Email Hacked - Help?

[750XL]

Hello,

Many moons ago when internet first became standard in UK households we used AOL, and an email account was set up for each member of the family.

I rarely use this @aol.com email address but I still have some stuff on there (such as password recovery from logins I've forgotten).

The other day I noticed that my @aol.com email had sent a spam email (some 'travel peru' link, which had been sent to all my contacts) to my @gmail.com. I tried to log into my @aol.com to find the password had been changed.

However, on the family PC, which still has the AOL browser software installed, I can login using my password, check my email and even send emails :confused: If I try to access my emails via the AOL email website, I'm told my account has been blocked due to suspicious activity.

I have no idea how someone/something has gained access to my account as there's been no other password breaches and we're all fairly tech minded when it comes to viruses etc.

Any ideas on how I can get back into my account :sad:

[BOAC]

Try AOL 'help'?

[Milo Minderbinder]

change the passwords AND the account verification questions
then see what happens

also scan the machine you can't log in with for malware. I suspect you have a browser hijack running on it. I've seen this behaviour before, and theres usually a script running trying to redirect the logon attempt and hijack the password

[750XL]

Can't reset my password as it tells me my account has been blocked due to suspicious behaviour (but offers me no way to unblock it).

Scanned my PC/Laptop, nothing found - Also can't log in on my phone etc so it's definitely a password change somewhere.

Tried ringing AOL to see if they could reset it but as we're no longer paying AOL for their crap internet they don't want to know :yuk:

[BOAC]

I am a little confused - what is it you are trying to 'recover' from your emails that you cannot see from the 'family PC'?

Since I believe AOL mail is web based, you should be able to access it via mail2web, since you say you can still use the email on the family machine.

[750XL]

Sorry, let me try and explain:

AOL have their own software, pictured below

http://www.blogcdn.com/desktopblog.aol.com/media/2009/02/browser.jpg

When you open the software you have to login to your account, which uses the same details as your @aol.com. It allows me to log into the AOL software and view my email via the 'Read button' (top left on picture above). However, if I try to access my email via the web, or iPhone mail section etc it says my password is incorrect :bored:

To change your password, you have to log into 'My AOL', when I try to log into that, it says the password is incorrect

[lomapaseo]

I am a little confused - what is it you are trying to 'recover' from your emails that you cannot see from the 'family PC'?


possibly other concerns like :

How to stop yje AOL E-mails being sent by another person (fixed when AOL blocked)

Soime bad guy reading sensitive E-mails for passwords (probably not available on-line)

What is the origination of this hack and are his computers and caurrent E-mail account vulnerable ?

[BOAC]

Strange that you say the password is the same for mail and web access and works for the web.

What did you scan with? The usual recommended is Malwarebytes for starters.

If AOL are washing their hands of you, and the password has been changed, it looks to me as if you are stuck on emails.

Since you are not using AOL for internet now, it looks as if you will have to write those emails off and get a new provider/address to me. Maybe someone else has a fix.

This from another site - be warned! A few password changes will be a good idea I think.

"Let's say you're on AOL. All I need to do is go to the website and supply your name plus maybe the city you were born in, info that's easy to find in the age of Google. With that, AOL gives me a password reset and I can log in as you. So, what's the first thing I do? Search for the word "bank" to figure out where you do your online banking. I go there and click on the "Forgot Password?" link. I get the password reset and log in to your account, which I control. Now I own your bank account as well as your email.
This summer I learned how to get into, well, everything. With two minutes and $4 (£2.50) to spend at a sketchy foreign website, I could report back with your credit card, phone number, and your home address. Allow me five minutes more and I could be inside your accounts for, say, Amazon, Best Buy, Hulu, Microsoft (http://www.wired.co.uk/topics/microsoft) and Netflix (http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-12/05/netflix-becomes-disney-distributor)."

[Milo Minderbinder]

"However, on the family PC, which still has the AOL browser software installed, I can login using my password,"
so you have a password stored on that PC which is NOT what you think it is. The AOL software is logging on with a changed password

You should be able to discover it using this tool
Mail PassView: Password recovery for Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Windows Mail, and more... (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mailpv.html)
the download link is http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/mailpv.zip

disable your antivirus software before unzipping and running it. Its a safe program, but most AV programs freak out over it



As for support, the free AOL accounts are handled by AOL USA not UK> Theres an international premium number to call them listed somwhere on the AOL help website