OT-Help someone has hacked into my e-mail account and is sending e-mails

[seashoreCM]

"Mailer Daemon" is sometimes put in the "from" line of ordinary spam as a spoof to get you to read the message.

Nowadays I never read "Mailer Daemon" messages because of that and if there was a real "Mailer Daemon" message, it sadly gets summarily discarded too.

 

[yakkin' yeti]

I'm sorry -- what a pain to deal with. This happened to me twice in a month, too. (And it wasn't spoofing, sadly -- I had church and work contacts and book group folks getting Cialis ads. So, that was fun.)

Changing my password wasn't enough. I ended up erasing all of my contacts off my yahoo account. Hasn't happened since.

 

[starwood]

Same here. I think they went into my sent mails because I don't keep anything under contacts. It was my yahoo account that was hacked.

 

[squirrel]

Changing the password did not work. Still have about 4 Mailer Daemon messages this morning.

I have opened them just to see what was going on. I didn't click on anything inside the e-mail. Who ever is sending out the e-mails is sending them to everyone in my contact lists. I'm going to try to talk to someone other than my mom (who can't figure out any computer stuff) and see if they are actually getting e-mails from my account that aren't from me.

 

[SenecaWolf]

Just a curiosity, why do so many people use free web based email services when ISP's allow for multiple email addresses as part of your plan?

The only reason I have a gmail, yahoo or hotmail address is to be able to access some of the features (cloud services, IM's etc..) All 'real' emails go thru my RoadRunner address so that not only is my virus scanner checking messages, RoadRunners servers are also scanning, so In the many years I have been using my ISP email I have never sent/received a virus. I hear so many stories about people getting hacked, etc...it makes me scared to even think about emailing someone from one of those accounts.

 

[creativeamanda]

Just a curiosity, why do so many people use free web based email services when ISP's allow for multiple email addresses as part of your plan?

The only reason I have a gmail, yahoo or hotmail address is to be able to access some of the features (cloud services, IM's etc..) All 'real' emails go thru my RoadRunner address so that not only is my virus scanner checking messages, RoadRunners servers are also scanning, so In the many years I have been using my ISP email I have never sent/received a virus. I hear so many stories about people getting hacked, etc...it makes me scared to even think about emailing someone from one of those accounts.

Our ISP does not give email as part of the plan. Not everyone does. We have two choices where we live: satellite internet or a cell phone company's hotspot. After 4 terrible years with HughesNet, we moved on to a hotspot with Verizon, which does not offer email as part of the package.

And just because you've never had it happen to you does not mean it won't. If you are using Outlook to access your email, then you are really at risk of a virus doing horrid things to your email.

 

[LilyWDW]

Just a curiosity, why do so many people use free web based email services when ISP's allow for multiple email addresses as part of your plan?

The only reason I have a gmail, yahoo or hotmail address is to be able to access some of the features (cloud services, IM's etc..) All 'real' emails go thru my RoadRunner address so that not only is my virus scanner checking messages, RoadRunners servers are also scanning, so In the many years I have been using my ISP email I have never sent/received a virus. I hear so many stories about people getting hacked, etc...it makes me scared to even think about emailing someone from one of those accounts.

Because we are smart about not opening junk that can possibly infect our computers. If you are careful and have the right anti virus protection, then you can use Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail no problem. I have for years. I have only had ONE instance of my password being hacked, but we are pretty sure it had nothing to actually do with anything IN my emails. It was an outside issue.

And they can easily get into your ISP email if they wanted. It's like saying MACs never get viruses. It's not that it is superior or better protected, it's just that why would they waste time on a product not used by the majority?

 

[SenecaWolf]

Our ISP does not give email as part of the plan. Not everyone does. We have two choices where we live: satellite internet or a cell phone company's hotspot. After 4 terrible years with HughesNet, we moved on to a hotspot with Verizon, which does not offer email as part of the package.
And just because you've never had it happen to you does not mean it won't. If you are using Outlook to access your email, then you are really at risk of a virus doing horrid things to your email.

My sister is in a similar situation, but there is no 4G in her area so she suffers with HughesNet.

 

[creativeamanda]

My sister is in a similar situation, but there is no 4G in her area so she suffers with HughesNet.

We don't have 4G in our area. I'm using the hotspot with 3G just fine.

 

[SenecaWolf]

We don't have 4G in our area. I'm using the hotspot with 3G just fine.

Hmm, I may have to suggest that to her.

 

[squirrel]

I guess tomorrow (when I'm not so tired) I will check out my other two e-mail account and see if either of them are affected.

I don't use the one my service provider gave me. I use to use hotmail but then I was getting so many junk mail I switched to yahoo.

I do sign up for contests and I bet that is how they somehow got my contacts.

 

[JBurke]

Dont just change your password.
Change your personal questions too (the ones you have to answer to make sure its you accessing the account) and check your personal settings to make sure there is no other email address on file for you (an address that is not yours).
My Yahoo got hacked earlier this month. I changed my password twice, but still had issues.
Then I checked my personal settings and saw that there was another email on file for my account (something the hackers set up).So everytime I changed my password, an email regarding that change was sent to that fake account!
On Yahoo, you can also check your usage history. When I checked my, I saw that someone was accessing my account at 3am from Nigeria!!
It sucks to be hacked!

 

[squirrel]

Thanks everyone, changing the password and the personal questions seems to have worked.

 

[CarolineB]

I'm sorry -- what a pain to deal with. This happened to me twice in a month, too. (And it wasn't spoofing, sadly -- I had church and work contacts and book group folks getting Cialis ads. So, that was fun.)

Changing my password wasn't enough. I ended up erasing all of my contacts off my yahoo account. Hasn't happened since.

same here -- I got hacked a few times. I deleted all my contacts off my yahoo account, changed my password, and have my computer set so that it doesn't remember passwords