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AOL - email hacked!

I had my AOL email account hacked into today. I know that it was hacked into as I received an email from my aol email address with a dodgy looking link through my works email. I could see that it had been sent from my aol email to a number of my contacts.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I finally got through to aol on the phone after 2 hours of being sent around the houses - by being given yet another number to call and then put on hold for another 20 minutes. I eventually asked for a supervisor and was put through to this really snotty 'foreign' bloke who spoke over me the entire time and said that as I had already cancelled my broadband with aol (as I moved house a few months ago, but continued to use the email which they fully allow), they would be unable to help me.

I did mention the fact that my email had been hacked into and I had personal information saved and the email was linked with various accounts (thankfully not my bank account) and that it was potentially fraudulent activity.....and he still wasn't able to help.......all I wanted to do was cancel the flippin' email address!!

I am so annoyed, as I was with aol for over 10 years at my previous address and feel that I have been pooed upon from a great height. I have deleted all personal emails that were within the account and am not in the process of dissassociating any accounts that I hold.

So just a bit of friendly advice....AVOID AOL LIKE THE PLAGUE.

Comments

  • presume you're running anti-virus software? If not, it's a good idea to as it sounds more like a virus.

    Hope it's nothing to onerous to sort out xx
  • You could just change all the password settings, and let your friends know that there was a problem?

    If you reset everything, the hacker is kicked back out - they won't even notice, the systems are automated and hack thousands of accounts a day.

    Mulled Wine is right - get a good anti-virus package (not Norton, it is terrible) check your machine is clear, and then reset the passwords. You can download a free system call AVG which is quite good. My hotmail was hacked recently, and that was all that was necessary. I don't retain any passwords online, and they probably don't look - the money is made is using your account to send out spam and phishing scams.

    Take a deep breath, and relax - you really don't need to shut it down.
    Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps....
    LB moment - March 2006. DFD - 1 June 2012!!! DEBT FREE!



    May grocery challenge £45.61/£120
  • Dont use AVG.. use either avast or avira. much better.

    but download http://www.malwarebytes.org/ update the programme first then run a scan on it.. This isnt an anti virus as such but it does a good job at finding things other have missed
    one of the famous 5:kiss:
  • pimento
    pimento Posts: 6,243 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Are you sure you weren't just spoofed?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_spoofing
    "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." -- Red Adair
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