A Rant for Friday – Hacked!
By Jeannette | January 25, 2013
My email got hacked overnight and since 4am this morning I’ve been receiving messages of non-delivery – the first indication I’d been hacked.
I never click on dodgy-looking links in DMs or emails, a regular amount of email goes to “Junk” and “Junk” it indeed is: banks I don’t bank with telling me to click on the link and verify my details, “diplomats” or “secret agents” asking if I’d receive some money for them; diet pills (oi!) and links to photos apparently taken of me. Delete delete delete.
But, despite all this, someone managed to hack my email at 2.18am this morning and send dodgy links to EVERYONE we’ve ever emailed. Hubbie’s customers, people I’m liaising with to write/review for, personal contacts, schools, ex employers everyone.
I think it know how it happened, and it’s not by clicking on a link. My email was public in a tweet I sent, because I was tired, not feeling that great and basically I let my guard down and slipped up. 4 hours later (accordingly to the report issued by my service provider) I was hacked.
So, lessons to be learnt:
Don’t EVER put your email in a tweet
Don’t click on links in DMs/emails if you’re either not expecting them or they look dodgy (the hacked emails from “me”, for example, have letters added onto the end of my surname)
Query with whoever who you think sent it if you’re still unsure but DON’T open the link.
If you do find that you’ve been hacked:
Change your password immediately
And
Delete the account if email/app if twitter from your phone/tablet and then reinstall.
I hope this helps. I’m furious with whoever did this for a laugh but it’s taught me a lesson.
And if you’ve received a dodgy email from “me”. I can only apologise.
Thanks for reading Jx
16 Comments
Kim Carberry on 25th January 2013 at 12:32 pm.
Ohhh no! How awful & annoying!!
I have been hacked (sort of) by a annoying ex…Kept getting into my emails somehow and sending horrible messages out but at least it was only to a few people nothing on the scale of what you have had….Hope you get it sorted soon!!
Things like that scare me….
jbmumofone on 25th January 2013 at 12:46 pm.
That is so frustrating. My blog got hacked a little while ago and what annoyed me the most was the knowledge that it was probably some spotty thirteen year old boy holed up in his smelly bedroom.
Hope your e-mail is all sorted now x
Mammasaurus on 25th January 2013 at 12:47 pm.
ARGH! I had a hotmail account hacked once which spammed out emails to people for weeks – even after I closed the email account! And they were all so WRONG – a n ex-boyfriend recieved an email entitles ‘Need viagra’ and my mother had one titled ‘Hey there sexy feeling horny?’.
And I don;t know about you but that is one thing I never ever EVER want my have to say to my mum!
motherofmadcatsandbabies on 25th January 2013 at 1:38 pm.
I’m sorry. My husband is an email specialist for his job and generally an IT geek, my Dad works in communications security, and I’ve had it drummed into me about being super careful with email, clicking on links etc, but I’ve made errors before, and we’ve been hacked. It’s so annoying, inconvenient and frankly criminal. Also, I don’t understand what is so thrilling about hacking a private individuals account and having horrible mails invade all their contacts inboxes? What’s the point?
I hope you got it all cleaned up and no one really-clicked and spread it further! 🙁
Steph @MamaMarmalade (@MamaMarmalade) on 25th January 2013 at 3:40 pm.
Poor you, totally annoying. I still want to know if anyone in the history of the world has ever actually been spammed or received spam and looked at the message thought ‘why yes that looks interesting and legitimate I may just buy one of those’ !! .. I think not.
redpeffer on 25th January 2013 at 4:51 pm.
Oh no, how frustrating and what a hassle. I had the same as Mammasaurus-my hotmail was hacked and sent messages out even after it had been closed down. The first I knew about it was my Dad phoning me to ask about my email requesting money-v embarrassing! Bless him though.
Mummy Barrow on 25th January 2013 at 6:38 pm.
arrrrgggghhhh who decides they want to be a hacker? Is that an offer made by careers advisors? Do they put that on their CV?
Awful.
Pinkoddy on 26th January 2013 at 12:12 am.
I had an email account hacked once when I ran a forum. Was a sad nasty woman who most have used a special programme. Anyway – yes it’s because she knew my e-mail address – which is why I use a different one for my blog and another that I put out publicly. I hope too much damage wasn’t done with your account.
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:43 am.
Thanks K, it’s definitely taught me a lesson!
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:45 am.
Your comment still makes me LOL, luckily I think all I “offered” were second hand cars, photo canvasses and jobs! Bless those little hackers grrrr!
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:47 am.
Thanks, it was pretty horrible to think that anyone I’ve ever emailed got spammed but …it could have been worse.
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:48 am.
Thanks, the imagery in your reply made me lol, it seemed to have quieten down one, taught me a lesson though.
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:50 am.
It’s bizarre isn’t it, how some people “enjoy” themselves. The majority of people recognised it was dodgy, luckily 🙂
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:50 am.
Indeed, apparently I was “offering” all sorts of things!
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:52 am.
Thanks, bless your dad, what a sweetie x
AutismMumma on 26th January 2013 at 10:52 am.
You can just imagine, can’t you…complete pain.