General Chat

Just a note about the other side of this too -- when you get message saying that an email you sent could not be delivered -- but you never sent that email.

A while ago, I got some of them at my "business" email account -- along with automated "out of office" messages from several people somewhere in the world whom I had not emailed.

Some spammer had used my email address as the "from / reply to" address in their spam -- "spoofed" just like the ones you get from yourself.

I was rather distressed too, but my internet service provider explained it to me. There was nothing I could do or they could do about it.

Spammers are the raccoons of the internet world.

Figure out a way to keep them out, and they'll find a way around it. ;)

CarolB -- that's about it, to get you to look. ;)

You get so much spam, the one that comes from you might be the one you look at!


Dizzi -- not to worry, just believe it. ;)

No one hacked your account.

No emails were sent from your account.

Someone who sent you spam email "spoofed" it to make it *look like* it came from your account.

It didn't come from your account.

If someone who is used to these things looked at the details in the "full header", they would be able to tell what ISP it came from (your ISP is the company you use for email, and it is identified by numbers like 123.45.678.900) -- and it would not be yours.

They do that to get you to read the mail.

No mail is being sent from your account to anyone else.

So you don't need to worry about it.

When you see those things, just delete them.

They're just spam like any other spam.

I had hoped that explaining it -- and showing that people all over the world get the same kind of spam "from themselves" -- would help.

Hope it does.

SORRY FELL ASLEEP

JANEY
NONE OF THAT ON THESE

Anything you'd like to know about while I'm here?

I hope you are paying attention Dizzi. I will be asking questions tomorrow!! xxxx

Dizzi -- the whole entire headers?

With the stuff that looks like


6MZlBZgcZAo7x_qa02P.oL03RaGyuk5f2RE2_hcMcX8SY SZ0OfbcIowqEONj60atrBRs_hAXtAddPqocMMOYAGsoOi7B..okXDssUT gA1BkcWRU7ULDR0ZBZhqL8ZVfHe_nP9uMBZJov7_Ao9z0R6292mFnpOo_n dflSZfbW2fMN_p8YqJfO51Ct..cOm3rcGg7no2tzBpJlZ4q4S89cQlCad ORgzdLReDN4Yvhn0YAuLQU9FPC0sxHAPIXyGmdOhNUDFInHhDmSe0Uc9E TrPW5tQ3WyQGlKHtOyEXBml80LWp0UEEtTvaWuLC3HeCu6q9urVydy3EUe IDGMpntCfDnsBSDzyV1K2k23bEXeD_cFJlzMBRzLQvzCTJus52M8gligda b9sbbaOiRGZw23IneUmM00prsKLw4hJn2kf5wHnHxtmQeL5l_70MZF5jC_qC awwMwrL6pGhMEcY903Snh9p4_c6jt7SWRdf7c7ne1WhzgzPYBsRaPOCLBp TqpKCVK3VeZ4RHB30ny.SyjY4A5WdCUYNk2wSAUN9i2D0y5nor9EClscTqd Gy4KzvJ4qBam9j7bSIJl2fTQ9KBWpJIuyx2QgX2g--

?

Really, rest very assured, nobody but nobody is actually sending mail from your account. They are sending mail to you only that looks like it came from yourself.

I wish I'd paid attention a couple of hours ago when I deleted everything from the spambox in one of my gmail accounts. I know I spotted at least one that was from me. ;)


Google explains it. I used a browser with that horrid autocomplete and started to type

email from myself

and google suggested

email from myself that I didn't send.

Here's one: why am I getting spam from myself?


http://ask-leo.com/why_am_i_getting_spam_from_myself.html

>>> Among the spam we all get are messages that we appear to have sent ourselves. From-spoofing is just a way spammers try to get their email delivered.


See? Just like I said. ;)

They make it look like it's from you when it isn't, to get you to look.



What you're seeing is called "spoofing" or more correctly "From-spoofing" - sending email that appears as if it's coming "From:" someone that its not.

Spoofing is a technique that is used in just about every bit of spam you see today. Spammers are trying to hide where the email comes from and are doing so very effectively. The From: address is meaningless on spam - it tells you absolutely nothing. It requires more detailed analysis of the email headers, and even then at best you might be able to get the IP address of the computer sending the email. As I've discussed ad nauseam, the IP address is pretty much useless to you and me.

The fact that you're seeing your email address used in the "From:" field shouldn't alarm you. It might be annoying, but there's no need to worry about it. You're already on spammers lists to get spam and they're using that same list, or variations of it, to select which addresses to use when spoofing. And there's currently no effective way to stop them from spoofing.

When you see your own address spoofed in the From: field of spam, it's happening for one of two reasons:

•They're trying to spam you, and know that it's unlikely you'll block email from yourself. In fact, as you've seen, it's not even always possible, but I'd consider it a bad idea even if you could do it. It'll prevent certain types of legitimate email from reaching you.

•They're trying to spam someone else, and what you're seeing is a bounce message indicating that the original spam was rejected by its intended recipient. Since the email looks like it came "From:" you, you get the bounce message.

could it be youve accidently ticked the box to send a copy to yourself aswell nooooooooooooo ignore me xx lol no sherry xx

I get LOTS of these too. Never open them. They are obviously junk and you never know what viruses they may contain. Just delete them.

JANEY
CHECKED THAT FIRST THING
ITS ONLY MY INFO ON IT

They aren't really coming from you, so you can stop turning around fast to catch a glimpse of yourself over your shoulder. ;)

It's just spam artists who have made the message look like it's coming from you.

It's one way to get people to open junk mail!

If you look at the full "headers" on the email, you'll likely see that it came from somewhere else altogether, probably Nigeria or Russia or some such (or at least went through there) -- not from your internet service provider's servers.

Evil twin...so obvious !

You bin on the Sherry again Dizzi?? xxx

HOW CAN I GET EMAILS FROM ME TO ME
I HAVNT SENT
I HAVE CHANGED PASSWORDS AGAIN
SO IF YOU GET EMAILS FROM ME
ODD ONES THERE NOT FROM ME
IF YOU UNDERSTAND..............I DONT..I THINK