# Just got hacked? Need answer fast

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 24, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208 "2021-07-24T17:43:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208/21 "2021-07-25T19:50:57Z")

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> [@Musicat](#):
>
> Although this may not be helpful, are you aware that there are many scammers who create “fake” warning messages that pop up?

Yeah, this is way more likely than they were pranked by the friend.

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**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208/22 "2021-07-25T20:01:06Z")

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Can he put some kind of hold on his bank account and credit cards until he can confirm that all’s well? What about geeks r us or whatever they call those guys? Best Buy used to have a good plan for a couple hundred a year.

I sure hope this has a good resolution for him, whatever it is.

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**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208/23 "2021-07-25T23:12:13Z")

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update - all seems to be well. He has run a virus scan and come up clean. He has talked to the friend who sent the video, and it appears the friend was hacked; the friend did not send the email that started all this. However, a while back his friend did send an identical email that was real. Whatever did this caused the friend’s email to be sent again, with the attachment that caused the panic.

I’m mystified as to why anyone would want to do such a thing, but at least everything appears to be okay.

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**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-got-hacked-need-answer-fast/947208/24 "2021-07-26T15:24:43Z")

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> [@CairoCarol](#):
>
> I’m mystified as to why anyone would want to do such a thing,

To show that they can, I’ve been told.

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