It's happened. You try logging into your email account only to find that your username and password are not working. You try again, thinking maybe you hit the wrong key. No. You try multiple times, but no. You're locked out. You then find out that spam messages are being sent to your friends and family members through your account—you've been hacked.
Recovering a hacked email account can be a time consuming process, but it's the only way to ensure that you get your personal information and your email account back to normal.
Once you've determined that your email account has been hacked, the first thing you need to do is try and recover or reset the password. Most email services have a "Forgot Your Password" feature that allows you to reset or recover your password by asking a few security questions. If you have Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, you can also request to change your password and notify them that you believe your account was hacked.
Also Check : HOW TO : Recover Hotmail Account (Video)
Once you have access to your account again, it's important that you change your password to something completely different than what it previously was. Use strong passwords, which tend to be a combination of numbers and capital and lowercase letters. Gmail also allows users to place a two-step verification on their email account, which means that along with your email password, you will also need a special code that is sent to your mobile device. While this can be a pain every time you want to log into your email account (You can select a computer for 30 days too), it is a good way to keep hackers at bay.
Also Check : HOW TO : Enable 2-Step Verification in Gmail & Google Account
After you have successfully changed your password, you need to go through your email settings and ensure that you have the best privacy settings aligned for your account. Make sure your recovery email is set up to another one of your email accounts. Make sure your email is not being forwarded to a third party. It's also a good idea to change your security questions to something more current that only you would know.
Most people use the same login information and passwords for multiple accounts. If you are at fault for this, you need to go through all of your other accounts and change your passwords. Social media sites, online banking, credit cards, utilities, online shopping accounts—anything that you do online that requires a password needs to be changed to something new. DO NOT change it to the new password you just used for your email account. Make them all something different and strong that cannot be easily hacked.
Also Check :
Avoid Spams Emails Using Temporary Inboxes
Everything You Need to Know About Email Scams and How to Avoid It
If you want to be really safe, you can always deactivate the old account and set up a new email. You can always keep the other account activated for a while and set up a forward to the new email address so that all your emails come to the new address. After a few months, you can then delete the old account.
Once you account has been hacked and after you've taken all the precautions to get it back to normal, you need to send an email to your contact list and let them know that your email account was hacked and to please disregard any emails received from you that seem out of the ordinary or contain links. Sometimes, hackers will embed links into emails that will cause a virus on the host's computer when opened. If you have created a new email address, send your contacts an email from that address and let them know that you've changed email addresses and to disregard anything from your old account.
Also Check : HOW TO : Choose A Secure and Strong Password?
It's important to use good password practices to ensure that your account does not get hacked. Always use strong passwords whenever you need to create a new account. If you frequently check your email at a public place or frequently use Wi-Fi, it's important to change your password at least once every month. This keeps you from falling victim to scammers who scour public Wi-Fis for accounts to break into. You must also never write all your passwords down and leave them where someone can easily find them, and you must never email yourself a list of passwords. It is also extremely important to never share your passwords with anybody—there is no reason for anyone to need to know your account passwords.
As long as you follow these steps to recover your account, and as long as you follow the guidelines to create strong passwords and to keep your passwords safe, you shouldn't have to worry about email hacking ever again.
Minnie Brown is an avid writer. She is part of an entrepreneur association, EONetwork.org, and likes to give advice to other entrepreneurs.
Recovering a hacked email account can be a time consuming process, but it's the only way to ensure that you get your personal information and your email account back to normal.
What To Do When Someone Hacks Your Email Account
1. Reset/Recover Your Password
Once you've determined that your email account has been hacked, the first thing you need to do is try and recover or reset the password. Most email services have a "Forgot Your Password" feature that allows you to reset or recover your password by asking a few security questions. If you have Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, you can also request to change your password and notify them that you believe your account was hacked.
Also Check : HOW TO : Recover Hotmail Account (Video)
2. Change Your Password
Once you have access to your account again, it's important that you change your password to something completely different than what it previously was. Use strong passwords, which tend to be a combination of numbers and capital and lowercase letters. Gmail also allows users to place a two-step verification on their email account, which means that along with your email password, you will also need a special code that is sent to your mobile device. While this can be a pain every time you want to log into your email account (You can select a computer for 30 days too), it is a good way to keep hackers at bay.
Also Check : HOW TO : Enable 2-Step Verification in Gmail & Google Account
3. Revisit Your Settings
After you have successfully changed your password, you need to go through your email settings and ensure that you have the best privacy settings aligned for your account. Make sure your recovery email is set up to another one of your email accounts. Make sure your email is not being forwarded to a third party. It's also a good idea to change your security questions to something more current that only you would know.
4. Change Your Other Passwords
Most people use the same login information and passwords for multiple accounts. If you are at fault for this, you need to go through all of your other accounts and change your passwords. Social media sites, online banking, credit cards, utilities, online shopping accounts—anything that you do online that requires a password needs to be changed to something new. DO NOT change it to the new password you just used for your email account. Make them all something different and strong that cannot be easily hacked.
Also Check :
Avoid Spams Emails Using Temporary Inboxes
Everything You Need to Know About Email Scams and How to Avoid It
5. Create A New Email Account
If you want to be really safe, you can always deactivate the old account and set up a new email. You can always keep the other account activated for a while and set up a forward to the new email address so that all your emails come to the new address. After a few months, you can then delete the old account.
6. Tell Your Email Contacts
Once you account has been hacked and after you've taken all the precautions to get it back to normal, you need to send an email to your contact list and let them know that your email account was hacked and to please disregard any emails received from you that seem out of the ordinary or contain links. Sometimes, hackers will embed links into emails that will cause a virus on the host's computer when opened. If you have created a new email address, send your contacts an email from that address and let them know that you've changed email addresses and to disregard anything from your old account.
Also Check : HOW TO : Choose A Secure and Strong Password?
7. Continue To Practice Good Password Etiquette
It's important to use good password practices to ensure that your account does not get hacked. Always use strong passwords whenever you need to create a new account. If you frequently check your email at a public place or frequently use Wi-Fi, it's important to change your password at least once every month. This keeps you from falling victim to scammers who scour public Wi-Fis for accounts to break into. You must also never write all your passwords down and leave them where someone can easily find them, and you must never email yourself a list of passwords. It is also extremely important to never share your passwords with anybody—there is no reason for anyone to need to know your account passwords.
As long as you follow these steps to recover your account, and as long as you follow the guidelines to create strong passwords and to keep your passwords safe, you shouldn't have to worry about email hacking ever again.
Minnie Brown is an avid writer. She is part of an entrepreneur association, EONetwork.org, and likes to give advice to other entrepreneurs.