Someone is spoofing my email address and is using it to send out viruses. Is there anything I can do to stop this? I know this is happening because I keep getting returned undeliverable emails that I never sent, about 3 to 10 a day. It’s really getting on my nerves, not least because now there’s people thinking I’m trying to send them viruses. I’ve written to my ISP but haven’t heard anything back from them yet. So, anyone have any suggestions?
I’m far from being an expert but - Are you sure it is someone else and not something on your own PC?
I thought many of the virus’es (virii?) spread themselves, once they got on your system, via email, launching multiple emails using your own address book.
Have you run a virus scan on your system?
If it’s a virus that’s being sent out, then it could be a worm on your computer that’s automatically sending out emails.
I had a similar problem with my hotmail address where someone was sending out porn under my name…I emailed Hotmail and they said to change my password at least once a week. I’ve done this and the problem seems to have stopped.
If neither of the above solves your problem, you might have to wait on a response from your ISP, or someone else might have a different suggestion.
No, I’m using Outlook Express, and I have it set to warn if other applications try to use it. Plus I’ve got Adaware and Spybot, in addition to my virus scanner and none of them find anything. I’ll run them all again using the most advanced options, though, just to be sure.
Configure your email client to read the IP information in the header, then you might be able to see which ISP is issuing the bogus email. For example, my notifications from the Straight Dope are originating from 65.201.198.9. A WHOIS query tells me that their provider is UUNet. So in the event that the Straight Dope were to start spamming me from this IP, I would fire off an email to Abuse@Uunet.com.
It may not be deliberate. Several of the current viruses (Klez is a biggie) use names in the address book of whatever system they are on to spoof their address with. So, if someone with your address in their address book is infected then they may be responsible without even knowing it.
Assume any return address in virus mail you get these days is spoofed. I doubt there is a single source or if there is really much you can do about it.
Since there are fewer open relays on the Net nowadays, the latest tactic is to send email to a server with auto-bounce turned on. Any old username at the target site is used with your email address (and likely a lot of others) as reply-tos. So the spammers are getting open relay behavior.
The sites doing the auto-bounce need to turn it off. Which is a real shame.
Strangely, this has been going on for a few months now but I don’t see it mentioned at sites like Slashdot.
That’s interesting, ftg. I’ve never heard of that one until now. Out of all the suggestions so far, that seems to be the most likely one. I feel better now, thanks.
And thanks, of course to all who thoughfully relpiled.
Oh yeah, nice typing there, Q.E.D. :smack:
I don’t know if this page may help …
Since it’s virii we’re talking about, here, and not spam, tanstaafl has hit the nail on the head. Spammers don’t send out virii - what would be the point?
This is typical klez virus behavior. Some friend or relative of yours, who has your email address in his or her address book, has gotten the klez virus. The virus is now spreading itself, and spoofing your address in the process, as a way of hiding its origins.
However, I have been experiencing the “bounced Spam” phenomenon on one of my accounts these last few days. It’s really fascinating how the unscrupulous mind works.
Early Out, I can absolutely positively guarantee you that I receive over a dozen emails a day with my address as the “sender’s address” which do not contain any viruses whatsoever.
Some viruses do spoof addresses, but spammers do this all the time in far greater numbers.
So who’s disagreeing? The OP said very specifically, however, that the messages in question were of the virus-containing type. Ergo, spam has nothing to do with the OP. It’s a virus doing the dirty work.