'Well-written' scam attempts shakedown of affluent men with threats of revealed secrets

[lemmon714]

WaPo
‘I know about the secret’: Men in affluent neighborhoods are getting shakedown letters

Jeff Strohl’s stomach dropped when he checked his mail on July 21.

“I know about the secret you are keeping from your wife and everyone else,” a mysterious letter read. “More importantly, I have evidence of what you’ve been hiding.”

The letterwriter, GreySquare15, threatened to expose a secret — unless Strohl wired the sender $15,750 in bitcoin.

“First, it’s disbelief. Then, a sinking feeling in your stomach — you search your soul and say ‘What have I done? What secret is actually damning?’ ” Strohl said. “Then, you recognize, I don’t have anything that’s gonna bother me if other people knew.”
..​

 

[Tbone144]

A friend of mine got one too, but they only wanted $400.

 

[Jennifer17]

A friend of mine got one too, but they only wanted $400.

Well, that one is certainly not well written. The errors in tense and omissions of articles tells you that this is not a native speaker.

 

[sorrell skye]

It's probably the Russians.

Why do people open emails from unknown senders? If I get an email from a name I don't recognize, I delete it immediately.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

WaPo
‘I know about the secret’: Men in affluent neighborhoods are getting shakedown letters

Jeff Strohl’s stomach dropped when he checked his mail on July 21.

“I know about the secret you are keeping from your wife and everyone else,” a mysterious letter read. “More importantly, I have evidence of what you’ve been hiding.”

The letterwriter, GreySquare15, threatened to expose a secret — unless Strohl wired the sender $15,750 in bitcoin.

“First, it’s disbelief. Then, a sinking feeling in your stomach — you search your soul and say ‘What have I done? What secret is actually damning?’ ” Strohl said. “Then, you recognize, I don’t have anything that’s gonna bother me if other people knew.”
..​

Pity he couldn't wire a bag of poo to the blackmailer.

 

[Betty P]

WaPo
‘I know about the secret’: Men in affluent neighborhoods are getting shakedown letters

Jeff Strohl’s stomach dropped when he checked his mail on July 21.

“I know about the secret you are keeping from your wife and everyone else,” a mysterious letter read. “More importantly, I have evidence of what you’ve been hiding.”

The letterwriter, GreySquare15, threatened to expose a secret — unless Strohl wired the sender $15,750 in bitcoin.

“First, it’s disbelief. Then, a sinking feeling in your stomach — you search your soul and say ‘What have I done? What secret is actually damning?’ ” Strohl said. “Then, you recognize, I don’t have anything that’s gonna bother me if other people knew.”
..​

I read an article last week by a woman magazine writer who received a similar blackmail letter. Very creepy. Not just men.

 

[MsFacetious]

I've seen a few news articles about it too. Varying amounts, blackmail and threats. Definitely not all men and definitely not all affluent.

 

[Jennifer17]

Just the scam of the month.

 

[lemmon714]

Sounds lucrative, really. I need a franchise.