Remove “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” sextortion email

The “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” email falls into the sextortion email category. It’s a generic scam email that falsely claims your computer has been infected with malware, which supposedly allowed the sender to record you watching pornography. The sender threatens to release the video publicly and send it to all your contacts unless you agree to pay. However, the contents of this “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” sextortion email are completely false, and there’s no need to pay or do anything.

 

 

All sextortion scam emails generally share a nearly identical structure. Regardless of the cybercriminal group behind them, these scams tend to have the same content, differing mainly in their wording. Scammers typically begin with intimidating subject lines designed to grab the recipient’s attention. These alarming headlines are meant to spark curiosity, encouraging users to open the email. Once opened, the recipient encounters a threatening message that demands payment.

The “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” email itself is written in broken English with numerous grammar/spelling mistakes. The sender proceeds to explain that they have been watching and recording you watching pornography. The sender demands that you pay $1,500 to the provided crypto wallet address if you don’t want the video to be sent to all of your contacts. The email explains that the supposed hacker was able to record the video and steal your information because they infected your computer with malware while you were “scrolling through videos”, presumably on an adult website. However, that is not true.

This email is a clear example of a sextortion scam, and none of the claims made in it are real. There isn’t a video, and you don’t have to pay anything. While this extortion attempt is low-effort, it is one of the more believable variants. You might also see other types of extortion emails that threaten things like assassination attempts or bombs at your workplace. There has been a campaign that even threatened to spread COVID-19 to users and their families unless a payment was made. Generally, these scams don’t fool many people, based on the small amounts transferred to their wallet addresses. However, since these scams persist, they must still generate enough revenue for scammers to keep trying.

Just delete the “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” sextortion email from your inbox if you get it. Unfortunately, if you have already sent Bitcoin to the address provided, retrieving it will not be possible as transactions are not reversible.

Why do scammers have my email address?

Sextortion scam emails typically claim that your email and computer have been hacked and that is why you supposedly received the email. However, it’s important to understand that these claims are false. If you’ve received a sextortion email, it’s likely because your email address has been exposed in a data breach related to a service you use. To see if your email has been compromised, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned. Unfortunately, receiving one sextortion email often leads to more, and you might also encounter emails that could carry malware. So, it’s crucial to be cautious with any unsolicited emails.

If you get an email threatening to reveal a video of you, it’s natural to feel alarmed. This feeling can intensify if the email includes a password you recognize. However, if you ever receive such an email, there’s a straightforward reason the sender has your password that has nothing to do with malware. Your password could be exposed in a data breach. This can happen if the service where you use that password has inadequate security and is compromised. Consequently, your email and password would probably end up in a database mixed with thousands of others, which are often sold on hacker forums to scammers and malicious actors. To see if your password has been compromised, you can check on the same HaveIBeenPwned website. If your password is ever leaked, you need to change it immediately for all accounts where you use it. Also, avoid using the same password for multiple accounts; every account should have a unique and strong password to enhance your security.

What to do when you receive a sextortion email?

Receiving a sextortion email threatening to expose a private video can be quite distressing, but there’s no need to panic. The video is non-existent, the sender hasn’t recorded you, and there’s no malware on your device. You can confidently delete the “Time Is Slipping Away From Your Grasp” sextortion email from your inbox and move on without concern.