Hacked!

From work this morning, I took my daughter to her summer workshops, then afterwards, went with her to watch High-5 live. We went home at almost 4pm, and I've been awake for more than 24 hours straight already. No wonder I slept right away when we got home.

I woke up an hour ago and was still sleepy and groggy when I went to my PC to check my email. I was shocked to receive this email from my mom...

Subject : Please i need your kind help urgently.

Hello,

This might be disturbing to hear as i never informed anyone of my traveling, but I can explain better after I sort myself out. I am in a hurry writing you this mail because the receptionist can only help me type this mail to you, since i have no access to the internet computer based on the bills i owe the hotel. It’s been a very sad moment for me, the present condition am in right now is so hard for me to explain, that’s why I want to seek your financial help and please come to my aid because something extremely dreadful is happening to me now and will expect you to keep confidential between you for now.

I quickly traveled down here to London , United Kingdom for a research program. Regrettably for me I forgot my little bag in the taxi on my way to the hotel where I lodged along side with my money, passport, traveling documents, diary, and other valuable documents. I have no money and no where else to go, that’s why I have been here staying in this hotel. I owe the hotel bills for my stay and the management is on my neck for their money.

Please I need you to help me with $4,350 today so I can make preparations and go back home immediately. The embassy here has already promised to give me a covering letter that I will need to tender to the immigration at the airport for my departure back home, all I need right now is the money to settle up the hotel bills, get a new air ticket to travel back and sort charges to authenticate the covering letter at the airport, since I have no police report and can't wait any longer. I have to pay up the hotel bills and be allowed to leave the premises to the embassy to get the covering letter which shall accompany me to the airport for the authentication of my travel documents. I am also starving and need to get food to eat. I am just thankful i have the help of the receptionist on duty who volunteered to assist me type this mail through their reception's computer in typing to you. I have been restricted access to the internet access in my room and phone calls. I don’t have money to make international calls right now. I will appreciate what so ever you can afford to send me for now and I promise to pay back your money as soon as I return home. I will be waiting to hear from you so I can tell you on how to send the money down here so I can be home immediately.

What's more shocking was that while I was reading the email, my mom was soundly asleep downstairs in their room. I immediately went to Yahoo! Mail to check mom's email and true enough, her password didn't work anymore. Her email, her very first email addy was hacked!

Almost 20 minutes after learning that my mom's email was hacked, I was able to counter-hack (is there such a term?) it and get it back. I made sure that it will be a lot more secure this time than before and tomorrow, first thing in the morning, everyone in this household will be taught Protecting your Email 101. So guys, make sure to check and double-check the security of your emails regularly. And yeah, I was able to get the alternate email used by the hacker, accountant_glandscapeinc@yahoo.com .