Community Chat

[qvcaddition]

I received one asking for update on one of my CC Accounts.

[Clover29]

My hotmail was hacked a few years ago (I had a very easy password, serves me right). I rarely used the account, and only found out it was hacked when the hacker sent me one of those "send me money, I'm sick overseas" spams to my own main email address, which was in my hotmail address book. I only had a half dozen addresses in there, and everyone knew I wasn't sick overseas, so my friends also let me know I'd been hacked.

The worst thing about it was trying to get my account back. Microsoft were very unhelpful, and wanted to know a ton of info I couldn't provide, like last time I used the account, when the account was opened, etc. I got there in the end, but it was worse than dealing with the DMV, the IRS and my health insurance combined.

[spindlegirl]

So what I wonder is how do we know if the spam is a problem with our email or the sender's?

[SoX]

They probably spammed your grandson's email contact list -- this happened to my friend -- and are sending mailings to everyone on that list. The email you deleted possiblly had a clickable link to a trojan or virus of some sort.

Your grandson should contact his email provider and have his email addressed changed.

[SydneyH]

I receive those types of spam all the time, I'm not too worried about the latest Eastern European hacking efforts.

[AuntG]

I got two calls in which a foreign sounding voice said they wanted to talk about a problem with my computer. I thought it might be a scam, so I said that I didn't have a home computer but I could give them my employer's number if they needed to talk about my work computer. After about 10 seconds, I heard a click and they hung up.

[LyndaGee]

I had never heard of that Russian scam. Thanks for the information, Ford.

I had a suspicious incident on Facebook. A lady who I didn't know and never heard of asked me to "Friend" her. I usually don't respond, but for some reason I did. Well, I received a sad email from her saying she was alone and dying of Cancer, and she wanted ME to handle her financial situation. Sounded familiar. I emailed her back, saying I could only offer her prayers, and she needed to hire a professional to handle her private matters. Never heard from her again.

[KathyPet]

Your grandson's E mail!address has been hacked and scammers are using it to send E mails to his contact list. You need to let him know and he will have to change his info.

[151949]

I got these and I don't have children or grandchildren. I just put them to junk so they go there automatically now should any more come.

[goodstuff]

You are not "obviously on the Russian list". You received some spam, which all of us get at one time or another. I've received several pieces in the past few weeks myself. There's a lot of it out there!

Likely your grandson's email was breached, since the emails came from him. It's important to know that when you receive suspicious emails purportedly from friends you shouldn't open them. Instead, email the sender to confirm if he/she really sent them. Sometimes they are money-making scams, and sometimes they may have viruses attached.