skip to main content

A question about spam

15 years ago

My granddaughter had a Hotmail account that she supposes was hijacked. She immediately closed that account and now uses gmail for her mail. However, it seems that anyone who was in her address book when she had that account is now receiving spam that shows it coming from her Hotmail account. This includes me. She has notified everyone in her address book, so they know to just delete it. But how can this continue to happen when she closed that account several months ago?

I suggested that she run Malwarebytes just to make sure she isn't infected somehow. But she has done numerous scans with several different antimalware programs and all show her computer to be clean. She also has attempted to contact Hotmail about this but has heard nothing in response.

How can spam still be coming from an account that is closed?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

zep516
15 years ago
Most likely because it's not closed.

"A common trick of hackers is to slip in to an account they've just hacked and steal the contents of the address book.The damage has been done. Even if you really, truly cancel the account and it really, truly is and stays canceled, hackers can still send spam to all your contacts, which they stole.

Hackers can even make it look like it came from you, even though they are no longer using your account - "From:" spoofing is trivially easy."

More Info How can spam still be coming from an account that is closed. Google the bold text.

Here is a link that might be useful: email_account_still_sending_spam
zep516
15 years ago
"E-mail spam has plunged by more than half since Christmas Day when the world's largest criminal spamming operation inexplicably shut down.

Even so, cybersecurity experts have moved to high alert: They fear that top spamming groups might be shifting to sneakier, more lucrative online scams. "If the past is any indication, these guys will regroup," says Fred Touchette, senior analyst at messaging security firm AppRiver.

On Dec. 25, the Rustock botnet the world's largest source of the unsolicited messages that inundate e-mail systems went dark, followed by two smaller operations.

Spam is difficult to eradicate because it originates from networks of infected home PCs; the Rustock botnet used as many as 1.7 million PCs to send out e-mail ads for fake drugs."

Saw this today interesting,

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-01-11-1Aspam11_ST_N.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: usatoday
Related Discussions
E-mail SPAM question
Q
Comments (6)
You obviously do not understand my question. I am using Outlook. Outlook informs you of the presence of a message by placing it in the In-box. In order to do anything with that message, including delete, you must 'click' on it. Once you click on it either left or right, you 'open' it and expose yourself to whatever risks are inherent therein. Maybe your system does not work that way, but mine does.
...See More
New spam question
Q
Comments (17)
If Bellsouth gives you a "powered by yahoo" webmail like ATT gives me you can probably block/filter online and tell it to not even send it down to you? Something like this: That's assuming Bellsouth.net uses Yahoo for email. But even if they don't it would probably be the same thing, log into the web-based version and filter it out before it ever reaches your machine. BTW, your Bellsouth email is visible in your profile, at least to members. It's possible that it got "harvested" that way. Not saying it did, just that it's possible. Unfortunately, it seems that once your email address makes a list, it stays on it. I also have an account that receives spam. Although it's just a gmail, I can't throw it away. It only gets two or three pieces a day though, not 50+.
...See More
Another SPAM question.....
Q
Comments (9)
Here is what I do with spam that I get. I use Outlook Express, XP home, and Firefox. Without opening the email, right click on the email. Left click on the Properties at the bottom of the box. This will bring up a box with a Details tab at the top. Click on the Details tab. Highlight and copy the Internet headers for this Message. Click OK. Now go back to the offending email and click Forward. Enter the appropriate one or more of the address listed below. Either before or after the spam message, paste the Details you copied above. Send the email I do this to most of the spam I get, although I don't get a lot. There is no feedback from most of the addresses below, but it seems that after awhile the email of a similar type stops coming. Hope this help some. Also hope I have typed all the addresses correctly. When I previewed this message, the spaces I had between the type of spam and the address disapeared, so don't include these words as part of the address: child porn, Investment & security, Prescriptions, Spam For child porm (thankfully I have never received any of this) c3@customs.treas.gov Investment & security enforcement@sec.gov Prescriptions webcomplaints@ora.fda.gov Spam knujon@coldrain.net Spam uce.gov Any comments, pro or con?
...See More
Question about bouncing back spam
Q
Comments (4)
Ah! Now I understand :) I'm on a Mac most of the time and tend to forget about WLM and Outlook... Nice picture! I would uncheck that box that says 'bounce the blocked message...' You don't want the sender to know that it is a valid email address that just sent his 'prince wants to send you 1000 US' junk. And if you do open an email that you don't know about, never click the 'unsubscribe' link, it validates your email address the same way. Stay safe!
...See More
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
15 years ago
she needs to notify hotmail what has happened and get them to terminate the activity on that account. Once it had been hacked she probably had no authority to cancel it, they likely immediately changed the password and took full possession of it so her trying to cancel it would not work.
mike_kaiser_gw
15 years ago
the Rustock botnet used as many as 1.7 million PCs to send out e-mail ads for fake drugs."

You're telling that all those emails I get for Viagra are for FAKE Viagra. The nerve of these spammers. ;-)
grandms
Original Author
15 years ago
I know that she has tried to contact Hotmail several times after this started happening. I'll pass this along to her.
DA_Mccoy
15 years ago
Bobbie,

Have her take a moment and write one of her contacts. She should ask her/him to carefully review the source of the bogus e-mail and report back. Sometimes these bad guys spoof an address so closely that a user can look at it 10 times and not see an ever so slight variance. It could just be a transposition of common letters. The suffix can be transformed or added to also.

Da
kudzu9
15 years ago
mike_kaiser-
How do you know it's fake Viagra? Maybe those are all gen-u-wine. Did you try it?

Related Stories

Easy Green: 6 Must-Answer Questions Before You Buy

By Laura Gaskill

Thinking about buying ecofriendly furniture? For a truly environmentally conscious home, ask yourself these questions first

WORKING WITH PROS 10 Questions to Ask Potential Contractors

By Ventana Construction LLC

Ensure the right fit by interviewing general contractors about topics that go beyond the basics

WORKING WITH PROS 8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Meeting With Your Designer

By Kelli Kaufer Designs

Thinking in advance about how you use your space will get your first design consultation off to its best start

ORGANIZING Pre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store

By Laura Gaskill

Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?

REMODELING GUIDES 9 Hard Questions to Ask When Shopping for Stone

By Ventana Construction LLC

Learn all about stone sizes, cracks, color issues and more so problems don't chip away at your design happiness later

GREEN BUILDING Considering Concrete Floors? 3 Green-Minded Questions to Ask

By Melanie Loftus

Learn what’s in your concrete and about sustainability to make a healthy choice for your home and the earth

EXTERIORS Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider

By Becky Harris

Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you

REMODELING GUIDES Considering a Fixer-Upper? 15 Questions to Ask First

By Sarah Phipps Design

Learn about the hidden costs and treasures of older homes to avoid budget surprises and accidentally tossing valuable features

TASTEMAKERS 5 Questions From ICFF: Lindsey Adelman

By Vanessa Brunner

The inventive designer takes a break from New York's International Contemporary Furniture Fair to talk about her artistic lighting fixtures

ARCHITECTURE 10 Things to Know About Prefab Homes

By Laura Gaskill

Are prefab homes less costly, faster to build and greener than homes constructed onsite? Here are answers to those questions and more

Sponsored

More Discussions

Tired of MS Office 365 Monthly Fees?

1