I have started tracking your internet activities.
“I have started tracking your internet activities.” is a recently identified malware program categorized as a Trojan horse. Trojans like “I have started tracking your internet activities.” are really sneaky and rarely show any symptoms so users oftentimes have no idea that their machines have been attacked and they are also highly malicious and versatile.
The “I have started tracking your internet activities.” email is made to scare users.
Phishing e-mails and e-mail scams such as “I have started tracking your internet activities.” have been around for quite a while and although they are nowhere near as dangerous an issue as actual cyber attacks from malware such as Trojans, ransomware, spyware, etc. There are still many people who tend to fall for the “I am a spyware software developer. Your account has been hacked” kind of scams and basically have their money taken away by the scammers after willingly sending it to them.
Recently, there has been a new wave of such scam phishing e-mails in which the crooks tell their targets that they have managed to infect the users’ computers with some scary Trojan horse virus and are now going to corrupt the PC system or send some sensitive personal info that they have collected from the “infected” computer to all the people from their victim’s contacts list unless money is paid in the form of Bitcoin to a linked virtual wallet. Now, if you have also been a target of such emails, we strongly advise you to take a moment and instead of directly sending the crooks your money, think about the situation rationally and also read the rest of this post.
Many of our users reported to us about an ongoing email spam with the following message:
Subject: Payment from your account.
Greetings!
I have to share bad news with you.
Approximately few months ago I have gained access to your devices, which you use for internet browsing.
After that, I have started tracking your internet activities.
Here is the sequence of events:
Some time ago I have purchased access to email accounts from hackers (nowadays, it is quite simple to purchase such thing online).
Obviously, I have easily managed to log in to your email account (************).
One week later, I have already installed Trojan virus to Operating Systems of all the devices that you use to access your email.
In fact, it was not really hard at all (since you were following the links from your inbox emails).
All ingenious is simple. =)
This software provides me with access to all the controllers of your devices (e.g., your microphone, video camera and keyboard).
I have downloaded all your information, data, photos, web browsing history to my servers.
I have access to all your messengers, social networks, emails, chat history and contacts list.
My virus continuously refreshes the signatures (it is driver-based), and hence remains invisible for antivirus software.
Likewise, I guess by now you understand why I have stayed undetected until this letter…
While gathering information about you, I have discovered that you are a big fan of adult websites.
You really love visiting porn websites and watching exciting videos, while enduring an enormous amount of pleasure.
Well, I have managed to record a number of your dirty scenes and montaged a few videos, which show the way you masturbate and reach orgasms.
If you have doubts, I can make a few clicks of my mouse and all your videos will be shared to your friends, colleagues and relatives.
I have also no issue at all to make them available for public access.
I guess, you really don’t want that to happen, considering the specificity of the videos you like to watch, (you perfectly know what I mean) it will cause a true catastrophe for you.
Let’s settle it this way:
You transfer $1500 USD to me (in bitcoin equivalent according to the exchange rate at the moment of funds transfer), and once the transfer is received, I will delete all this dirty stuff right away.
After that we will forget about each other. I also promise to deactivate and delete all the harmful software from your devices. Trust me, I keep my word.
This is a fair deal and the price is quite low, considering that I have been checking out your profile and traffic for some time by now.
In case, if you don’t know how to purchase and transfer the bitcoins – you can use any modern search engine.
Here is my bitcoin wallet: 1GGZpqXsqKWSRnjJ1SHFaE5VPkMHHsKToX
You have less than 48 hours from the moment you opened this email (precisely 2 days).
Things you need to avoid from doing:
*Do not reply me (I have created this email inside your inbox and generated the return address).
*Do not try to contact police and other security services. In addition, forget about telling this to you friends. If I discover that (as you can see, it is really not so hard, considering that I control all your systems) – your video will be shared to public right away.
*Don’t try to find me – it is absolutely pointless. All the cryptocurrency transactions are anonymous.
*Don’t try to reinstall the OS on your devices or throw them away. It is pointless as well, since all the videos have already been saved at remote servers.
Things you don’t need to worry about:
*That I won’t be able to receive your funds transfer.
– Don’t worry, I will see it right away, once you complete the transfer, since I continuously track all your activities (my trojan virus has got a remote-control feature, something like TeamViewer).
*That I will share your videos anyway after you complete the funds transfer.
