E mail hacked ?

Just tell him/them to "get stuffed" or even stronger words may be appropriate. The email is in all probability just someone carrying out what is known as "phishing" having obtained thousands of email addresses probably of older people who they feel may be vulnerable to such threats.

However, make sure your antivirus software/apps are up to date on all the devices you have, be that PC, laptop, tablet or phone(s). If you have a smart television make sure that has the most up to date firmware version and any antivirus builtin is also the latest version.

These criminals usually rely on no more than one in one thousand giving them money, but they still make a very good living out of that, even though they have no files of the people they blackmail.

I have had several of these threats and each time gave them the "appropriate" response and nothing more has happened.

All the best, and do not worry tiredoldwoman.

Ignore, DO NOT answer, put it straight in your bin I haven’t had an email but keep getting phone messages telling me they are about to turn my telephone service off

Ignore, delete this is “phishing”
Unless you are part of MI5 and have files worth being blackmailed for!

My reaction would be 'Go ahead'. There is nothing on my computer that would cause me any embarrassment if revealed. Much if it is copies of articles I have edited through many versions until it is acceptable for the archaeological journal I joint edit. I still have all the files from the last 4 volumes already published. Lots of family history, really nothing that wouldn't cause any chance reader to do anything but die of boredom.

I think the phrase I would us is 'Publish and be damned'

I should have said, on no account reply to it, even for the satisfaction of telling them to f * off, as without a reply they have no way of knowing it is an extant email address.

What maw said. My software allows me to report emails that might be phishing!

Yes , I'm the most boring person in the world so if he finds anything exciting I would be delighted !
The worry was that he told me my password - it's an email that I don't use so there will be very little in it .

No, of curse I wouldn't respond, anymore than I responded to 'Tom's' PM all those weeks ago, but as DH worked in the offshore energy industry world wide I couldn't help wondering what 'Tom's' reaction would have been if I had responded enthusiastically, saying that I am sure DH would love to talk shop with him when we met!

If you can delete that email account, I’m not sure how you’d do it but hopefully Google, or someone here, would know. If it’s not live there can be no more messages coming from it or going to it. Mr C had something similar with a Yahoo account some while ago and it was closed down by Yahoo. As others have said please don’t reply to it, let the message sit there. Report it if you can and don’t worry, there are some devious folk out there.

What Maw said. If you reply or block they know it's a live account and will keep trying. I'm not sure if they can get round blocking, but I wouldn't be surprised!

I had one a couple of weeks ago quoting a password . I changed the password and increased security on my PC .

Forward it to the appropriate department of your email provider, even if you never use that address, because if they have your password they may have other people's too, whose files are more interesting than yours. All email providers have somewhere you can send phishing or abusive messages, and they have ways of dealing with them.

It makes no difference if you do not respond to the email or try to block the sender. If these people really do have your files then not responding, blocking the sender or even deleting that address will just end in them publishing those files on the internet or selling them on to others.

If anyone is confident that the sender has no files that could be "embarrassing" to the receiver then telling them to "get stuffed" can give great satisfaction.

However, if anyone has reason to believe that the sender may have files that could reveal confidential or embarrassing information, then the receiver must act as they feel appropriate. However, hackers in the main gain access to internet devices by way of the user visiting and downloading photos and videos from "dodgy" websites or by opening emails containing malware. Both the foregoing are efficiently protected against by following standard internet security practice.

However, the only way to gain full internet security is for users to invest in devices running on Google OS which is a full cloud operating system and the only system on the internet that has never been hacked.

The above system has now been running for nearly right years, and my company currently has eight of our twenty eight workstations operating on that system with having no problems at all in nearly three years since the first station converted to that system. We are now in the process of converting further workstation over the coming year.

I agree with Elegran. Your email password has somehow been exposed. The email provider needs to investigate and must report data breaches to the Information Commissioner. Ask that the account be closed as well, you say that you don't use it.

