One of the best things that you can do is to choose passwords not easy to guess.  On any given day, there will be thousands of attempts by automated scripts the hackers run to try and break into email accounts.  Its non stop.

Also, don't click on anything from people you don't know.

There is a whole lot that should be done if someone wants to protect as much of their privacy as possible.  E.g. Don't use email directly on a phone registered in your name.  Take steps to hide your IP address, install software to block tracking (to the extent possible) etc.

A few quick moves you should make.  

If you can still access your email account. Change your password.  Run a good antivirus / mailware scan on the pc.  Do NOT store a master list of passwords on the PC. Do you have a firewall and antivirus enabled and virus definitions up to date?  Passwords should be combinations of letters, numbers, symbols etc.  make them complex without words that are found in a dictionary.  Set a Windows password that must be entered when you boot up

That should get you pretty far. It is amazing how many people get hacked and their computer stays under someone else's control for an extended period of time.  

Good luck

is if your email is sending spam to your contacts.   Another sign is that you cannot log in to your (such as in your case).   When this happens, do the following:
1. change your password
2. check the help center and follow the directions to get back into your email account
3. report the incident to the help center for your email provider
4. Notify the people in your contact list -- they should change their passwords and if they've already
been hacked, they should follow these directions.
5. run your anti virus program
6. Check your email settings -- the hackers may have changed the forwarding email address. Also check
your signature space...they may have added links there.
7. Change your passwords on other sites.
8. If you have used your email to send personally identifying information, watch those accounts or credit reports to make sure the hackers are not using it.

As previously mentioned, passwords should not be words found in the dictionary or easy passwords such as 1234abc or abc1234.    

I've been hacked before and these are the steps I took to protect myself from future hacking.
I have not had any problems with hackers since I followed these steps.  I found them by googling it.

I hope this info helps you and others.

Belind

I was once a victim of identity theft but after having it for less than an hour, the thief offered me money to take it back.

First off, hackers are not leaving AAPL computers off of their target list, look for more targeted malware designed for Apple products.    

Good rule of thumb, turn off your WiFi when you leave your home. Using "free WiFi at Starbucks is always a risky business (pun intended), that one guy sitting in the corner hunched over his laptop could very well be sifting through your computer files, and may even plant a rootkit on your computer for.    

Check SPAM folders regularly, look for email addresses. Your own addresses. IF you find one, immediately change your password from another system, such as your phone.  

Call up the email host and tell them you have been hacked too, it quite possibly maybe that THEY have been hacked as well too!  

No matter how secure you think you are, majority of emails out on servers are stored on Microsoft servers. Apache / UNIX / LINUX emails are out there, but not as abundantly available to hack as Windows ones.

If they got a hold of your email/password. Hopefully you didn't use that for none of your financial online account.  

KK,  
We could look at you and perhaps say the same thing!

All the advice given so far is helpful. You may have set yourself up for ransomware. This is where they lock up your computer unless you pay them. Sometimes the freeze page looks like it is from the "FBI". It isn't.  

I recommend IDShield to protect yourself. Its the best iD theft protection service out there and offers full restoration, not repair and/or reimbursement for all your efforts in fixing your own ID mess.

U of M, Duluth.

necessarily. If someone hacked your email doesn't mean its for financial but hes saying its possible a hacker could go after your money if he got into email. Every hacker is different, some do it just for the thrill. Just tell your bank and watch your accounts

There are more black hat hackers than white hat hackers....  the white hat hackers are quite possibly once black hat hackers who got caught and are now serving out their terms of their agreement to avoid a lengthy stay at a Club Fed.  

The best thing you can do when you receive an attachment is to call the person who sent it to you.  
If you are not expecting any attachment, check the sender's full e-mail. it "MAY" appear to be from your bank or an "official" title; pause your mouse pointer over their e-mail, if it has anything other than what you expect it to  be from, for example....

   [email protected]  
   [email protected]  

check the spelling of the e-mail address!!!!   Turn off auto downloading of images in outlook too, doing so will automatically install a rootkit in the background.  I have mine as OFF, and I opt for images on a case by case basis.  

If you received an attachment from a known friend, do not open it without calling him OR her up and confirm it IS an attachment they sent you to look at