Personal safety?

Question

I've been a long distance friend and email correspondent with a man for nearly four years after briefly meeting him in my city. Two years ago he met a woman through match.com. Although they both tried hard to make their relationship work, they were not very well suited and he chose to end it. Since then, my email has been broken into, my computer has been infiltrated by keystroke (password stealing) programs, and dangerous "backdoor rootkit" programs have invaded my system. I have done all I could to clear these up---I believe the spyware originally entered through a bogus email she sent me using his email address as it had a lot of junk html and other suspicious elements. It seems that she is wildly jealous---she has tried many ploys to get him back. My question is---what can I do to protect myself? (There have been other suspicious activities as well; one of our cars suddenly went completely dry of oil, although there were no leaks and we check the oil regularly.)

My friend, and this women who has apparently become so unbalanced, both live in a distant city---nearly 1,000 miles away.

The woman has the financial resources to hire others....

Answer 1

i WOULD CONSIDER A RESTRAINING ORDER IF IT GETS MUCH WORSE AND MAYBE OPEN A NEW EMAIL ACCOUNT AND STOP USING YOUR EXISTING ONLY LET THE PEOPLE YOU TRUST AND FAMILY KNOW YOUR NEW ONE. I would also get some anti-spyware programs for your computer lavasoft has a good one and also maybe a good anti-virus and firewall protection service like zonealarm by zone labs. Really it seems like you have a smart but jealous and vindictive hag out to ruin your life. I hope this helps and seriously watch your back. But first and foremost get a new email account.

Answer 2

I would think that spyware scripts/viruses are fairly complex, so I don't know how she would figure out how to infiltrate your computer. There are hacker programs that disguise themselves as e-mail addresses from your contacts list. It is more likely that this is what happened, and is in no way related to your friend's ex-girlfriend. I don't believe that hacker programs can be purchased to target a specific person.

Also, the supposed oil-drain seems like a long shot as well. In order for a mechanic to drain the oil in a car, he has to lift it up and work at it from underneath. Why drain the oil when you could cut a wire, remove the battery, pour something in the gas tank, etc...

However, if you really feel threatened, take extra security measures while using your computer - don't open e-mail from people you don't know or addresses that seem suspicious; don't park in isolated areas, invest in pepper spray or a whistle if you are approached; make sure your cell phone is always charged in case you need to make a phone call. If you are approached by her in person, you can always request a restraining order, and so can your friend.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I don't know how to protect computer. As for protecting yourself, if you know her real name & address please try to get an order of protection. Also, doesn't seem like much but, document as much of these occurances as possible in a diary. This will help you in court if it goes much further. Make your neighbors aware so they can watch out for you. Hopefully someone can advise you on protecting your computer. So sorry to hear about your troubles, good luck.

Answer 4

I wouldn't suspect her for your computer problems or your oil problems. Change your password/s on your computer and get it cleaned up. Get yourself a new email address too.

Answer 5

Get Norton Antivirus, and Adware on your computer today.

Answer 6

always be aware and never go anywhere alone. if things like this continue talk to the police.

Answer 7

OMG!! please be safe...the thought of the movie fatal attraction comes to mind!

Answer 8

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