Hacked email account sends suspicious email right to the 2NEWS Problem Solvers

TULSA - The email claims the sender was robbed during an overseas trip.

It says the sender didn't tell anyone at all she was going to Spain and she and needs friends to send money right away.

The hacker urges recipients to write back immediately for instructions on where to wire the money.

Time is of the essence on this one:  The longer the real owner of the account takes to discover the hacking the more likely someone will be fooled into sending money.

We called the victim to let her know what happened.

She was able to immediately change her password and let everyone in her address book know all is well and to keep their money.

So how do hackers access email accounts in the first place?  Sometimes they target a specific account and work to figure out the password.    Often scammers do it  by sending email blasts claiming to be from your email provider saying if you don't reply immediately with your email identity your account will be closed.

Never reply to an email asking for your username, password or date of birth.

Beyond that, be sure your passwords are super-secure by using at least eight characters.   12 will make you nearly hack-proof if you use a mix of letters and numbers.