Can someone else send a message from me?

[Suzybearybake]

I just received an email asking why I sent a response of "You Suck" to the Homeschool Honor Society Director. I asurred her that I sent no such message. To be honest I am not even sure that we were home at the time. Our entire family went out to eat for dinner and this was around the time we would have left. Can someone out in cyberspace just mail things in my name? Is that possible? I supose given the time one of my boys could have sent it right before we left but I don't believe they were even on the computer and it would be so out of character for them. If it was sent from outside , how can I prevent it from happening in the future? This was a minor incident but scares me that someone could just do things in my name.

[Pongo]

First I would check my sent folder, than history and I would ask for the original to be forwarded back to me. I would most definitely want to know is my kids did it. It would be unlikely I think, for it to be from outside. They would've had to get into your email account to get the address. It seems highly unlikely it a "hacker" got into your system he/she would do something so strange.....but I am sure stranger things have happened:001_smile:

[In The Great White North]

I get "Mailer Daemon" responses to messages I never sent. Unlike your message, these usually seem to be spam. They are never in my Sent Box.

 

I run anti-virus software and Spycheck without turning up anything serious but I'm suspicious.

 

Anyone have any other ideas?

[Jean in Wisc]

I get emails that are sent to me and are from me. Both the "to" and "from" have the same email address--and it is all spam. Apparently there is a way to do this.

 

What a nasty thing to encounter. Once you've checked your own computer out to be certain it did not come from it, call your IP and talk to them about it. They should be able to tell you more.

 

J

[Kelli in TN]

Also, encourage the director to run an anti virus sweep on his/her computer. I have had some weird email things happen through the years. It could be your computer sending it out, it could be the director's computer doing this as well.

 

How awful!

[Twinmom]

I asked my software engineer DH about this, and he said it is entirely possible for a virus on your computer to have sent the message. Check, of course, to make sure that one of your kiddos didn't have a bad moment and send it. However, with a generic nasty message like that, it is very possible that you have a virus that has invaded your system and is sending out messages to your contacts list.

 

Run a scan right away, and be prepared for more folks to contact you asking about the message. If you find a virus, you might consider sending out a group message of your own to your contacts list explaining the problem!

 

So sorry you have to deal with this!

[Hikin' Mama]

My mom was getting spam that involved p***s enhancing products. They were to her and from her! She was worried that someone she knew would get one and think it was really from her. I received the same spam e-mails, but they (luckily) were never from myself.

 

I'm sure you are a victim of something similar, and I would let the recipient know that others have experienced this, too.

 

Sorry this happened to you!

 

Kim

[TraceyS/FL]

You could ask her to check the headers and then see where it really came from.

 

The virus stuff is a possibility, if you use a common ISP spam can pick a name and use it too.

 

But the headers would give you more info - they are the hidden stuff in the email that tells it's "path" - aka, the roads it travelled.

[kim in ks]

yes! someone else can type in your email as the sent from? not sure how? I got 600++++ emails the other day " mail undeliverable" that I supposedly sent? I contacted my email provider, and they said someone has forged my email, and ignore and delete them, and It'll all quit in a couple ofdays, and it did. I also ran all my spyware, virus ,etc. and found nothing?

kim