I once got an email from a provider I'd seen several months previously, saying she needed a favor and asking me to respond. I figured I was being hit up for cash and didn't answer. I found out later that some scammer is hacking into retired providers' email accounts and mass-emailing ex-clients claiming a need for assistance. Anyone who responds gets a sob story about a phony emergency and a request to wire some $$$.
I suspect this could be a variation on the same scam, with whoever took control of her email account trying to blackmail guys rather than fish for suckers.