I have two Yahoo email accounts. Both will randomly recieve new emails about a new account that was made under my name and my email address, however, I'm not setting up these accounts. I have had multiple accounts created, using my email address, monthly on sites or apps I've personally never been on. Is my account hacked? Could someone be trying to set me up to make it look like I'm creating accounts?
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1You have most likely been hacked. Immediately set new passwords (preferably long, random and different) for both email accounts.– AndersCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 13:12
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My husband constantly accuses me of making accounts to cheat because my email will have multiple new accounts from different sites. Could he himself be causing my email accounts to register on sites because he's checking those sites to see if I'm on random websites?– Brittany RichardsonCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 13:15
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1What does the emails you get say? Are they saying things that makes you believe that you are already registered on those sites? Or are they asking you to verify your email so you can be registered?– AndersCommented Jul 19, 2016 at 14:10
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2 Answers
If you are uncertain whether your account has been hacked, you should immediately reset the password. If your account was hacked, some damage may have already been done, but setting a new password will prevent any further damage.
However, some sites allow you to create an account without first verifying your email address. This should not be alarming, and it is something that site should improve on their end. You can contact them to ask your account be deleted.
The better sites will require an email confirmation before someone can make an account with your email address. In this case you should simply 'not confirm' your account when they ask you to.
If your email account was hacked, though, the attacker may have already clicked the appropriate confirmation link. In this case you should contact the site owners and ask your account be deleted - since you did not make it yourself.
After the cleanup is underway, you should look at securing yourself. If you think a virus has caused the password to get out, then a professional machine wipe is the safest option. However, sometimes a password is accidentally leaked by phishing (entering your Yahoo password on a Yahoo-look-alike-fake-site), in which case you would not need a machine wipe.
As another answer just mentioned, using 2-factor authentication is a real boost in your security, but not a silver bullet.
answered Jul 19, 2016 at 13:46
If you are getting mails from websites which you haven't signed up for, there is a risk that your account has been hacked.
Things you can do if you suspect that your account was hacked:
Immediately change your password.
Unsubscribe accounts by using third party services like mailstorm and unroll.
Use people search sites like pipl and spokeo to search your associated accounts and clean/delete/deactivate it.
Use two factor authentication to provide additional security.
There is no fool-proof solution from your account being used by your friend/husband, but whenever you get alerts just dont confirm the account.
answered Jul 19, 2016 at 13:41
