https://padlet.com/cet_professionalpathways/GE_B2_M3_W3_V6 en-us 2018-03-15 00:37:41 UTC 2018-04-03 02:06:05 UTC hello@padlet.com cet_professionalpathways https://padlet.com/cet_professionalpathways/GE_B2_M3_W3_V6/wish/242149418 The hacker who stole my emailaccount and asked for sympathy.
A hacker has been occupying my email account for the past week. And he or she may still be there. This person has been accessing my inbox, replying to messages, signing off with my nickname and refusing to let me email my contacts. In the weirdest twist, the hacker even started writing to me.
It started when my phone went crazy in the middle of a meeting. Some 5,000 contacts received an email from my account saying that I'd been held up at gunpoint in Madrid. According to the story, my mobile phone and credit cards had been taken and I was badly in need of money. There was a number to call to reach
me at my hotel and an account had been set up in my name to send money to.
Suddenly there' s a million things to do - stop your bank account; answer anxious calls; miss work deadlines; irritate bosses; reset all email-based passwords; forget to pay e-bills; upset friends who think you're ignoring them. At that point you realise that the email account is at the heart of the modem world. It's connected to just about every part of our daily life, and if something goes wrong, it spreads.
Out of sheer frustration, I sent an email to my occupied address, saying how I felt and asking for my contacts. Nine minutes later, I got this reply:

From: the hacker
To: Rowenna
8.42a.m.
Can you send me £500?

To which I replied ...

From: Rowenna Davis
To: the hacker
10.33 a.m.
1) I literally don't have £500 to give you. I can't make any more money until I have access to my account back - I work freelance and all my work contacts are being held by you.
2) How would I know if I gave you any money that you'd actually send me my contacts anyway?
3) Do you ever feel even slightly bad about what you're doing?


From: the hacker
To: Rowenna Davis
10.38 a.m.
Sure I don't feel great, but I don't seem to have a choice, it's way better than robbing you on the streets. I give you my word, if you send me money, I will give you back access to your account with all your emails and contacts intact. If you can't send £500 at least £300 will do.


Apparently, some 3,000 people reported such scam last year, but too few of these have been caught. The police haven't even returned my call. But I was lucky.
The only reason I was able to regain access to my account was through chance- a friend of a friend works at Google. Even now, I'm not sure it's over. ln one last message, addressed from myself just two days ago, the hacker wrote: "I see you got the account back. Sorry for the trouble."

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