6 Different Ways Scammers Can Use Your Email (and What to Do)
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You need to be careful with your email nowadays. Your main email address works as an online ID that will allow you to do anything from answering video calls to logging in to your most-used websites. Unfortunately, there are some bad folks out there trying to get as much information from you as possible – and that includes your email address. Believe it or not, there are many ways scammers can use your email address, whether they have your login credentials or not. In the best-case scenario, people will send you spam emails that you can ignore, but there are worse things that scammers can do with your email. Continue reading to learn six different ways scammers can use your email (and what to do about it).
They Can Use It for Phishing
Phishing is a strategy scammers use to retrieve information about you. If a scammer has your email address, all they need to do next is figure out your password, and phishing is a quick way to do it. They can create a fake website or pretend to be a company you trust, like your bank. You might "log in" to that phony website with the same password as your email. They'll record that information and instantly have what they need to log in to your accounts to take control of them.
They Can Steal More Information From You
Once someone has your email address, they can use it to find more information about you. If they can access your email, they can see all the information you've sent or received in your email. That includes your personal information, financial data, or sensitive data from work. Basically, everything that's stored on your email account will be available to anyone who gets in. That's not good.
Your Email Can Be Used to Impersonate You
Once someone gets ahold of your email address and your password, they can use this information to impersonate you. If they have the necessary information, they could pretend they're you and start sending emails to your friends and family to either get money or more information about other possible victims. Most people tend to avoid emails from people they don't know, but if a friend or family member emails you, it's possible that you're going to answer it and even try to help them. Scammers and hackers try to take advantage of this situation to impersonate you to get ahold of your loved ones.
They Can Reset Your Passwords
If someone has the login credentials to your email address, chances are they'll try to log into every platform they can. Since they have your email address, it's possible to reset your passwords on other websites. What's worse is that they could even change the password, or even the email address on other websites, making it impossible for you to log in, even if you manage to retrieve your email. They could even go one step farther and take control of your two-factor authentication security. That way, you wouldn't be able to log in anymore even if you have the correct password or email.
They Can See Your Movements
If you've used your email to make reservations, buy a plane ticket, or even search for vacation spots, scammers and hackers could know immediately. What's more, if they can access your calendar or a list of your meetings, they'll pretty much know where you'll be and at what time. Sounds scary, but since we use email to do many of these things, it's not hard for someone to get this information from your account. What's worse, they can use it against you.
They Can Blackmail You
Scammers and hackers might use any information they find in your email account to blackmail you. They could do anything from making sensitive information public to using your email to send inappropriate emails to your coworkers or loved ones. They could use this leverage to try to blackmail you for money or worse.
What Should I Do If Someone Hacked My Email?
There are many things you can (and should) do if you get hacked, but the first thing you should try to do is get control of your account ASAP. As soon as you know your email has been hacked, try to reset the password and make sure to close your account on every other device.
If you're using the same email and password on other platforms and websites, you should also change them in case someone tries to log in.
You should also try to contact your loved ones or people you work with and tell them that you were hacked. Let them know that they may get emails from you asking for help or money, but that they should call you to confirm it's actually you.
Another thing you should do is make your passwords stronger. It's best to use different passwords for different platforms and try to enable two-factor authentication whenever you can. That won't make your accounts completely unhackable, but it'll be way harder to log in without your consent.
