On three occassions I've gotten messages that an email has been returned because it is undeliverable. The content is spam which I have never sent and would never send since I HATE SPAM. How can people access my Yahoo email account with out my knowing it? I have AVG firewall and Anti Virus and use Yahoo Anti Spy. I have written to Yahoo Customer Service, but have not been answered. Hmmm..... I would hate to think that my name and account is being used this way. What can I do to make sure this is stopped?
2006-08-10 03:40:54 · 14 answers · asked by George Bafffled 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Security
Either your computer or another computer that has your e mail address on it, is badly infected with a virus to allow another person to send out thousands of spam e mails a day.
"In 2003, spam investigators saw a radical change in the way spammers sent spam. Rather than searching the global network for exploitable services such as open relays and proxies, spammers began creating "services" of their own. By commissioning computer viruses designed to deploy proxies and other spam-sending tools, spammers could harness hundreds of thousands of end-user computers."
"Most of the major Windows e-mail viruses of 2003, including the Sobig and Mimail virus families, functioned as spammer viruses: viruses designed expressly to make infected computers available as spamming tools"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/spam_%28e-m...
All you can do is be sure that your computer is free of virus, worms and trojans. Here is a good clean-up procedure if your currently are lacking one.
1. Scan for virus and remove (free online scan) with BitDefender
http://www.bitdefender.com/site/home/...
2. Scan for trojans and remove (free online scan) with Ewido
http://www.ewido.net/en/
3. Scan for ad/spyware and remove (free download) with Spybot Search & Destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybo...
If your computer is clean, then all you can do is wait until the owner of the infected computer that is sending spam with your address relalizes what is going on and cleans-up his computer.
For further infomation you can Google the word "botnet"
Good luck
2006-08-10 04:30:55 · answer #1 · answered by jibberjabbar 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is actually very frustrating, I have been getting the exact same thing for about the past week and yahoo is of no help just more automated responses that don't help at all! I have changed my password so many times and it does nothing still get the same maeler demon messages, although as far as I know the Spam that is being sent from my email is not being sent to my contacts but to people I have never heard of before??? I too have a business and do not want to end my account. I tried calling yahoo customer care but they were no help either here is the number good luck if you want to try. I tried filling out the online tech support form too but never got a response???? Or at least not from a real person. Most of the emails supposedly that i am sending look exactly like yours but they say: "please click on this link to view my new pics" and then following with a spam link as well as "Want to be better in bed" again with a spam website link I would love to know the answer to this i have received hundreds of these undeliverable messages?? and they never show that there was something sent in my sent folder very weird!!!! Any help out there people, i wish everyone good luck with this problem i am getting fed up!! Oh almost forgot I am also being signed up to these weird sites that i have never been to before like world of war craft and some other weird sites. If it is your email that has been compromised why does changing your password not work????
2016-03-27 06:35:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dear fellow member,
No worries, if they hijacked your account, you wouldn't be able to log back in already. Changing passwords is the first thing anyone does when they do supposedly "hack" into your acount so you can't access it anymore. Chances are if you can still access it, you're not hacked but change your passwords once in a while to be safe. As for the email, chances are your email was selected as a target amongst others as a chance for the sender to attempt and get information from you if you were to follow through with their "scheme." Just be on the look-out, change your passwords often.
Kind Regards,
Ben
2006-08-10 03:56:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's highly likely a friend of yours with your email address in their address book got a virus. A lot of viruses collect up all the email addresses from the system they infect and then send emails out spoofed to look like they came from your email address. Obviously undeliverable ones will get returned to the same address the target system THINKS they came from, ie yours.
2006-08-10 03:52:53 · answer #4 · answered by y2bmj 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No... You did not send that e-email, and most likely that your account was not used by another ( unless you gave permission to someone), It is a known method of spammers to get your respond, and know that this is a live e-mail address, so they can keep sending you spam mail... Do not respond to that e-mail.
Just keep doing what you have done befor... Just change your password, so incase someone got it somehow, they will now not be able to use it again.
2006-08-10 03:46:06 · answer #5 · answered by Jack c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This happens to everyone.
No one got on your account it is just spam from searching the internet while you were signed on. No one got in and it isnt a virus/spyware/adware. None of that.
What you need to do is not open them and send them right to your spam folder. when you open them they just send more spam. It is a company doing it that got your email address.
Nothing to worry about...not getting viruses or hacked.
2006-08-10 03:45:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the same problem with the yahoo account i began with like is 98.
Ended up having to shut it down completely. What happened is you accidently opened something you thought was from a trusted source and now the code is running through your machine for that yahoo ID.
I ended up having to shut down that account and get a new one. I had major problems like trying to log into my account, got wrong password message, e-mail was missing.
I would love to know what the method of operation is for targeting. It could be they are attempting to "Key log" all your keystrokes to determine passwords, account numbers. Not sure but i would bring it up to yahoo.
Diva
2006-08-10 03:46:55 · answer #7 · answered by black_bi_diva 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a common issue all internet users face today.All u need is not to open ur spam mails and in addition dont let ur address be used in groups to send forward messages.
2006-08-10 03:49:17 · answer #8 · answered by Princess 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is no different than any other spam... trying to elicit a response from you. Same as getting notices about paying for eBay items you never bought... someone setting bait for you.
Treat it like any other spam.
2006-08-10 03:54:28 · answer #9 · answered by mama_bears_den 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's called spoofing, and they do it to whoever they like. They don't even care if it's a real address, they just don't want it coming back to THEM. Since they don't need your machine to do it, no firewall on earth can stop them.
2006-08-10 03:48:44 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