Advice for hijacked Yahoo! mail

From the Reader Mail Department

A Reader wrote in with a question that might be pertinent to some of you..

Contact Tech Paul
Message:” I’m almost sure people have cracked my password to yahoo, because everytime I want to open my account, the password does not work
How do I find out who has gotten into my yahoo email?”

Sent by an unverified visitor to your site.

A: Unless it is someone in your own environment (with access to your computer) I doubt anyone could figure out who has “broken into” (and it sounds like, ‘hijacked’) your email account. In the recent past, Yahoo has been “hacked” and 100,000’s of email address/passwords stolen, many times. (for example, http://www.zdnet.com/yahoo-confirms-400000-accounts-hacked-less-than-5-valid-7000000812/).

But I wouldn’t worry about the “who” so much as I would worry about regaining control of your account; and the way to do that is through Yahoo!.
(Usually the process is started by clicking the “forgot my password” link.)

Try these methods, in order.
1) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101007173522AAkWiz9

2) http://pctechnotes.com/how-to-recover-your-hacked-yahoo-account/

If you verify that you were indeed hijacked, you might have luck writing to Yahoo! and asking for an investigation… But since Yahoo! Mail is a free service, I doubt there is much they’ll do. But you can try.
And a computer forensics specialist might have methods I am unaware of, but they do not work cheap.

Good luck, and regards, TP

Today’s quote: “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” ~ George Washington

Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.

Please Help Me Access My Hotmail – I’ve Been Hijacked

I receive frequent requests to recover hijacked email accounts or retrieve the information in them, and/or to reset lost passwords. Here’s my answer:

No.

There is nothing I can do.

But here is what you can do:

1) Contact your email service provider and tell them what has happened. They should have some way of identifying you, (usually a couple of ‘secret questions’ you pre-set up) after which they should be able to reset your password.

(Notice there is no Number 2?)

*     *     *

Unfortunately this (almost) never works for free accounts. Why? Because these accounts are free and there’s (almost) no customer support. They tell you that up front. You get what you pay for.

Let me be even clearer about that: if you are using a free webmail (online email) service such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc., and…

• you forgot or lost your password
• your password does not seem to work
• you forgot the answer to your secret question
• and you did not set up an alternate email address, or you lost access to the alternate email address
• your account has been hijacked by a hacker
• and Support is not responding to your request for help

You are out of luck. I cannot help you – even if you hired me to.

Your only shot at regaining access to your email is via the form the service provides. Which does not always work.

Hotmail: The Windows Live Help Solutions Center is currently your only official support resource for Windows Live Hotmail.
If you think you’ve been hijacked, you can use Windows Live’s own Windows LiveID Account Recovery Help Page. There you’ll be taken through a form where you can prove that you are the rightful owner, and may, hopefully, regain access to the account.

Gmail: try this Gmail Help page first.

Yahoo Mail: try the Sign-in Help Wizard first.

I am not going to bother writing out the instructions for setting up your account, now, so that recovery in the future will be easier, nor tell you to write down the answer to your secret question (your Account settings is where you start), as I may as well be saying “change your oil every 7,500 miles”, or “brush and floss three times a day.” Many are probably reading this because they were not the careful conscientious type, and they were hoping someone else would clean up their mess for them.. (the New American Way.)
All I can say is: use the “recovery form”; fill it out to the best of your ability; and I can wish you good luck.

Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.

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"My Gmail Account Was Hijacked"

I received a letter from a retired English teacher in Iowa.

“My gmail account was hijacked, and everyone in my address book received this…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject: Urgent Assistance Needed!!!
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:40:59 +0100
From: [letter writer’s name]

Hello,
I’m sorry for this urgent assistance request and i am sorry never to have mentioned anything to you about my visit to the UK.

I’m currently stuck in Wales,United Kingdom right now, I came down here on a short visit, it was fun but unfortunately i got robbed last night on my way back to the hotel,lost cash and credit cards, it was such a crazy experience,it was shocking  when i had a gun pointed at me but i thank God that never never pulled the trigger,a lady saw them and screamed for help on my behalf. I need help returning back home,i sustained few injuries but i thank GOD for my life and for still having my passport with me.

I’ve been to the authorities but they are not being 100% supportive but the good thing is that i still got my passports but currently having troubles paying off the hotel bills and getting a return ticket.

I need you to loan us 1,800.00 and i promise to refund it back tomorrow.. You have my word !!!

“Paul,
I sent this to you because you already have samples of similar scams at techpaul.wordpress.com.

Spread the news about strong passwords, and about software like lastpass.  Using weak passwords (which I have done) is like leaving your car unlocked in a mall parking lot. Note that the cracker/scammer removed the phone number from my gmail .signature file.  That reduces the chance that someone will call right away to check up on me.

Glad you have publicized stuff like this.  It’s a valuable service to the Internet community.  Thanks.
Cheers,
[Name withheld]

PS
I’m a retired English teacher, so most all of my correspondents know right away, from the atrocious writing, that it is a scam.

In my private exchanges with the letter writer, they informed me that they have yet to regain access to their Gmail account. Updated: the day after posting this, my correspondent told me they had finally regained access.

If you have had your Gmail hijacked: Unfortunately as you probably already know, Google customer service is virtually nonexistent. Everything is done through forms. Use the following form to report your trouble and regain access.

I will not tell you – yet again – that you need to use strong passwords, and change them every so often. All I get is “yeah.. yeah.. I know” and it kills my ratings. (From my Got A Computer? Top 10 Things You Should Do articles -> “#8: Use strong (and complex) passwords. Everywhere. And change them every so often.”)

Related:
* My Gmail Account Hacked From Nigeria
* A FREE Utility to Backup Your Gmail
* Use strong (and complex) passwords

Today’s free download: LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that makes web browsing easier and more secure.

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** Software License Giveaway Drawing **

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The folks at SPAMFighter have generously donated 5 licenses for SPAMFighter Pro to me, to award to my readers.

SPAMFighter is a community-based spam filtering tool for Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail and Thunderbird that automatically and efficiently filters spam and phishing fraud – keeping it out of your Inbox.
For details (and to enter), click here.

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Copyright 2007-2010 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. post to jaanix.

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