HOW BAD IS THIS?

[Questman]

A friend just sent me this message after I had opened what I thought was an email from them. Apparently it wasn't from them.

Please don't open any email from me with subject.
"Hot properties for sale"
or
"Remax property"
If you have, change your pin!!!!

How bad is this likely to be?

[pdust]

change your password...something similar happened to me a while ago and it sent emails to most of my contacts... i changed password and it seemed okay after that

[Davethedog]

Download Malwarebytes (its free)

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Click download now not the buy now

It will download you click on it and install it then run it it should detect any problem.

[Davethedog]

Oh and as Pdust says

[razza]

pdust is correct,I get them ,I just change my password for a couple of weeks and it stops them.

[jno]

I changed my password after people got fake emails from me [i as someone had obviously hacked my account and got into my contacts list. I wouldn't have though it was necessary just because [i] you ] have got one, unless perhaps you clicked on a link in them.

There's a school of thought that you should change your passwords frequently anyway, but I haven't; too much grief trying to remember a new one every month.

[jno]

stoopid italics but you can guess what I was trying to say.

[razza]

Oh and downloading malwarebytes doesnt make any difference,I have it and still occasionally get these emails.

[jno]

malwarebytes doesn't stop you getting fake emails but it removes any malware they may try to install on your computer. You have to run a scan with it, though, it isn't switched on all the time.

[Old_Geezer]

I promise not to open any email from you. So that'd be [e-mail] then.

In fairness I suspect looking at my e-mails are unlikely to cause me too much grief. I have good AV running and I don't have PIN stored on my PC. I suspect any such e-mails would be found in the spam folder anyway.

[factor-fiction]

I'm not aware that opening emails causes problems (other than to alert the sender that yours is a valid email address)- the problems come from opening any attachments

[Old_Geezer]

The problem is if code runs as a result of you looking at the e-mail, and sends the 'bad guy' your contact list.

[Questman]

Pdust, which password are you referring to? I have passwords for so many sites.

[razza]

That will be password for your email inbox

[squarebear]

Have you clicked on any links in the emails he is supposed to have sent you? If not, no need to panic.