Tauranga City Councillor Murray Guy's email has been hacked and everything is gone.

The attack took place while Murray was in a council meeting on Wednesday and follows on from when his wife's account was hacked earlier this year.

'It's a total wipe out – everything's gone,” says Murray today, 'contacts, I mean everything.”

The hackers cleaned out the email account and then used Murray's identity in spamming his entire address list from the new account: [email protected]

The spam email says Murray is stuck in Manchester and he needs £1550.

It is signed ‘Councillor Murray Guy, Tauranga NZ'.

Murray's email provider, Xtra, tells him the thief is the creator of the email address: [email protected] and he cannot be traced.

'The Xtra people told me it is random computer generated. I was raising the question just by changing my password and re-establishing it, can they come in again. That would be extremely unlikely because it's a computer generated exercise.

'I'm told this is done on such a huge scale worldwide. A lay person like me envisages somebody sitting behind a computer sending and receiving each email.

'They assured me that's not the case because the volumes are too high.

'They just have certain flags and triggers – if they get no money, they get no money.”

The hack vindicates his opposition to the councillors going digital, says Murray as he's lost years of emails.

'I have had a car stolen, and trying to remember what was in it is not easy until you go looking for something,” says Murray.

'I'm concerned in this situation where I have made commitments to people to perhaps research an issue for them or catch up.”

He will likely miss some of these instances and finds this frustrating, though he is not concerned about the loss of sensitive emails from this hack.

'Fortunately I'm always careful what I include in emails as they are subject to the Official Information Act as an elected member.”

The begging email sent from the hoax account: [email protected]

Hope you get this on time, I Just wanted to seek your help on something very important, you are the only person I could reach at this point, and I hope you come to my aid.

Because something very terrible is happening to me now, I need a favor from you now, I had a trip down to Manchester on a program(seminar).

I'm presently in Manchester (UK).

Unfortunately for me all my money got stolen on my way to the hotel where I lodged along with my bag were I have my passport, And since then I have been without any money I am even owing the hotel here.

The embassy only issued me a temporary ID until I have enough money to process my papers What I need now is some money to get back home.

So I have limited access to emails for now, Please I need you to lend me about 1,550 pounds, so I can make arrangements and return back I have spoken to the Embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively, I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I'll reimburse the money back to you as soon as I return, let me know if you can be of any help.

I don't have a phone where I can be reached.

Please let me know immediately.

Regards

Cr. Murray Guy

TAURANGA, NZ.