat when they get that one...

Just this evening I received an offer from someone in Poland to give me 1.8 million British pounds to compensate me for my losses due to Covid-19, which was very kind. I haven't replied though, as I don't know anyone in Poland.

It was nearly identical to the first.

Apparently they harvest passwords when websites are breached and the hackers sell their data on the dark web.

There is a site called "have I been pwned" where you can look up your email addresses and see if they are associated with a breach. My address was listed on multiple breaches that you have probably heard of like LinkedIn and Adobe. It was from several years ago.

That's why its good to change your password regularly and not use the same one on a bunch of different sites.