# Spam email from my OWN address? WTH?



## fajaka (Jan 6, 2008)

Kind of worried here... Lately I've been finding spam from my own email address in my bulk folder. Have I been hacked?

Also, more and more I find spam from users who have a keyword from my email folders inserted in their names. For example, I regularly receive emails from my local library. The library is named for a fella, let's say the name is "Owen Hutzentfutz". The other day, I got spam mail from a user of the same exact name. Two days ago I got a letter from an occasional correspondent named, say, John Barbosa. Today I got spam from a Sgt. [Barbosa] Brown.

I admit to paranoia, but this seems more than suspicious. Yet when I run AdAware and Spybot Search&Destroy, no problems come up at all. (Occasionally, I find Tagasaurus, but that's easily removed.) 

I just followed a netstat tutorial from www.bleepingcomputer.com. Best I can tell, I don't have a keylogger.

What can this be? What can I do?

Thanks for any input.


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## moviscop (Jan 4, 2008)

Do a virus scan. Often times it could be a program spamming your contacts with emails.

If you don't find a virus and spam emails are still being sent from your email address then it might be fair to say that your email has been tampered with.


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## fajaka (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi moviscop, thank you for your help.

Do you recommend a virus scan other than AdAware and Spybot? I've done SpyBlaster as well, and it found nothing. 

When you suggest my email may have been tampered with... How might this have been done? How can I identify and stop it? It's my account on Yahoo that's the trouble. (I wrote to them but got no response. I might not have sent my question to the right dept. It's a labyrinth over there.)

I do know that on a couple forums I have participated in, several people have identified my i.p. address through msn and emails, as well as isolating it on particular forum web sites through Site Meter, etc. This started two years ago, before I ever knew there was such a thing as i.p. tracking or keylogger software. I've been a MORON. Several months ago, I did find a keylogger but do not know how long it had been there. I think I got it within a couple of days, but I don't know how damaging it might have been. It didn't seem as if there was anything wrong with the computer. I changed passwords, etc. 

I was hoping that the m.o. of the spam problem might sound familiar to one of you, and I could i.d. it as a common virus or trojan and find a way to get rid of it. But, does it sound more like mischief from an individual?

Again, what in the world can I do about it?

Thanks again.


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

if you feel you are being spammed from your own address, then change all of your passwords and if necessary, drop that email address and get a new one. 

However, something to consider, a lot of spammers will purchase your name and email addresses from legal sources, from companies you purchased from online, from your isp, from any online newletters/newspapers/blogs you subscribed to, from surveys you may have done, from political parties, etc...

Spammers will also use your email address as a return address on spam to you and possibly use your return address on spam sent to others. IMO, 99 percent of the time its nothing to worry about. 

as far as your ip address, they cannot get to you through it, they will only see your isp's address. The only way they can get to you through that ip address is with a court order. If you want to see what info they get with your ip, type it here and see.


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## moviscop (Jan 4, 2008)

Adaware and Spybot are just for spyware. Run a virus scan using AVG Free Edition.

It is probably not a virus but just be safe.

You do need to do what sobeit said if it still occurs. Change your password and fix the spam messages or just get a new email address.


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## ejames82 (Oct 9, 2006)

there are several on-line scanners from legitimate companies available. different engines detect different malware.
the scanners you have downloaded on your computer will be more effective if you scan in safe mode.


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