E mail hacked ?

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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 .

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.