why do i keep getting returned emails that i have not sent?

Question

i am running fire wall anti virus and two different add/spyware programs and it seems to happen mainly when i am not logged on does this mean some one has got my account info?

Answer 1

Well it would appear that someone is spoofing your address. This is usually the territory of spammers, but I've seem other people do it as well. It doesn't necessarily mean that anybody has gained access to your email information, but you should change your email password to be safe. Basically someone is creating and sending email out to SMTP servers with your address on it as if you had sent it. It's not terribly hard to do with a little knowledge of SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

I would capture a few messages and report them to your ISP, to see if they can locate the individual or company responsible.

Sometimes, and I get them too, a spammer will send the message to a bogus address with you as the return address just to get you to open their message.

Answer 2

You computer is infected and has become a spam bot. You need to clean it up>>>>

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/spybotsd/index.html

Google the word "botnet" for more infomation

Answer 3

I think it may be a spam. By taking simple precautions while giving out your email and installing updated free software, you can prevent spam. More info available at
http://fixit.in/stopspam.html