The “This account was recently infected” scam has just emerged inside an email, suggesting that a person changed your password at some website (usually an email address provider). This is the typical scam trying to scare people that their e-mail account got breached and that its password is now in the hands of an experienced hacker. People receiving the message are demanded to pay a ransom fee in Bitcoin (the sum varying around 1000 US dollars). Do not pay the money in any case as that will not help you. See what you must do in case you are truly breached, but know that this is most likely a scam email.
Threat Summary
| Name | This account was recently infected |
| Type | Email Scam Message |
| Short Description | A scam that tries to scare you into paying a ransom fee for a supposed breach of your email account credentials. |
| Symptoms | You receive an email message that tries to trick you into thinking that your email account got compromised, plus that your password is leaked and exposed to hackers. |
| Distribution Method | Email Spam Messages, Suspicious Sites |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss This account was recently infected. |
“This account was recently infected” Scam – Distribution
The “This account was recently infected” scam is mainly distributed through e-mail messages that may even be filtered as spam by email providers by now. It could also be using targeted attacks to aim for a bigger payout by companies or rich people. Different distribution tactics may exist, too. For instance, there are mentions of the “This account was recently infected” scam over Facebook, and the scareware tactics and doxing may be successful there, just as well.
In case your computer was truly compromised, a payload file that downloads a Trojan horse or some kind of a RAT may have been triggerred by a malicious website or redirect.
Freeware which is found on the Web can be presented as helpful also be hiding the malicious script for the scam message to appear. Refrain from opening files right after you have downloaded them. You should first scan them with a security tool, while also checking their size and signatures for anything that seems out of the ordinary. You should read the tips for preventing ransomware located at the corresponding forum thread.
“This account was recently infected” Scam – Insight
The “This account was recently infected” scam is a hot topic all over the Internet, be it news websites or social networks such as Facebook. The message is sent over email and is a scareware tye that relies on social engineering. The extortionists want you to pay them for a supposed security breach that supposedly landed them your email account password.
The email message looks like the following:
The full scam message reads:
This account was recently infected! Renew the pswd right this moment!
You probably do not know me me and you really are most probably interested for what reason you are reading this particular email, right?
I am a hacker who exploited your email and system several months ago.
Do not waste your time and try out to msg me or alternatively seek for me, it is definitely not possible, because I forwarded you a letter using YOUR hacked account.
I have developed malware software on the adult yids (porno) site and guess you have enjoyed this website to enjoy it (you realize what I mean).
When you were keeping an eye on videos, your browser began operating as a RDP (Remote Control) that have a keylogger which provided me the ability to access your monitor and camera.
After that, my software program acquired all data.
You entered passcodes on the web services you visited, I caught all of them.
Needless to say, you can change them, or already changed them.
Even so it doesn’t matter, my program updates information regularly.
What actually I have done?
I compiled a reserve copy of the device. Of all files and contact lists.
I got a dual-screen movie. The 1st screen displays the film you were watching (you have an interesting preferences, wow…), the second part shows the tape from your webcam.
What do you have to do?
So, in my opinion, 1000 USD is a good amount of money for our little riddle. You will do the deposit by bitcoins (if you don’t know this, go searching “how to buy bitcoin” in any search engine).
My bitcoin wallet address:1K2ZICs6cjPmgIcKhedazUezUrMg13ME2Kik
(It is cAsE sensitive, so just copy and paste it).
Attention:
You have only 48 hours to make the payment. (I have an exclusive pixel to this letter, and right now I know that you’ve read this email).
To monitorthe reading of a message and the activity in it, I uses Facebook pixel. Thanks to them. (That which is applied for the authorities can help us.)
If I do not get bitcoins, I shall certainly send your recording to each of your contacts, along with family members, co-workers, etc?
Other versions may be prevalent on the web with a text stating “
There are a number of possibilities, but in most cases this is an absolute scam. You should ignore it. Do not reply to it. Do not pay the cybercriminals behind it. Change your email password, but first make sure your computer is clean from viruses. Also, check if you are changing it from the real URL address of your email provider and not a phishing page.
The list below consists of Bitcoin addresses which are given by the criminals for paying the ransom. The scam may have different names dubbed on these Bitcoin addresses as you can see below:
- 1K2ZICs6cjPmgIcKhedazUezUrMg13ME2Kik Bitcoin Email Scam
You are demanded to pay “1000 US dollars” to allegedly not spread your personal pictures and files to family and friends. However, you should NOT under any circumstances pay any ransom sum. No guarantee exists that your “data” is not going to be leaked even if you pay. This is known as doxing – an extortion involving the threat of releasing personal information, photos or videos which might be embarrassing or otherwise unwanted by the person being extorted. Adding to all of this, giving money to cybercriminals will most likely motivate them to create more ransomware scams, “viruses” or commit different criminal activities. That may even result to the criminals wanting more money after payment.
Be certain that even if one of your older passwords got leaked from a data breach, the message is automated and you should be safe. If you have any accounts still using that password, make sure to change them and make sure you use a different password for each account. If you can, enable two-factor authentication on the accounts. Stay safe and carefully observe what is happening with your accounts. Use longer and more complex passwords, so they are harder to be cracked via brute-force.
Remove “This account was recently infected” Scam
To remove the This account was recently infected scam you should simply delete the email message. However, if you are truly breached and you recognize any of the listed passwords, you should see the step-by-step removal instructions provided below. In case you can not get rid of files related to the scam or find out other malicious ones, you should search for and remove any leftover malware pieces with an advanced anti-malware tool. Software like that will keep your system secure in the future.
Tsetso Mihailov
Tsetso Mihailov is a tech-geek and loves everything that is tech-related, while observing the latest news surrounding technologies. He has worked in IT before, as a system administrator and a computer repair technician. Dealing with malware since his teens, he is determined to spread word about the latest threats revolving around computer security.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove This account was recently infected from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of This account was recently infected from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove This account was recently infected from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase This account was recently infected from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall This account was recently infected from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove This account was recently infected from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate This account was recently infected from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove This account was recently infected from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove This account was recently infected
Step 2: Uninstall This account was recently infected and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 3: Clean any registries, created by This account was recently infected on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by This account was recently infected there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of This account was recently infected from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall This account was recently infected and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove This account was recently infected via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove This account was recently infected from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase This account was recently infected from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall This account was recently infected from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove This account was recently infected from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the This account was recently infected will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate This account was recently infected from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
