Your Email Account Has Been Hacked….Now What?????

1. ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT

Visit email provider’s website and try to log in. If you can’t, try the password reset (look for the “forgot password” option). You may need to answer the security questions or remember numbers from a pass key.

2. CHANGE  YOUR PASSWORD

Create a long, complex password (16 character is recommended), mixing latter cases, numbers, punctuation mark and special characters. Avoid familiar words or dates. Use a made-up word or a wrong spelling.

3. CHANCE YOUR PASSWORDS ON OTHER ACCOUNT.

It’s unwise to use the same password for multiple email account. If you have, change these too.

4. CHECK YOUR SENT ITEMS.

Hackers often use email accounts they’ve broken into to send spam to the contacts, hoping to harvest personal information. Look for anything unusual and, if necessary, tell your contacts that your email has been hacked.

5. CHECK YOUR OTHER DEVICE

Make sure you can still access your email on other devices, such as your tablet or smartphone. If a hacker signs in into your email, you may need to change your password in the setting or type in your new password again to continue receiving email on these devices.               

6. ADD A LAYER OF SECURITY

Having an alternative access method increase security. If you add your mobile number to your account and need to reset your password, your email provider can text you an access code. Many banks offer devices which generate a random code (a OTP: One-Time Password) which you can type into the website to log into your account online. Most email providers offer one or more of these two-stage authentication processes but you may need to active them, so check your account setting. It’s the best way to ensure that hackers can’t access your information again.