OK I don't know if computer was hacked or just email.
Bank just called someone sent them info for a bank wire transfer- they used my email -(i checked nothing in sent file) the bank was communicating with them for last 48 hours and called me to verify some info- thats how I found out -
I changed password on email --
A couple of weeks ago I sent documents through email for mortgage - my Social Security my Drivers license bank statements the works. I forgot to erase the sent file in email. I am thinking that's how they got the info but I am not sure.
I need a excellent program to scan computer with to make sure nothing is on it/ Also I changed password to email acct - can they get the new password? I hate this crap - need help and advice--
This happened to my employer about 2 years ago. He was on a business trip in Korea and China and was using his cell phone to check his personal gmail account.
The bank and police figure it was his phone that was hacked in Korea.
They found old emails to his bank advisor from 2010 and then emailed them. The bank then forwarded to the current advisor who happened to be on vacation, so it was sent to the person covering their job.
The person (pretending to be my employer) requested $25,000 wire to a an account in Toronto and told them he was in China and because of the web blocking in China, he was unable to log in to his online banking and do it himself. They were deleting all the emails as they were sent or came in.
As my employer has done this many times before and had them bend the rules (although he usually sent an email, then phoned and sent a fax, and we would provide the signed original after he returns) they began to process this wire for him.
Just prior to it being sent, "my employer" emailed again and said that the person was in the area and would pick the money up as cash.
Then they got suspicious and called us at the office to confirm.
I said if that is what he directed you to do, then do it, as it was not out of the ordinary.
My employer usually calls me to let me know he has done these things and I figured with the time difference he just hadn't gotten around to it.
Then all of a sudden, something didn't sit right so I called back and said not to do it and then called my employer.
We are not sure how it ended, but we got many apologies from the bank and I believe someone lost their job.
We used Norton's on all the computers.
We cancelled all the Credit Cards and got replacements just to be safe.
As he was using Gmail, there is a button that you can click to log off of all devices. I would check with your email provider if they have similar.
Our fear was that if they left the email open, even with a new password they would still have access so long as they did not log out.
He now uses a VPN for his phone and computers.
The bank provided us with copies of all the back and forth email correspondences for our records.
It is like they went through and read enough of his emails to sound just like him and be believable.
He is Korean and his English is very good but certain words and sentences are consistently wrong and they copied it just perfect.
They copied his way of speaking, personality, how he reacts when told no we can't do it at first.
We have had no further issues or any signs of identity theft since.
The bank now calls and confirms everything including staff and vendors who take their checks to be cashed there.
Connie
