Yesterday I received an email from an acquaintance asking me to do a favor for them.

[Fla Dem]

I thought this was odd, while I know this person from volunteering at a food pantry, she really isn't someone I would expect to ask me to do them a favor.

But I respond, "Sure Bev, what's up".

I then get this response.

I need to get an iTunes gift card for my Niece, It's her birthday but I can't do this now because I'm currently traveling. Can you get it from any store around you? I'll pay back as soon as I am back. Kindly let me know if you can handle this.

Now alarm bells go off. So I call her. She tells me that someone hacked into her email and is sending emails to everyone on her contact list. I ask her to delete me from her contact list and I suggest she delete her email account and open a new one. She says it happened to everyone in her church group.

Now I'm concerned "they" have gotten access to my email contact list because I responded to her and they will send messages from me to people on my contact list. Ugh!

Any thoughts or has anyone else experienced this?

[Sherman A1]

1. Reset your password

That is where I would start.

[Fla Dem]

9. Good idea. Thanks.

[SallyHemmings]

2. I got something similar two months ago

No further drama after I contacted the sender.

Good luck!

[Fla Dem]

8. That's good to hear. Hope it's the same for me.

[safeinOhio]

3. True story...

Happened to me a few years ago. I had to make an announcement in church.

I told everyone there I had some bad and good news for everyone. First the bad new, my email was hacked so you might get some strange emails from me. Now the good news, you can still get the great deal on Viagra.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Sounds like

a hard sell to me...

[Fla Dem]

6. OK, that deserves my Chuckle Award!!!

[katmondoo]

4. Over the weekend I was violently attacked by someone who took over my email account

and everything with my user name and password. My advice is change your user name and make the password complicated using numbers, symbols, Capitol letters mixed in with lowercase. He even hacked and destroyed my Netflix and Amazon accounts. He wants $300.00 to fix my computer. He thinks I am a man so he says he is going to publish my porn stuff. I am buying a new computer and changing all my information. My blood pressure is finally stabilizing. I cannot contact anyone by email. My son is helping me using his computer which is very secure. This was one of the most severe and sophisticated hacking I have encountered or even heard of.

[Fla Dem]

7. OMG, That's terrible kat! Far worse than what I experienced.

So glad you have your son to help you. Hope everything works out for you and you have some sense of security.

[Bayard]

10. I get the--publish your porn stuff every once in awhile

Unless I send a bitcoin payment immediately.

My email is all over the place though because of my recruiting business.