My account was hacked?

Hello to all.
I got an e-mail account with MSN (hotmail)
I'd times as a question:
A few days my mother asked me what kind of a strange e-mail I had sent her.
I have my mother but no mail delivered.
She printed out the rubbish that is:
"Heya, how are you doing recently? I would like to introduce you a very proud company which i knew........
Contact e-mail: trade faithfully @ 188th com "
and so on, vonewegen, they should be given shopping times beautiful, etc.
She has responded well to me: "What have you because skilled?"
've Never received the mail.......
So, now to ask, how can it be that the private e-mail adr. my mother of a foreign "company" under my e-mail account will be written?
My account was hacked?
Do you have any tips for me what I should do now? Do I have to meet certain safety precautions? 've All been gegoogelt and've since found only English stuff, but it understood what I've heard is not good, I found.
I hope to answer many many
Thank you
Maerli

I'd suggest you to scan you pc for viruses and spyware, bots etc. And have you used things like webmessengers? If you did and you possibly logged in to a malicious site with such messenger it is possible that they logged your e-mail and password and used it to send spam e-mails from it.

btw, that contact e-mail was the e-mail adress the e-mail was sent to your mum? Cause if so they just found your mothers e-mail adress and sent spam mail to it.