Is someone using/hacking my email account?

[MissTakexxx]

I've been getting several weird emails from '[email protected]' claiming I've sent an email (I haven't) to an obscure, foreign sounding other email address that has been rejected because of a delivery error. Is this a sign that someone is using my email address?

I've changed my password for virginmedia. I've also had to cancel my debit card, as someone was trying to use my Amazon account (long talk with my bank's fraud team) and I've also now changed the Amazon password several times and added the additional security step for going into my account. Then I've uploaded my new debit card details and expected there wouldn't be any further problems.

However, having done all the above, I've had yet another weird 'mail-daemon' email today. Does this mean that someone is still using my email address and will again try to hack my Amazon account - or is the mail-daemon email a virus or something?

The mailer-daemon is part of the server end of a mail system - in this case Virgins.

Something on your system attempted to send an email. This might be a program you are using or a piece of malware. The fact that you are getting the message means whatever is being sent is not getting there, the virgin servers cannot resolve the email address.

I would suggest you run an anti-virus scan, then download malwarebytes free trial and let that loose.

It's not you. You haven't been hacked. You have nothing to worry about.

Somebody is sending SPAM and has set the "return path" to your email address. The Virgin Media email server rejects it and sends the rejection to the forged address.

As a physical mail analogy, when the Post Office can't deliver a letter they will look for a return address on the envelope. They trust that the return address is correct, but anyone could send a letter and write your address on it as the return address. If it can't be delivered or the recipient puts "return to sender" on it, it will come to you.

There is no need to worry about it and, unfortunately. nothing you can do to stop it.

Either of the previous two answers could be correct. Without analysing the full headers on the "bounced" email, there's no way of knowing whether the sent email did originate from your email account (i.e. your account has been compromised) or whether it is the spoofing scenario Cruel described. Either is possible... Ask Virgin tech support to investigate, or PM me if you haven't deleted the delivery failure notification yet and want me to dig into it for you.

Thanks for the suggestions - but an even worse issue has emerged!

On the one hand, I completely 'cleaned' the entire PC with my antiviral software and am ignoring the Amazon messages that still keep coming, saying that I've 'successfully changed your password/account settings' as I've not done so. All seemed to be OK BUT.....

Suddenly today, I'm not completely blocked from my own VirginMedia sign in account and all my emails! I NEED access this morning and can't download any emails.

I'd changed the VirginMedia password and security question the other day but the new ones didn't work. So a few days ago, I just tried the old sign in password and it still worked. I left it at that.

Now neither the old or new password will work. I'm going round in circles with VirginMedia as I can't sign in to sort any of it out. The only telephone helpline leads me to a process where an automatic checking of all Virgin services occurs but I don't have time to turn off all programmes on PC and am afraid that this process may lose us the Broadband too. I had to key in the most recent paid amount on my Virgin bill and it rejected this as untrue, which it wasn't!

I can't find any helpline where I can speak to a human being. All I want to do is ensure I can get my emails! Does anyone know how I can talk to someone technical at Virgin who can help me out?

Miaow - many thanks. I just checked my Amazon account and someone has locked me out of it. I then had to call their helpline and the person I spoke to was difficult to understand (non English) and I've had to close down my Amazon account, as someone has hacked into it and changed the billing address.

Because the billing address was changed, the helpline person couldn't then access my account to tell me if anything has been illegitimately ordered nor could he officially close it down. I have about 3 open orders on it myself and one of these is due to arrive shortly too and I don't know if it will.

Amazon would normally use my email to let me know what's happening but I can't access any emails of course. So I then had to give a work email address to the helpline person, who said Amazon would email me there within 24 hrs to let me know my account was now closed - but I'm not sure he'll actually do this, as he began to sound fed up and bored after a long phone call with me. So I may not even know whether it's been closed or not or if anyone is still using it.

I'm absolutely stuck about how to access my emails now, as I can't even post on the Virgin Media support forum without signing in - using my inaccessible email! What should I do now? Would a teccie person in RL - if I can find one - be able to help with any of this - or would they get no further forward than me, given the 'closed circle' of inaccessibility with Virgin?

Is there really no telephone contact number for Virgin Media except the one on their website, which never allows you to talk to a human?

I have found Virgin’s customer service on twitter very good recently.

i had a problem with my virgin tivo box this morning the parental contril passwrod was locked. I phoned up and spoke to someone within a minute or so. Normal CS number then option 1 and 2 for tech support i think it was. there online help is quite good too.

Hi OP. This exact thing happened to my email (not my Amazon account) last year. I was being deluged by Mailer Daemon messages and then was unable to change. Mine was a BT email, which was also accessible via yahoo webmail.

Whoever it was managed to change my email access password and at that point I just gave up completely, because I was going round and round in circles trying to get help from BT because I couldn't access my account at all. I'd put in my email and password and whilst it would list my email account (and several others that were like mine but I'd never set up) I couldn't actually view it. BT customer services were useless too.

I ended up getting a new email address and starting from scratch.

Thanks. I'll try Virgin Twitter (although I've never used Twitter before) and have also managed to post a message on the Virgin support forum board. I can't seem to get through to a human on their telephone helpline. The furthest I get on here is an automated message telling me they're about to run a check on all my devices - but I don't need or want them to do that, as it's not a 'device' problem, it's a problem with email.

I need to access my email desperately, as I probably have around 60 there by now that I can't see or download.

Does anyone know of any direct helpline for Virgin Media email?

Could an IT expert resolve this or would even an expert just get stuck in the circular loop I'm in where I can't find a solution without being able to access that email address/account but as this is the problem - then I can't find a solution IYSWIM?

I do have another virgin email account address which I've never used but which I've now managed to link to my billing. But when I then look on 'My accounts' my main virgin.net account isn't even listed? I assume this means someone has disconnected that account from all my details - password/security question/username/billing account number etc? But how can someone do this? How can I change this?

It's a bit of a nightmare as I can't see any solution to being able to access my email and I'm still of course paying for the service and have lost several hours of work to trying to solve this issue.

Anyone else with any IT expert ideas?

Sorry, can't help with that issue. Best to phone them.

All I can say is what is happening to your email sounds like a carbon copy of what happened to mine and I literally had to ditch the whole account and start again. A total PITA but not as hard to do as I thought it would be. But I don't run my business from that account. If yours is related to your business I can see what a total ballache that is going to be for you. Have . Even though it is quite early for that!

Thanks for that, Fortunately but I'm a chocolate/cake person rather than alcohol.

If only I COULD phone them! I'd pay more than premium rates to get through to any human being at Virgin and sort this all out but the only contact number leads me to a labyrinth of automated replies, none of which relates in any way to my email problem. The only 'selection' for 'email' just relates to checking all your Virgin equipment, which I don't need or want them to do. I just want someone to allow me to access the emails and use the service I'm still paying for.

This is tantamount to 'theft', as I'm paying for something that I'm no longer receiving. Has anyone any idea what I can try next?

I'm getting an IT guy around today to see if he can help but I can't see that he'll be able to do anything I haven't tried already.

I'm still unable to reach a human being on Virgin helpline. Has anyone ever had any success with taking things to a higher level and trying to track down the CEO or something - or is that pointless?