{"id":2109,"date":"2026-09-23T23:57:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/?p=2109"},"modified":"2026-09-23T23:57:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T03:57:12","slug":"youve-got-the-wrong-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/23\/youve-got-the-wrong-address\/","title":{"rendered":"You\u2019ve Got the Wrong Address"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every day, Bitcoin Who\u2019s Who gets emails about scams, fraud and suspicious Bitcoin activity. But every once in a while, a scammer manages to create a moment of perfect irony: they send a Bitcoin extortion email directly to Bitcoin Who\u2019s Who<\/strong>\u2014complete with the wallet address they want us to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

According to the message, the attacker had supposedly gained access to our files, accounts and camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammer then claimed to have recorded us through the camera and threatened to distribute the alleged recording unless we paid $1,400 in Bitcoin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then came the part that made us smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammer provided the Bitcoin address where we were supposed to send the money:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16pQ54sHsqQrUR2nYQsf2r7g93nwc37k2j<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seriously?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You sent a Bitcoin extortion email…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

to Bitcoin Who\u2019s Who…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and included the Bitcoin address?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s a little like sending a threatening letter to a locksmith and signing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cP.S. Here’s where I keep the spare key.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammer’s master plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The email follows a familiar sextortion formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, establish fear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your computer has been compromised.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then establish credibility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have your files, accounts and camera.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then introduce embarrassment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recorded you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then create urgency:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll send it to everyone you know.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Send Bitcoin to this address.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a simple psychological formula designed to get the recipient thinking about the threat instead of thinking about the evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there’s one problem with that strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitcoin leaves a trail.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The address is the interesting part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The scammer apparently wants the recipient to focus on the alleged video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Bitcoin Who’s Who, we’re naturally more interested in the part where the scammer says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSend Bitcoin here.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s because the Bitcoin address is something that can be investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The email address can be spoofed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The malware claims may be fabricated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleged video may not exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Bitcoin address?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s something we can actually examine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that’s the delicious irony of this particular email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammer gave Bitcoin Who’s Who exactly the information we would want to investigate.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI removed my malware to leave no traces.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That’s another interesting claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scammer says the malware has supposedly been removed and that no traces remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Bitcoin doesn’t work quite the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blockchain transactions are publicly recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sender may believe they’ve created an anonymous payment destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they’ve potentially created a permanent piece of evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn’t mean a Bitcoin address automatically identifies its owner. Attribution can require considerable additional evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the transaction history is there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that’s a much more interesting place to start than an anonymous threat claiming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI recorded you.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the scammer gives customer-service advice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the funniest part of the email comes near the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After threatening the recipient, the scammer helpfully recommends several places to purchase Bitcoin and then concludes with legitimate cybersecurity advice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change your passwords and install security updates.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re not going to argue with that advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s just somewhat unusual to receive cybersecurity recommendations from the person who is supposedly blackmailing you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wrong audience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The scammer apparently wanted a frightened Bitcoin user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, they found themselves communicating with a company whose business revolves around investigating Bitcoin addresses associated with scams, fraud and other suspicious activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s difficult to imagine a more appropriate wrong number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They didn’t just send the ransom note to the wrong person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sent the ransom note to the people who check the ransom address.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t panic. Investigate.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For anyone else receiving an email like this, the important lesson isn’t that every sextortion email is harmless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s that panic is exactly what the scammer wants.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t automatically believe the claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t assume that technical language means the sender actually has access to your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t send Bitcoin simply because someone threatens you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserve the email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save the Bitcoin address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report the extortion attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And investigate the payment address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because sometimes the scammer’s biggest mistake isn’t making the threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s telling you exactly where to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for the Bitcoin address.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll take it from here.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every day, Bitcoin Who\u2019s Who gets emails about scams, fraud and suspicious Bitcoin activity. But every once in a while, a scammer manages to create a moment of perfect irony: they send a Bitcoin extortion email directly to Bitcoin Who\u2019s Who\u2014complete with the wallet address they want us to investigate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[62],"tags":[101],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2110,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2109\/revisions\/2110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitcoinwhoswho.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}