{"id":4196,"date":"2026-06-01T12:48:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/hackers-are-demanding-thousands-or-threatening-to-release-photos-of-me-im-terrified\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:48:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:48:27","slug":"hackers-are-demanding-thousands-or-threatening-to-release-photos-of-me-im-terrified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/login9ja.com\/global\/hackers-are-demanding-thousands-or-threatening-to-release-photos-of-me-im-terrified\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Hackers are demanding thousands or threatening to release photos of me – I’m terrified’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The hackers claimed to have access to John’s phone<\/h2>\n
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<\/span>Updated <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Martin Lewis shares tips for checking scams<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

An innocent man has spoken of his terror after hackers demanded he hand over Bitcoin worth thousands or they would release what they claimed were photos of him accessing ‘explicit’ sites on the dark web. John, who did not use his last name, was told not to contact the police or tell anyone else about the threat.<\/p>\n

The message purportedly came from a group of hackers known as the ShinyHunters, who hit the headlines in April 2026 for breaching Amtrak<\/a> – a major train company in America. They demanded $2000 worth of Bitcoin after claiming to install an ‘exploit’ on John’s phone.<\/p>\n

They said they had compromising photos of John, which they would release to all of the contacts on his phone if he did not pay up. John messaged BBC’s Morning Live programme to speak to scam expert Nick Stapleton<\/a> about his dilemma.<\/p>\n

John’s full message read: “I received a ransom demand from someone called ShinyHunters. They said they had got hold of data and said they had ‘installed an exploit’ on my phone, giving them access to all my contacts.<\/p>\n

“They are demanding $2000 in Bitcoin or they will release supposed photos they have of me accessing explicit sites on the dark web. I haven’t done this but I’ve been warned against talking to the police or anyone else. It’s very scary.”<\/p>\n

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Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

According to Cisco<\/a>, an exploit is ‘a program, or piece of code, designed to find and take advantage of a security flaw or vulnerability in an application or computer system, typically for malicious purposes such as installing malware. An exploit is not malware itself, but rather it is a method used by cybercriminals to deliver malware<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

Barclays says that 2025 saw almost half of UK adults (45 per cent) being targeted by a scam<\/a>, rising to nearly two-thirds of Gen Z (64 per cent). This is partly due to the rise in investment scams, although SMS\/text scams have also returned in large numbers.<\/p>\n

In response, Nick said: “What a terrifying email to receive. Thankfully, it’s complete nonsense. It’s not true at all, that’s the most important thing to say. We’ve been in contact with John and told him that, to set his mind at ease, because it was very important that we let him know.<\/p>\n

“It sounds like a really personal attack, but the reality of an email like this is that they are just scammers sending out thousands of these things, generic emails like this to thousands of people, hoping that someone will read it, it will panic them, it will knock them off balance, and they will do what is asked of them and they will pay up.<\/p>\n

“The scammers who are getting in touch with John here do not have the ability to hack people in this way. It is a really complicated operation, a really difficult thing to do. Ultimately, if you have got that kind of skill, you are not going to be wasting your time on private individuals who may or may not respond to your demands for ransom. They could be using it for something much more profitable.<\/p>\n

“In John’s case, the group claiming to be ShinyHunters, which is a hacking group that really exists. It is quite clever on the scammers’ part because if you really go and google ShinyHunters, you might find a headline that they did genuinely hack Amtrak, the train service in the US.<\/p>\n

“There was a big customer data breach because of it, so they are giving their email an extra layer of validity just by claiming to be this group even though they have nothing to do with them and haven’t really hacked your phone.”<\/p>\n

When asked what you should do if you are the target of a scam, Nick continued: “The absolute first thing you should do is not pay. By paying people who run this kind of scam, you are encouraging and funding them to try it repeatedly, because scammers tend to stick with stuff that works.<\/p>\n

“Responding at all can make you a target for future scams because they’ll probably then sell your data by saying, ‘hey, this person read the ransom email, and they responded to it, so you never know, they might respond to one of your scams.<\/p>\n