HELP Someone Stole My E-mail Address And Password!!

[zodiacqueen]

Unknowingly I became a Viagra vendor!!!  I have no idea how someone could send e-mail from my address!!!  No one is using my computer and I don't share my password with anyone!!  I have no idea how to fix this....I've already changed my password a few times!!

BTW, you're probably wondering how I know that someone is doing this?  I know because I've gotten return e-mails FROM my e-mail address saying that "MY" e-mail selling Viagra couldn't be sent.  I'm going to assume that other e-mails have already been sent.  GRRRRRRR!  How annoying is this????????????  =(

[swampcritter]

Each machine that sends email records information about itself in the email headers. The headers are usually not displayed (you should be able to see a way in your email client to show full headers).

People who are good at reading these can figure out quite a but about what is happening in the email.

[zodiacqueen]

Swampy, you've got me curious now!  How can you tell if it's from your machine or elsewhere?  I am very interested in this, in case this happens again-God forbid!  Anyway, my gut tells me that this was from another computer.  The Viagra e-mail was from "me" to some kind of Indian or other foreign address.  Apparently the address was no good and that's why the e-mail was returned to me.

But, like I said, since I reset my firewall this hasn't happened since Sept.  

Thanks for your advice!

[swampcritter]

Swampy deals with this one all the time.

You'll need a technical friend to examine the full headers of the returned message.

a. If they came from your machine then you have a malware problem.

b. If they came from somewhere else you have someone impersonating you.

If the problem is a. then you'll need to find and clean the malware.

If the problem is b, then there is much less you can do (other than change addresses). Some email providers do a better job with anti-spoofing measures.

[zodiacqueen]

Thanks for the advice!  I figured out how to fix it myself....by resetting my firewall settings!

Everything has been working for the past few months....fingers crossed!  LOL

[Cloudwindgate]

signing up for things can cause these problems but if this problem is really starting to bother you just make a new account of course make sure you scan and make sure no malware such as keyloggers are there.

I used AVG for  a while until i found the system itself became compermised and AVG was infecting me. I found BitDefender to be a much better program i use total surcirity and i keep certain other things on hand such as SuperAntispyware (i know such a suspicious name but its good) Also i hold malware bytes but i keep the exe rename as iexplore. A certain high jack virus cant block anything with this name.

[zodiacqueen]

I am paranoid about opening e-mails, too.  But, you can get viruses and spyware just from visiting a website.  That can also make one paranoid, too!!

I will let everyone know if my problem is fixed AND let my father and aunt know that I am not a Viagra vendor.  LOL  I need some well wishes for BOTH problems!!!!  =)

[Dazon50]

I always set mine on the highest I can without blocking all ....

I would have to see the example.  I have had Spyware Doctor and AVG & nothing got past it.  I am ultra careful about the settings on my email too & never open anything I am unsure of.  I drop in & see when the firewall is flashing to see who is port scanning, etc.  

Let us know how it goes.  My fingers are crossed that you will be safe.  I would definitely hone up on security tips with your software/firewall & go through all the settings.  Weed out the emails....let those who are on your list know that something is amiss and that someone may have their addresses.

Keyloggers & attempts to steal passwords are challenges to our security.  Being care of active X's & what sites we go to.

There is so much to learn for all of us.  

Thanks for welcoming us too...goes many directions :-))))

[zodiacqueen]

The e-mails I'm talking about are returned to me as undeliverable.  They are From me and to some weird address and it's about good deals on Viagra.  God help me if some of my family happens to get these e-mails.  I'm telling ya.....I would flip out!  My father and aunt are on my list!  Imagine how bad that would be!!!

BTW, I've changed my password a bunch of times.  I also ran my AVG and spyware program-both found nothing.  I also went back and looked at my firewall settings and noticed that one was at Medium security, so I changed it to High.  We shall see how this goes.  Please cross your fingers for me!!  I've got toes AND fingers crossed over here.  LOL  My gut tells me that my computer was hacked.

Thanks for your advice and thanks for the warm welcome to this community!!  =)

[Dazon50]

Although we like to think of email as being technologically advanced, it's really just like postal mail. That means that email implicitly trusts the "from" address, just like the USPS trusts the return address on an envelope. It also means that anyone can put any "return address" they want on an email -- including yours -- and there's nothing we (or you!) can do about it.

Spammers figured this out a long time ago and have been using it ever since to disguise the true origin of their mail; since then, it's become so common that there's even a word for it: you've been "joe-jobbed."

If you believe that someone has actually broken into your account and is sending email from your account, then you should change your password.

First, you have to make sure that it is really being sent out from your account, and not just being made to look like it.  In my case, that is what is happening.  I don't take the bait & open the email coming from "me" to Me.  I have had messages saying something was undeliverable and I don't open it..."delete"..."delete"....

In other words the spammers make it look like they are using your address.  If they are, you will get messages from "irritated" individuals who do not like what you are sending.

Those seeking to cause trouble, want us to panic & do stupid things like not think clearly or over react.  Heaven knows, I did that years ago when I first started into securing my computer.   I will run out of my 1,000 plus words allowed here shortly...lol!

:-)

[zodiacqueen]

Dazon, that is interesting that this is happening to you, too.  BUT, are you "selling" Viagra, too?  Are we competitors????  LOL  =)

BTW, Someone is trying to sell Viagra from MY e-mail address!!  I don't know if I explained my problem decent enough.  Do you both get what I'm telling ya?  GRRRR, there's got to be a way to stop this!  =(

Pleasehelp-I've got an awesome antispyware program-Spyware Doctor and my antivirus is AVG!!!  Could I have a weak firewall?  Do I need to block ports?  I have Zone Alarm firewall.

[Dazon50]

I get messages from me to me....they are on my spam list now.  It is a continual process weeding them out & tweaking the settings because of the myriad ways people find to be creative, using our own addresses....spoofing.  Google replaces it with "me".

An email address isn't the same as an email account. It's trivial to send email "From:" an email address without access to the account.

Your email account is what you use to login and gain access to the email you've received. In most cases, it's also what you use to login in order to be able to send email.

Your email address is the information that allows the email system to route messages to your inbox.

The two are related, only to the extent that email routed to you using your email address is placed into the inbox accessed by your email account.

[Please_Help950]

I'm very sorry to hear that is happening to you. :( It sounds to me like your computer was possibly hacked and they installed malware on it causing this to happen. May I ask if you have any Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware software on your computer?