Email account was stolen

[35Rem]

My #(%*&W#(% email address was hacked in to and the password changed. My yahoo account that I've had for 5 years is no longer mine!
This is such a pain in the rump.

I've been getting phone calls all day from nearly everyone in my "contacts" list that got some bogus email saying I got mugged in Wales UK and need help. Some people have told me they got replies from the piece-o-crap, too.

If you got one from me, I'm sorry. I'm safe and sound in Alabamy. (You can still send me money, if you want, though, just not to the UK )

 

[venomballistics]

great scam mechanics there ... ill give the jerk that much

 

[truckemup97]

Did you get the $10,000 I wired you? I've got your e-mail IOU....

 

[Duster42]

Quite a few people that I know have had their Yahoo email accounts hacked like this.
I think Yahoo has been having a real problem with this lately.
My yahoo account was hacked last month sending out malicious emails to every one in my address book.It took ATT DSL (yahoo email) about two hours to get my account back up.
What is a good alternative for yahoo email?

 

[Mod10]

What is a good alternative for yahoo email?

Gmail is very safe and has a lot more features than ymail.

 

[feralmerril]

Identical thing happened to me about 4 months ago and I posted here about it. Wasnt long after that and my computer was worthless and I had to get it all wiped out and start fresh. In my case everyone I had sent a e=mail to, got a message from me in london, pickpocketed and needed money to get home on. Fortunately, my cop brother in law was the first to call me and check it out. Still got somewhat embarassing as I got at least 10 phone calls in a day or two!
Mine was a hot mail adress. It started out with a warning I would be dropped in 48 hours unless I verified my info. I figuered that bogus and did nothing, then sure enough, two days later I was locked out! My wife then figured the warning had to be legit and complied. Thats when I got in real trouble with it! There is a federal # I was given by someone to report it to some computer fraud agency, and I did. I no longer have the #, or web adress, maybe you can goggle it. You report your story on the computer to them by E-mail.

 

[oldman45]

What is wrong with having a static ISP email address?

I bought an internet satellite system for my home. No cable, no telephone are needed. Just electricity. Got ten email accounts. Got high speed internet. All I have to do is pay the bill each month.

Also, I had to have a business internet system so I got DSL from BellSouth. Got another seven email accounts. All private, all with me for the rest of my life. All tax deductible.

Why does one need a yahoo, gmail, hotmail or other type account?

Why does someone like yahoo, gmail, hotmail or others furnish the email addresses for FREE? Each person here knows nothing is free and everything comes with a price.

Eventually these free email sites will bite you in the rear. Gmail recently had a major interruption in their system due to hackers. So have all the other major free players.

I will bet everyone here with such an account also has a ISP that offers mulitple, secure email addresses to their users but people run in mass to the freebie providers. As I said, nothing is free.

 

[afriqueart]

Damn pimply faced teenage offspring. It's a shame all kids do now days is surf the net looking for the latest tattoo patterns, the bigest lip rings they can find and cause havoc for law abiding, normal, everyday citizens.

 

[JcMack]

Who here that had their info hijacked was using WIFI?

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Why does one need a yahoo, gmail, hotmail or other type account?

In my case... the 'need' was simplicity.

My mother is now living alone after father passing. Comcast is my ISP, she has Astound. Gmail has a very simple e-mail page with embedded Video Chat. I set both of us up with Gmail accounts. All she has to do is click on Gmail and she can see if I am on line and one more click to video chat with me. Having the same screens was MUCH easier for me to explain exactly where she needed to look and click for the first couple times until she was at ease with it. I tried the Logitech software that came with the video cameras but it was unreliable for connection and she got frustrated. There are many ways to connect video, but I found Gmail Video Chat is very reliable, simple, and best of all it made Mom happy... and that is a very high priority need.

 

[oldman45]

In my case... the 'need' was simplicity.

My mother is now living alone after father passing. Comcast is my ISP, she has Astound. Gmail has a very simple e-mail page with embedded Video Chat. I set both of us up with Gmail accounts. All she has to do is click on Gmail and she can see if I am on line and one more click to video chat with me. Having the same screens was MUCH easier for me to explain exactly where she needed to look and click for the first couple times until she was at ease with it. I tried the Logitech software that came with the video cameras but it was unreliable for connection and she got frustrated. There are many ways to connect video, but I found Gmail Video Chat is very reliable, simple, and best of all it made Mom happy... and that is a very high priority need.

I fully understand but as with other things, there comes a risk. Hackers try to get into places like gmail. Disgruntaled employees have access to gmail records and will damage the system in whatever methods possible. Also your computer is open to outside access when in online chats and video streaming. The twisted minds of some geeks have gained access to many computers in such ways.

My computers contain sensitive information from court records and I cannot allow chatrooms or video streaming tobe accessed from them due to the increased risk of hackers. But some people have a need or desire for such.

