We are all familiar with finding annoying spam messages in our e-mail inbox, labeled by subject lines offering cheap Rolex watches or urgent cries for help from friends mysteriously trapped in Europe. But what do you do when the tables are turned and it’s your friends who are receiving spam messages from your personal e-mail account? When this happens, it means your e-mail has been hacked. If you ever find yourself the victim of a spamming crime, remember to follow these 3 steps in order to regain control.
Notify Webmail Provider
The first action you should take is notifying your webmail provider. Make sure to contact them through their helpdesk or contact service and notify them of your hacked account. Reporting any hacking problems will allow the webmail provider to rectify the situation and then strengthen their security to ensure that this situation will not be repeated.
Change Password
Perhaps the most important step to take after discovering your e-mail has been hacked is changing your password. This will ensure that whomever has compromised your account won’t be able to do so again. It’s also a great time to create a more intricate password, one that won’t be easily guessed by a traditional hacker. It’s not surprising that randomized password guessing compromises most emails. After all, the most common password is “password.”
Notify your contact list
Let everyone on your contact list know that any emails received from your account over the past several days may have been spam. Doing this will help ensure that no scams are successful and no viruses are transmitted. Sending out an email to all your contacts is the responsible thing to do in this situation. Make sure to communicate the message clearly in the subject line, as some members of your comment list have already opened a spam message and are currently avoiding your e-mails.
No one likes having his or her personal information compromised. It’s important to remember that, if your email has been hacked, your online banking and other Internet managed services may also be compromised.
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