Your e-mail could have been stolen by someone you don't know who may be trying to get your personal and financial information.
However, there are ways of protecting yourself.
NBC25 talked to a victim and a computer expert about what happened and what you can do.
The e-mail messages come what looks like a legitimate company. The reason? A company named Epsilon, who sends out billions of e-mails a year for major retailers, was hacked.
The company says only names and e-mail addresses were stolen.
Experts say common sense is your best defense.
Tom Mulanix, president of Backbone Networks in Swartz Creek says, "If you see something from somebody or a company that you're not familiar with, then you should probably delete it. If you do open it, don't access any of the links that are embedded in them."
Robert Hogendyk of Grand Blanc was hacked. "I feel like I've been violated. It's like someone coming into your house and stealing things from you."
Hogendyk says, someone stole his e-mail address book and sent fake messages to his friends. One of the messages said, "As I write this letter, I have tears in my eyes. I'm in Europe and I need money could you please send me some?"
The problem?
Robert was not in Europe.
Experts say it's sometimes tough to stop because independent internet users are outnumbered.
"There are whole companies overseas that all they do is find ways to cause you to give them information so that they can use it for their benefit," says Mulanix.
That benefit comes in the form of your user ID's, passwords, financial information, or address. Don't give them out.
"This particular type of interaction is called phishing. It originates from people throwing out bait and trying to get people to bite," says Mulanix.
Another technique hackers use is pop-up windows. A message may say "your computer is infected" and to click on a button to clean it off. The experts say, don't click anything. Clicking anything will put a virus or spyware on your computer.
Simply turn your computer off at the power switch.
Epsilon says it's investigating how the information was compromised.
Hogendyk says the hackers changed his Facebook information so he can't access his account any more.
The experience has forced him to not use Facebook any more.