It is easier for me to talk on a land based phone with those I need to talk with and I have nationwide calling that keps me from being charged for long distance calls.

Also I have a dedicated email address just for places that require an address. That account gets a lot of junk mail simply because people sell addresses.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Now that you mention it.... my Gmail account is the only one that doesn't get inundated with spam. I've had it about a year I suppose... and not one spam or anything else. My ISP Comcast e-mail account is always flooded with garbage.

Do you pay for a nationwide calling plan? I have MagicJack. $40 for two years unlimited calling anywhere. I know some people who pay that much or more every month. I bought MagicJack just for giggles to see what kind of a gimmick it was. Turns out it works just as advertised. Very cool gadget... regularly use it while at my computer.

 

[oldman45]

Now that you mention it.... my Gmail account is the only one that doesn't get inundated with spam. I've had it about a year I suppose... and not one spam or anything else. My ISP Comcast e-mail account is always flooded with garbage.

Do you pay for a nationwide calling plan? I have MagicJack. $40 for two years unlimited calling anywhere. I know some people who pay that much or more every month. I bought MagicJack just for giggles to see what kind of a gimmick it was. Turns out it works just as advertised. Very cool gadget... regularly use it while at my computer.

Good luck with Magic Jack and your bank balance. I suggest you google Magic Jack complaints and read a few hundred of them. There is an entire website just for their complaints.

I pay $19 a month per line for unlimited nationwide calling. For me, it is tax deductible and I have my normal carrier number. Before I got this feature, my avg line charge in long distance calls of about $140 per line. Even my fax lines were costing me a bundle. Not everyone would benefit from service like i have but for my needs it is great. I live 5 miles from another state and 50 miles from another state in addition to having to call long distance to numbers within the state when the dialed prefix is more than about 30 miles away.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Good luck with Magic Jack and your bank balance. I suggest you google Magic Jack complaints and read a few hundred of them. There is an entire website just for their complaints.

My bank balance? What are you talking about? I paid $40 cash at Radio Shack about a year ago for the MJ unit, and that is it. There is no monthly bill... no nothing... no credit card, checking account or anything that is associated in any way shape or form to my bank account or any other of my finances with MJ. Once you buy the unit it's good for 2 years of unlimited service. After 2 years I'll throw the unit away and buy another from Radio Shack if the program is still going. You have more exposure from your phone company if you pay with a check, credit card or monthly draft than you would with MJ. I wonder if people are using their credit cards to extend MJ service? If so, that's not a good idea.

 

[oldman45]

My bank balance? What are you talking about? I paid $40 cash at Radio Shack about a year ago for the MJ unit, and that is it. There is no monthly bill... no nothing... no credit card, checking account or anything that is associated in any way shape or form to my bank account or any other of my finances with MJ. Once you buy the unit it's good for 2 years of unlimited service. After 2 years I'll throw the unit away and buy another from Radio Shack if the program is still going. You have more exposure from your phone company if you pay with a check, credit card or monthly draft than you would with MJ. I wonder if people are using their credit cards to extend MJ service? If so, that's not a good idea.

Again, google the words Magic Jack complaints. Some of them are about the working of it. Most are about the money being taken from their bank after the service was stopped or for some monthly fee.

Granted I pay more for my phone service but it is reliable. For you, Magic Jack works best at this time. But you may not be running a multi state consulting firm with Magic Jack and fax machines. I pay my phone bill once a month and that is done either by phone with a debit card or else at the office with cash. But my bank balance seldom has enough to buy a Magic Jack after the lady that lives here only to deplete my money and make my life miserable is finished spending for the month.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Again, google the words Magic Jack complaints. Some of them are about the working of it. Most are about the money being taken from their bank after the service was stopped or for some monthly fee.

Granted I pay more for my phone service but it is reliable. For you, Magic Jack works best at this time. But you may not be running a multi state consulting firm with Magic Jack and fax machines. I pay my phone bill once a month and that is done either by phone with a debit card or else at the office with cash. But my bank balance seldom has enough to buy a Magic Jack after the lady that lives here only to deplete my money and make my life miserable is finished spending for the month.

I looked. As I suspected, it was people giving their credit/debit card numbers out then later having difficulty canceling service. Not a good idea. I don't have any such exposure.

 

[35Rem]

UPDATE: I got it back. Did a hard password change. My security questions had been changed and all. My Contacts list was deleted, however I recovered them from the emails that were sent asking for help.
[email protected] was the culprit. I'd like to kick her in the head...

 

[LVSteve]

UPDATE: I got it back. Did a hard password change. My security questions had been changed and all. My Contacts list was deleted, however I recovered them from the emails that were sent asking for help.
[email protected] was the culprit. I'd like to kick her in the head...

Please don't say you believe that Sara Plackmore is a real person?

 

[Sistema1927]

The same thing happened recently to a friend using a gmail email address. It was strange to receive an email stating that she had been mugged in London, England when I knew that she was atill in town.