If you use the same password elsewhere, change it straight away, use more complex passwords as simple ones are easily 'cracked'.

This sounds like a clumsy attempt to frighten you. Don't respond and block the sender.

Grandad1943, while I agree that Google OS is currently very secure, you have to ask if protection extends from the Chromebook to email recipients' devices and whether or not any third party servers are involved.

NanaMacGeek, as you state Google OS can only be run from a Chromebook laptop or one of the desktop Chrome OS devices recently introduced. Users of those devices have all their apps and files contained one hundred percent within the Google Cloud servers, and therefore nothing but the operating system needs to be held on the Chromebook itself.

Therefore all emails sent to a recipient using a Chromebook will be held on the Google servers and be checked for viruses and malware before being opened by the recipient. In that, no security software (antivirus etc) needs to be installed or running on the Chromebook itself making usage far easier for the user.

Emails sent from a Chromebook again pass through and are held on the Google cloud servers and are security scanned before being passed on to the recipient's servers (example Hotmail). Therefore, the Google OS system is very secure and as stated in an earlier post has never been hacked in the near eight years since its launch.

Of course if a user of an email address has other devices not operating on Google OS, then opening emails on those devices will expose the user to security vulnerabilities if antivirus software is not installed and up to date.

The Google OS system was initially launched for students and senior school children. In that, if little Jimmy dropped his Chromebook down the toilet, his parents could just buy him another of the cheap laptops and Jimmy just logs in to his OS account and all his homework etc is there on the cloud servers.

Google OS and Chromebooks have now moved on (much to the surprise of Google at times it would seem) to now become a prominent and growing system in company use.

Well, they are welcome to the proud pics of full potties that apparently grandma should see!

Please don't answer and if anything else like this pops up just delete it. I was sorely tempted to send a rude response when I kept getting emails from a cleverly composed site that looked exactly like HMRC when I was at work, asking for sort code and bank account numbers to repay the business a huge tax refund. A colleague warned me that even opening the email can sometimes give the sender more details . 'Don't know how this could happen but just in case, delete them.

Yes...several, all with the same blurb in the body of the text but 'signed' with a different name, each alleging they have the password to my email address (which they typed - they were all wrong)
They also alleged to have listened in to my phone conversations, have proof of my texts, videos, photos and undesirable sites I have accessed and will spill the lot onto all social media my contacts and family.
Not to have this happen will cost me.
Well...if I was minded to contact them through the link (which I am obviously not going to do) I would say 'Go ahead, make my day', knowing it's a scam.
What makes me annoyed though, is the fact that it's my main email address, only known to family, my banks, HMRC, pension providers and other 'important' government scrutinised companies.
For the dross in my life I have 2 gmail addresses.
I have contacted ActionFraud, police that's all anyone can do. I'm not worried by empty idiotic threats from t0$$ers.

Delete it without responding. Watch out for similar emails or different kinds of scamming spam as they know that it is a real address once you have opened it and can sell it on (unless they bought it themselves. They often have computers that just run random letters and numbers).
I am surprised that it didn't go into spam. Maybe do a search on your email provider to see if there are any reviews as to how good they are at blocking spam. GMail aren't bad, sometimes overzealous, but some don't block much at all. That one really should not have got through.

Anyone who counsels replying to these emails needs their heads examined. You delete. Do not respond.

I too had a very threatening email this week, but as I don't visit porn sites or know how to use the web cam, it felt like an attempt to scare me into parting with $3000! I have to say I saw it at about midnight so consequently didn't sleep very well that night. what did concern me was the fact that I recognised the password quoted in the text. I realised fairly quickly though that it was an old one that I haven't used in years. My husband ran a virus check, etc so hopefully all is ok now

only 3000 edsnana bargain they wanted 7ooo off me ..lol.I have never looked at porn in my life so I knew instantly it was a scam.I didn't like the fact they could get onto my e-mail so easily though .

I telephoned HMRC and was told they NEVER send emails. If you are due a refund they will write to you.