I've been through a tough breakup and cut all ties with my ex, even changing my social media, phone number, and email address. I thought I was being really careful and changed all my passwords, but now I'm worrying about how they might have found my new email. What could they have done to get this information? I'm feeling really paranoid that they might have access to other parts of my life too.
3 Answers
If you can't point to anyone who could have leaked your email, think about where you might have shared it, even unintentionally. Double-check your social media settings; you might have posted it somewhere or updated your profile without realizing it. Another thing to consider is whether they bought someone’s information or somehow gained access through a previous connection. It’s a bit unnerving, but changing your email might have been enough to stop them.
Make sure you have Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enabled on all your accounts! Each account should have a unique password. If there’s any chance your ex is an overly motivated stalker, assume they could find your new email address no matter what you do. Get multiple email addresses for different purposes—especially for anything financial. Keeping your digital life locked down might help ease your worries a bit.
One possibility is your ex might have found your new email through a mutual friend. Maybe they caught sight of your social media post or got them to spill the beans without knowing about the situation. It’s often the simplest explanations that turn out to be true. On the flip side, if there’s no mutual contact, it's also possible they could have spyware on your devices to track your activity, though that seems less likely if they're not tech-savvy.
I get what you're saying about mutual friends, but honestly, I don’t think we have any left. That makes it really weird for me to figure out how they got my email.