I Was Hacked!

Last week I suddenly couldn't log onto my email account. I tried the "I forgot my password" route, but since we have moved 9 times in 9 years, when they asked me what my postal code was, I got the answer wrong so many times I got locked out. After 2 days of trying, I decided I'd better email the customer service. At first I couldn't figure out why they weren't replying to my emails.... until I realized that the only email address I had put on the email was the one I was locked out of!

After a week, I finally answered all their verification questions correctly & they got me back in! I looked in my "sent" & "trash" folders to see if he had sent any fraudulent emails, but there were none there, so I couldn't figure out why he would have taken over my account. What was the draw? Why not just set up his own new account? I don't think my screen name is really cool enough that someone else would want it bad enough to steal it.

I went to the page to change my password to discover that the address on file was not mine. No, it wasn't a place I had lived previously (at least I don't remember ever residing in Florida). Some schmuck broke into my email account & had the audacity to fill in his own alternate email address, address, & phone number! And let me tell you, when I discovered he had put his phone number in there, I was sorely tempted to give him a ring & chew him out! As I picked up the phone I thought better of it though b/c I didn't want my phone number to come up on his caller ID & then have him calling ME all the time!

So I got that all sorted out & decided that since I have some emails in my folders pertaining to banks & other on-line things, I should start changing all my passwords just in case he was a total scum. Thankfully he doesn't seem to have gained access to anything other than my eBay account. I couldn't log onto that one either, so I contacted eBay & they said they had already blocked my account b/c I was sending out scam emails from it.

At this point I was steamed! Not that I use my eBay account all that often, but IT'S MINE!!! I understand now a little of the violation that people feel when they have their identity stolen. My experience was nothing near as bad, but I was pretty mad. It's not easy to go back & get everything put back in place & I'm sure there are certain thing I have overlooked that a good & proper thief wouldn't have. If he had gotten my bank info we could be hooped at this point. A week doesn't seem like a long time, but w/ everything being on the internet I think it's alot easier to take people's money now.

Perhaps I should feel a bit sorry for the guy. He probably wouldn't have dreamed of a life of crime before the economic downturn in the States. He probably just was looking for a little cash to pay the rent, or feed his family. Maybe I should have saved his address so I could send him a "Charitable Donation" (or so I could turn him over to the cops).