40+FAB Blog
Don’t panic
I got an email today from a cyber criminal, the title of the email had the password of my email in it. They asked for a ransom of about $2000 so they would not reveal all my personal stuff to all my contacts.
After reading the email I began to panic and wonder what other details they may have stolen from any of my accounts. All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind as I contemplated the uphill task ahead of me to secure all of my digital presence.
I told my wife what happened and we talked through how this could have happened and what to do next. After calming down a bit and before taking any further action we agreed to consult Dr. Google.
Sure enough there was an article on what to do if one received a mail with their password in the heading.
I read through the article and it perfectly described my situation. The write up pointed out that it was not likely my most recent password. This made me go back to the email, and sure enough they had a password that was over a decade old. It was a well worked scam.
When things go horribly wrong, do all you can to quickly get over the initial panic and to a more rational state of mind as you start troubleshooting the next steps to take. This can save you from taking rash actions which may lead to the situation getting worse. A slightly delayed response that is the right one will turn out better than a rushed decision that is the wrong one. Whatever you do, remember, don’t panic!