HELP!! HELP!!! what shoudl I do? I just received loads of returned emails that I haven't sent. with titles like 'your mum naked'; 'cheap viagra'!! I think my email account has been hijacked. HELP!!!

[greenday]

I have no idea what to do? My account is with BT - should I inform them?

What does this mean? Do you think its a virus? Or someone who has hijacked my account?

If so, would they be able to access my personal and bank details too?

Should I panic as much as I am now?? Argh!!

Do you have any cheap viagra?

[looks shifty]
{remembers where I am]

Contact BT straight away !

It is spyware or adware, not sure which. You need to run and anti-spyware programme. I use Spyware doctor.

No, I don't have cheap viagra but you can see my mum naked!
(I can't believe I am even joking ... I am panicking so much my teeth are practically gittering now!)

C - do you mean that I should run spyware or adware or that they are the culprit?

Run spyware it can detect and quarantine trojan horses (which it sounds like) etc

BT will probably have you on hold for a while so google it while you wait (its normally free IIRC)

(sorry for the crap joke BTW!)

You can buy antispam, spyware and antitrojan software, so I recommend you get some!
You can download some free from AVG straightaway.
However, if your account has been hijacked it is likley you will have to close it down, at least temporarily.
Tell BT, and change the password, set your email antispam to the highest level.

While it could be coming from your PC or your account it's much likely that someone is just putting your email address in the "from' part of the emails they are sending. That way when they are rejected by spam filters they come back to you.

This happens a lot and is virtually impossible to stop.

By all means run SpyBot or Adaware. that's a useful thing to do anyway.

If you examine the headers of the email - In Outlook express that's Right-click the email - Properties and go on the Details Tab it may have clues to show if it ever came from your at all.

I get these sometimes but delete them. We have an anti-virus thing on our PC. Is that right?

I get these ALL the time, about 12 a day, they started out of the blue, and I've never shown any interest in viagra. I don't get the naked mum ones, but loads about pleasing your girl and increasing the size of your manhood, loads of fke watches and casinos. Wouldn't worrk about it, just delete them, they may go away if you ignore them. WHatever you do, never reply!
P.S. t they're just spam, not spy whatever as far as I know. Both my dbs are boffins and both get tons of this sort of thing

oops, sorry didn't read op properly, the bit about returned emails. I would mention it to bt, but I have had these, not loads like I said before, think it may just be another spam tactic but don't know. hmmm, that was useful, sorry

I get loads of these. i just delete and run my C Cleaner programme now and again.

The ones that worry me are the spam that use my email address as the sender. I then get messages saying my viagra ad has bounced back and please don't send it again.

Not sure how that happens.

DOh - I have done it again. What I have just described is what you have said in your thread title. Soo sorry, I'll get me coat duster ( I must do some housework)

Return-path:
Received: from [your IP number] (helo=yourcomputername)

If you had sent it in the normal way it would have these lines among others in the header.

The return path is easily faked.

If it has your computername that would suggest it was your PC that sent them, but unfortunately if it hasn't that's still inconclusive.

If the IP is one that can't be yours that would mean it never came from your computer at least.

Just tried calling BT - not much help from them.
But I've been trying to get into my BT account and I think my password has been changed and I cannot access my account!! Argh!! I'm sinking into the hole in my tummy!

Just did an Ocado shop yesterday and now I've got visions of seeing my bank account totally wiped out as well.

Can anyone shed any more light on this? Any info will be appreciated.

Thank you! I really hope all it is, is that I'm panicking more than I really should.
Just thought that maybe someone may have gotten hold of my bank details through by what I have typed on my keyboard, IFKWIM.

Just going out to pick DD from school. Will go to bank now and make sure all ok. Will run all those softwares when I get back. Thank you all.

What happens most often is that the spammers have picked up your email address either from somewhere you have published it, or from a friends address book who has a virus/spyware. They then use your email address as the "From" address when they send out spam,, because obviously they have to put something there and they need to keep changing it so people don't catch up with them and block that address.

Then the spam filters stop the emails going through to the "To" address, and bounce them back to the supposed sender - you.

So you probably don't have a real problem, but you should certainly make sure you have anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your PC and running regularly to keep you safe. Spyware is the stuff which could track your keystrokes and send your bank details etc to bad people, so it's important to check for it regularly.