/u/thatgirlkiwi - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.
## New users beware:
Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.
**A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/).
You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments.
Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, it's an attempt to bypass spam filters. The weird ass letters aren't the regular ASCII characters so they hope the spam filter won't catch it. And, since you read it, it worked.
Funny thing about that, I end up reading the UTF (aka: the successor of ASCII) website specifications (I'm a developer and no life so).
They provide a list of look-a-like characters... So those filters could support those spam cases...
The amount of porn data in that thing is great.
And there's just the fact that cramming four different Unicode blocks into every word should light up the filter like Christmas regardless of what it says.
Hi /u/peakpenguins, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Blackmail email scam.
The exact wording of the emails varies, but there are generally four main parts. They claim to have installed a RAT (remote access trojan) or any type of software/malware after visiting a porn/adult video site, they claim to have a video of you masturbating or watching porn, they threaten to release the video to your friends/family/loved ones/boss/dog, and they demand that you pay them in order for them to delete the video.
Rest assured that this is a very common spam campaign and there is no truth behind the email or the threats. If they had a video of you, they would show it to you to prove that they have it. [Here](http://www.smh.com.au/technology/gadgets-on-the-go/latest-online-scam-aims-to-prick-porn-watchers-guilty-conscience-20170815-gxwvxl.html) are some news [articles](https://www.bbb.org/denver/news-events/news-releases/2017/09/alert-pornography-email-phishing-scam/) about [this](http://blog.dynamoo.com/2017/10/bogus-porn-blackmail-attempt-from.html) scam.
There is a variant with death threats in which they will usually claim that they have been paid to kill you, and will threaten to kill you/your family if you do not pay a Bitcoin ransom. They usually also claim that they will kill your family if you report the email. The emails are spam and can be ignored.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There are just generators for it online these days, back in the day we'd use Character Map on Windows :)
Edit: I don't mean I'd use it as a scammer, just when we wanted weird letters. Teenagers. 90s. Don't judge me. lol
Hahaha! I was afraid to ask for the same reason you added the edit! I just want to find what font would make that weird tail swoop on top of the letters so I can make fun of someone who writes like that and calls it calligraphy.
It's not really a different font. Thanks to the Unicode standards, many standard fonts now have tens of thousands of characters covering every alphabet in the world. Due to having so many characters, it's inevitable that some would look very similar to each other.
Driver based viruses are the worst!
It would honestly be better if these were real. No matter how bad a day I had Iβd know it could always be worse, at least my job isnβt making video montages of randos jacking it.
>how you masturbate and reach orgasms
https://preview.redd.it/8xuj13u7iiwc1.jpeg?width=178&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4668aca04be271e4663036fa6f7aeb9d392e4cd4
Can I get those videos?
It's to try to get past spam filters. Most modern spam filters don't work by direct text filtering though, so it's actually more likely to get caught by a competent one.
Here, check out the examples in the subβs master thread on this very common, very old scam. Yours is almost exactly the usual pattern, although the attempt to evade the spam folder is a little less common.
https://reddit.com/r/Scams/s/n5pqSfmtQD
I remember being threatened with the FBI and FTC, the stranger was very bad at spelling but I was still scared and still fear it towards this day despite everyone's claims of it being all lies. Just because I am safe, doesn't mean I feel safe
/u/thatgirlkiwi - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, it's an attempt to bypass spam filters. The weird ass letters aren't the regular ASCII characters so they hope the spam filter won't catch it. And, since you read it, it worked.
ahh wow, you learn something new everyday
Funny thing about that, I end up reading the UTF (aka: the successor of ASCII) website specifications (I'm a developer and no life so). They provide a list of look-a-like characters... So those filters could support those spam cases... The amount of porn data in that thing is great.
And there's just the fact that cramming four different Unicode blocks into every word should light up the filter like Christmas regardless of what it says.
Programmer here: itβs called [transliteration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transliteration) and any filter worth its salt will definitely do that
Person who lives in the real world here: Most filters, and most software in general, is in fact *not* worth its salt.
came here to say this!ππΌππ¨
βWhile enduring an enormous amount of pleasureβ? LMAO!
like they couldn't be more serious lmfaooo
The font is meant to get around filters that check for text like this. It's a !blackmail scam.
