UPDATED BELOW! PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

I've been a Hotmail user for years and have had the same email address there for about 12 years.

Yesterday afternoon, I logged onto my account with no issues. Last night, I tried to check my email and found I could not log on, it was saying my password was incorrect. I tried verifying my information but the security question had been changed as well. Apparently my account was hacked and hijacked. From what I've been researching, MSN won't do much about it because it's a free email and I guess not very important to them in the long run.

I am devastated. Mostly because the very first emails my husband and I ever sent to each other were saved in that email and now they're gone forever.

I was one of those naive people who thought stuff like that wouldn't happen to me. Stupid on my part because I had been the victim of identify theft several years before.

Luckily I do not use that email account for anything linked to my banking, credit card, or any other pertinent information.

I'm extremely upset however because the very first emails my husband and I ever sent to each other were saved in that email account and now they're gone forever.

If you are a web-based email user, please be aware that this can happen to anyone at any time.

Thanks for listening.

Message edited 3/16/2008 1:21:30 PM.

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

I'm sorry that happened to you. Thanks for the heads up. I use MSN as well.

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

do you always log out?
that is pretty scary that someone hacked into your email, i thought that was at least safe, i guess not

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

I'm so sorry to hear that Theresa.

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

Thanks for the PSA. I have 10 years worth of emails I don't want to lose.

I'm so sorry that happened to you!!

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

how about your husband's accounts? Are they still there? The emails should be there as well.

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

so does he still have the account from when you first met and exchanged emails? Work acct or optonline?

Re: PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

Update:

Well I guess MSN does work on weekends. They were able to verify my identify as the owner of that email account and sent password reset options to another email of mine.

When I went in to see what happened, all of my emails were there (Thank You God!) but the person who hacked it had changed my location to Georgia and the alternate email to [email protected]. I looked up trashmail.net and it looks like it's a program that makes it very easy for people to steal your email addresses because it's a disposable email service which supposedly saves you from junkmail and spam. Yeah right!

Needless to say, I've pulled all sentimental and important information OUT of that account and moved it somewhere more secure.

I seriously felt violated when this happened. I hope nothing like this ever happens to any of you because it *****. I don't feel safe doing anything important online right now.

Re: UPDATED BELOW! PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

Re: UPDATED BELOW! PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

oh my gosh I'm so sorry that happened to you. I have an old email acct that I refuse to close because all of the old emails when DH and I were getting to know each other are on there- good thing I printed them out years ago. But I still don't want to give it up just yet!

Ugh I so feel for you. That's the worst feeling.

Re: UPDATED BELOW! PSA for those who use Web-based Email (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc).

the same thing happened to me with my web based version of earthlink. It's very violating and i lost a lot of old emails as well.