– Trust me, I have no point to continue creating troubles in your life. If I really wanted that, I would do it long time ago!
Everything will be done in a fair manner!
One more thing… Don’t get caught in similar kind of situations anymore in future!
My advice – keep changing all your passwords on a frequent basis
The I have started tracking your internet activities. Email
The first thing we need to mention about schemes like the “I have started tracking your internet activities.” email is that in the vast majority of cases it’s all a ruse and the scammers are basically bluffing and hoping that some of the more gullible users would fall for the bait. That being said, even if you DO have a Trojan on your computer, agreeing to the blackmailer’s terms is almost never a good idea.
If you fear that your machine has been compromised, what we’d advise you to do is follow the instructions in the guide below where you will learn how to eliminate a Trojan virus such as “I have started tracking your internet activities.” – one of the newest Trojan horses out there.
It is understandable if you are concerned about your PC’s safety and about your virtual privacy if you have been threatened by some anonymous online scammer who has told you they have infected your computer with a Trojan such as “I have started tracking your internet activities.”. This type of malware threats are indeed some of the worst. Some Trojans could be used to damage the system and the data kept on the PC but also to spy on their victims, steal sensitive info, insert other threats in the computer and even allow the hackers to remotely control the machine without the user knowing about it. Therefore, we understand if you are worried after receiving such a threatening message. However, as we said above, the rational and sensible thing to do in such a situation is to check your computer for any malware and remove any potentially malicious programs you may find. Aside from using our guide, another good way of spotting a threat like “I have started tracking your internet activities.” and removing it is through the use of a specialized anti-malware software tool like the one we’ve posted on this page.
SUMMARY:
| Name | I have started tracking your internet activities. |
| Type | Trojan |
| Danger Level | High (Trojans are often used as a backdoor for Ransomware) |
| Symptoms | There aren’t any specific symptoms but try to notice if there are any irregularities like errors or random crashes on your PC. |
| Distribution Method | The most commonly used methods are through spam e-mail campaigns, via malicious social media messages, through pirated downloads, backdoor viruses and also via unreliable and illegal sites. |
| Detection Tool | Some threats reinstall themselves if you don't delete their core files. We recommend downloading SpyHunter to remove harmful programs for you. This may save you hours and ensure you don't harm your system by deleting the wrong files. |
OFFERI have started tracking your internet activities. Email Removal
If you are looking for a way to remove “I have started tracking your internet activities.” you can try this:
- Click on the Start button in the bottom left corner of your Windows OS.
- Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Uninstall a Program.
- Search for “I have started tracking your internet activities.” and any other unfamiliar programs.
- Uninstall “I have started tracking your internet activities.” as well as other suspicious programs.
Note that this might not get rid of “I have started tracking your internet activities.” completely. For more detailed removal instructions follow the guide below.
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide
Some of the steps will likely require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!
Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC at the same time and go to the Processes Tab. Try to determine which processes are dangerous.
Right click on each of them and select Open File Location. Then scan the files with our free online virus scanner:
After you open their folder, end the processes that are infected, then delete their folders.
Note: If you are sure something is part of the infection – delete it, even if the scanner doesn’t flag it. No anti-virus program can detect all infections.
Hold together the Start Key and R. Type appwiz.cpl –> OK.
You are now in the Control Panel. Look for suspicious entries. Uninstall it/them. If you see a screen like this when you click Uninstall, choose NO:
Type msconfig in the search field and hit enter. A window will pop-up:
Startup —> Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer or otherwise look suspicious.
- Remember this step – if you have reason to believe a bigger threat (like ransomware) is on your PC, check everything here.
Hold the Start Key and R – copy + paste the following and click OK:
notepad %windir%/system32/Drivers/etc/hosts
A new file will open. If you are hacked, there will be a bunch of other IPs connected to you at the bottom. Look at the image below:
If there are suspicious IPs below “Localhost” – write to us in the comments.
Type Regedit in the windows search field and press Enter.
Once inside, press CTRL and F together and type the virus’s Name. Right click and delete any entries you find with a similar name. If they don’t show up this way, go manually to these directories and delete/uninstall them:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—–Random Directory. It could be any one of them – ask us if you can’t discern which ones are malicious.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—-Windows—CurrentVersion—Run– Random
HKEY_CURRENT_USER—-Software—Microsoft—Internet Explorer—-Main—- Random
If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!
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