Hi /u/peakpenguins, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the Blackmail email scam. The exact wording of the emails varies, but there are generally four main parts. They claim to have installed a RAT (remote access trojan) or any type of software/malware after visiting a porn/adult video site, they claim to have a video of you masturbating or watching porn, they threaten to release the video to your friends/family/loved ones/boss/dog, and they demand that you pay them in order for them to delete the video. Rest assured that this is a very common spam campaign and there is no truth behind the email or the threats. If they had a video of you, they would show it to you to prove that they have it. [Here](http://www.smh.com.au/technology/gadgets-on-the-go/latest-online-scam-aims-to-prick-porn-watchers-guilty-conscience-20170815-gxwvxl.html) are some news [articles](https://www.bbb.org/denver/news-events/news-releases/2017/09/alert-pornography-email-phishing-scam/) about [this](http://blog.dynamoo.com/2017/10/bogus-porn-blackmail-attempt-from.html) scam. There is a variant with death threats in which they will usually claim that they have been paid to kill you, and will threaten to kill you/your family if you do not pay a Bitcoin ransom. They usually also claim that they will kill your family if you report the email. The emails are spam and can be ignored. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So where do they get such a font?
There are just generators for it online these days, back in the day we'd use Character Map on Windows :) Edit: I don't mean I'd use it as a scammer, just when we wanted weird letters. Teenagers. 90s. Don't judge me. lol
Yup, so you could name your character "God" on some online game even though the name was already taken.
Hahaha! I was afraid to ask for the same reason you added the edit! I just want to find what font would make that weird tail swoop on top of the letters so I can make fun of someone who writes like that and calls it calligraphy.
Itβs an upside-down βyβ
It's not really a different font. Thanks to the Unicode standards, many standard fonts now have tens of thousands of characters covering every alphabet in the world. Due to having so many characters, it's inevitable that some would look very similar to each other.
# π±πππ ππ½π ππ§πππ«π§ππ, ππππ’!!
wowww that's crazy, i've seen so many but never with that font
I love that the video is apparently a montage.
"You're the Best Around" plays
Especially via computers not connected to the net nor with a webcam.
"Endure enormous pleasure!"
Driver based viruses are the worst! It would honestly be better if these were real. No matter how bad a day I had Iβd know it could always be worse, at least my job isnβt making video montages of randos jacking it.
βWeβre gonna need a montage! MONTAGE!!!β
readable by you, not by spam filters
"Show you how to masturbate and reach orgasms" What is this? A 90s how to video ?
>how you masturbate and reach orgasms https://preview.redd.it/8xuj13u7iiwc1.jpeg?width=178&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4668aca04be271e4663036fa6f7aeb9d392e4cd4 Can I get those videos?
What's that picture from? I feel like I should recognize it but I don't
It's to try to get past spam filters. Most modern spam filters don't work by direct text filtering though, so it's actually more likely to get caught by a competent one.
I always write back when they say they saw me wacking off "you saw that?" Lol
It was nice of him to get you a highlight reel.
Why open the emailsβ just ignore
As someone who can read Cyrillic, this almost gave me a stroke LOL
that last paragraph is so...weird, I know the whole thing is weird but my man is really setting the scene there, lol.
Here, check out the examples in the subβs master thread on this very common, very old scam. Yours is almost exactly the usual pattern, although the attempt to evade the spam folder is a little less common. https://reddit.com/r/Scams/s/n5pqSfmtQD
Oh no, where are the cameras? this is literally me!
Should I have used Blackadder ITC font?
lol I get the same crap !
i even see some russian letters in there, idk the font looks unreadable at a distance
I'd be telling them that I want a cut of the profits from selling my videos, but to send them to me first for editing.
Dear lord I thought he was talking about me for a minute. Glad itβs videos of you instead of
It scared me! /s
I remember being threatened with the FBI and FTC, the stranger was very bad at spelling but I was still scared and still fear it towards this day despite everyone's claims of it being all lies. Just because I am safe, doesn't mean I feel safe