BT Email Security Issue

[rpounts]

Wondering if anyone can help?

I have a BTInternet email and have done for over 11 years. A few days ago it told me that it's been shut down due to a security issue (presumed attempted hacking). I tried to answer the three security questions with the actual answers, but it didn't like them (DOB, Mothers maiden name, postcode etc.) 

After that I tried web chat. Here comes the issue. We ended our account with BT back in 2008 (we had phone, internet and TV), but since then I have just carried on trundling along with my BTinternet email address. So the woman on web chat asked me loads of questions, old address, new address, DOB, so on so forth. She asked me to click on a link so she could get access to my computer. Now I know it's BT and I've access the web chat through the website, but I just didn't feel comfortable letting her do that. I suppose I didn't want to be the thirty something year old that fell for a scam!

Anyway, the woman rang me and tried to assure me everything was safe and I would be able to see exactly what she was doing, but I still wasn't sure so said I would leave it for now.

Obviously a few days later with absolutely no access to my emails, some very important, I need to resolve this! I've tried to get back to the page with the security questions again, but it won't even recognise my address now, so I'm running out of options.

Could anyone advise a) Is there a way of resolving this without someone in a different country accessing my computer, b) If not, is it 'safe' to let someone remotely access my computer?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[gg30340]

If you have not been a BT customer since 2008 and if you are no longer a BT Broadband customer and if you are not paying for BT Premium email there is a very strong chance that your email account has been deleted.

In answer to your question, there is absolutely no need for anyone to access your computer to "resolve" an email problem. Any access that is needed can be done at BT's end.

[rpounts]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

But why would they delete it if the email was in regular daily use? To be honest I would quite happily change to another email provider if I could just get hold of my old emails and forward them on. I believe it was a BT Yahoo email so I presumed that with it being related to Yahoo, it wouldn't cause any issues. It seems weird that they've deleted it after 11 years.

[Keith_Beddoe]

They are being automatically removed in batches, so all accounts which are not part of a BT Broadband account, or are not paid BT Premium Mail accounts (£7.50 a month), will be permanently deleted.

[imjolly]

BT have been deleting email from ex customer unless the paid the monthly fee for premium email  

i think you have been lucky it has taken as long before your account was deleted

[licquorice]

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@rpounts wrote:

But why would they delete it if the email was in regular daily use?

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Because you weren't paying for it. You have just been lucky that it hasn't been deleted up until now.

[gg30340]

BT are apparently in the process of clearing out "old" email accounts that are no longer attached to a BT Broadband account. 

See link

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/59666/~/what-happens-to-my-email-address-when-my-bt-b...

You may be lucky and it could be that your account has not been deleted so you could try calling BT again to see if they can get access to your email account. As I said, they do not need access to your computer to do that. The Customer Service rep should be able to tell you if the account has been deleted or not.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Also see http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/44499/~/why-has-my-bt-email-address-been-suspended-or...

[Andy_N]

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@rpountswrote:

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

But why would they delete it if the email was in regular daily use? To be honest I would quite happily change to another email provider if I could just get hold of my old emails and forward them on. I believe it was a BT Yahoo email so I presumed that with it being related to Yahoo, it wouldn't cause any issues. It seems weird that they've deleted it after 11 years.

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Hi.

As Keith says, this seems to be done in batches. Every few weeks or so, other users post about a similar issue. Each one has a slightly different apparent problem, but they all stem from the account being deleted. Daily use is irrelevant in these circumstances.

Unfortunately, many of these reports are similar in that the user only uses webmail for access - and hence will lose all their emails due to account deletion. A backup routine of an app or client is essential.

The Yahoo bit is irrelevant with regard deletion etc.

Under some rare circumstances, you mail be able to retrieve the emails - but this needs you to sign up to Premium Email (7.50 per month, on a rolling month contract). However this will need moderator intervention to see if your account can be resurrected - thay aren't always totally deleted, but may be in a limbo state for a while - or the emails in a "delete pot".

Hopefully a moderator will see your post and send you a contact request. Naturally you will probably be out of luck, but there is a very slim chance of you getting them back. If so, after a couple of months of setting up and using a Gmail account for example (e.g. telling all contacts, all website logins etc), you can then close the BT Premium Email.