Many reasons can drive your ex to hack your email account. Either they are trying to see how you’re doing without them, trying to monitor your new life, or searching for information about you that can be used for selfish reasons.
No matter the reason, hacking into someone’s email account is a criminal offense punishable by law in most countries and a horrible act.
An ex is more prone to hack your email account because they have once had access to your private information and details, which leads to the question of my ex hacked my email can i press charges?
You have probably shared your password with them at some point in your relationship. This makes you an easy bait to them when they leave the relationship.
You might be wondering what to do when your ex hacks your email. Either to press charges, get a lawyer, meet with them and try to reach a consensus. etc.
Read on to know what to do when your ex hacks your email.
While the first thing that comes to your mind after being hacked by your ex could be to press charges or reach out to them, don’t do that at first.
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The first thing to do when you get hacked
When you get hacked, try to change your email password by resetting the password.
It is essential to take this measure because most email accounts are connected to almost every area of our lives. Your social networks, work, documents, financial records, etc.
If your ex has used your email account to access other vital details like your social media account, go to each account and reset the password.
If it is too late to reset the password, report the account and reach out to the customer support of each social media account to help you recover your account.
If they can’t recover the account, you can ask for it to be blocked or suspended till you find a solution.
It is important to take these steps before the situation gets worse.
Some ex might take measures like withdrawing money from your account, using your account to speak to people, or carrying out fraudulent activities.
If eventually you didn’t succeed in resetting your password, it is time to reach out to your ex.
You should be careful when making decisions like this because your emotions might cloud your judgment.
You should also know that not all situations warrant going to a lawyer or pressing charges. I understand that your ex has invaded your privacy, but how about understanding why they did it?
Some exes do these things because they are jealous that you are moving on with your life without them. Their feelings are normal, but it should never lead anyone to commit a crime.
Try contacting them to find out if they will confess to the act. You can also show proof if you have one and convince them to admit and return your email details.
Don’t try to threaten them because threats can worsen things. You can talk to them amicably and let them know you understand how they feel and are willing to help them find closure.
You can also remind them of the reason you broke up and why you should stay out of each other’s lives.
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It is not necessarily a new thing to find ex’s doing this. A Quora reader once confessed to hacking her ex’s email because she missed him and wanted to know what was going on in his life.
She felt terrible about it and came to confess on Quora because she was scared she would get caught and probably arrested.
In a situation like this, you can tell she didn’t have a particularly malicious intent for hacking her ex’s email, even though what she did was wrong.
Your ex could be the same, and while you might be moved to make them feel bad for what they have done, it’s essential to reach out to them and try to talk it out.
Don’t reach out to them to trash talk, insult, or threaten them because someone who could hack into your account is probably in the first stage of obsession and can do even worse to you.
However, you can get a mediator if they don’t speak to you or listen to what you say. Probably one of their family members you still talk to, and you know they will always listen to you.
Get the person to speak to your ex and convince them to return your account details.
You can also speak to your family members about the issue and ask them to contact your ex or your ex’s family to discuss things.
If that doesn’t work out, you can then reach out to a lawyer without the intent of aggravating the issue. The lawyer only has to request to see your ex so you can settle the matter out of court.
This could put a little fear in your ex and make them restore your account.
You should know that this measure only applies to an ex who hacked your email but has not performed fraudulent acts.
If your ex has done things like ruin your reputation, steal from you, or reach out to your workplace, you must act fast. Talking to them amicably might not work. Here is what to do.
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My ex hacked my email can i press charges – What to do
1. Press charges
If you are wondering if you can press charges after your ex hacks your account, the answer is yes. You should immediately alert the authorities if you suspect any fraudulent activity on your accounts or activities related to the email.
Although the punishment for hacking one’s email is not very grievous, it is still crucial that you report so that you can save yourself from a more dangerous situation in case it escalates.
Report to the authorities and send them every detail of the hacking activities. Give them detailed information about why you think your email has been hacked so they can take necessary measures.
2. Be wary of links and phishing emails
One of the common ways to aggravate the situation after you have been hacked is by clicking on links sent to your emails or downloading files from unverified sources.
This can further aggravate the situation and enable your ex to take complete control of your account.
3. Alert important people
A. When you notice your account has been hacked, alert your bank because your bank details are at risk.
Let them know you have been hacked so they can lock any access to your account from your email and verify from you before making any new transaction.
B. Alert your workplace HR so they can remove any authorization or link your email has with the office, which will save you from unexpected circumstances.
A lady once shared a story about how an ex hacked her email account and ruined her reputation by sending unscrupulous messages and videos to her workplace, eventually getting her fired.
Ensure your workplace is aware of the situation on time before things get out of hand.
C. Alert your family and friends. Some family and friends have fallen prey to hackers and have sent huge amounts of money to them when they thought it was from the person they knew.
Let them know about the situation as soon as possible.
D. Alert your social media followers or friends. You can do this through a mutual friend and ask them to share it with others so the hacker will not soil your reputation or defraud your followers or friends.
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What happens after pressing charges
After realizing you have been hacked and pressing charges against your ex, here are the events to expect.
a. Your hacking report will be transferred to either of these agencies: The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) or the Stored Communications Act (SCA).
They can help you with hacking cases like this. However, it is important to report as quickly as possible because there is a 2 years statute of limitation on hacking and fraud cases.
The earlier you report, the better. If you report early, these agencies can help you manage your case, find evidence to use in arresting your ex and restore your data.
b. Your case may not be taken seriously, especially if they are only based on speculations. The law will not persecute someone whom they have not found guilty.
This is why you must get the necessary evidence to support your claim that your ex hacked your account. With this evidence, the law can now prosecute your ex.
c. Your ex will get charged to court, and if you win, they could be sentenced to about 1-20 years imprisonment, depending on how serious the case is and the country you live in.
Final Thought
My ex hacked my email can I press charges? Yes, you can. However, be ready for the events that will follow. You will have to work with computer intelligence services and cyber security agencies to get to the root of the matter.
People who carry out these fraudulent activities are not usually top-level cyber criminals. They could have just accessed your email account with the knowledge of you they were privy to.
They could have accessed your information because your password is easy to guess.
You might not need to press charges and alert authorities when you notice your ex has hacked your email in some cases. You can try to settle it between you and your ex or a trusted third party like a mutual friend, family member, or a lawyer.
If all of these don’t work, then you can press charges. Keep an open mind and share all important and necessary details with the authorities so that they can help you.
Also, keep your family and friends in the loop so they don’t fall for any scam.
It would be best if you also worked on protecting your accounts after recovering them by using two-factor authentication and linking your email to a trustworthy, reputable account.