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I am being spoofed - how do I stop it?

My email address is being used (with a different beginning, ie fhjkl@blah.co.uk, or wuio@blah.co.uk instead of frances@blah.co.uk). I am receiving hundreds of rubbish returned emails that I have never sent from my email account.

How do I stop this? I phoned my server and they said bad luck, nothing they can do. I can't apply a rule in the preferences because it is a different name every time.

Any help? Oh yes, I know where it is coming from but how do I block them.

Thanks
Frances

iBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Oct 12, 2006 2:47 AM

Reply
8 replies

Oct 12, 2006 4:03 AM in response to Frances144

Hello Frances.

My email address is being used (with a different beginning,
ie fhjkl@blah.co.uk , or wuio@blah.co.uk instead of frances@blah.co.uk ).


Sorry but this makes no sense. Your email address can only be used as your actual email address, not with a different beginning or anything else different, etc.

If I understand what you provided correctly. your email address is being used by a spammer to send bulk spam mailings and if so, there is nothing you can do about it. The same has happened to me and many others but not to worry, it won't last long since spammers have a huge list of "known good" email addresses to pull from and use to appear as the sending email address and all spammers regularly switch the email address they use to bypass spam filters so the spammer that used your email address won't do it for long.

How do I stop this?


As your ISP or email account provider indicated, you can't.

Oh yes, I know where it is coming from but how do I block them.


If what I provided is accurate, how do you know where what is coming from?

Oct 12, 2006 4:15 AM in response to Allan Sampson

How do I know where it is coming from?

I opened the headers in Mail and it showed a load of information, sent it to a friend of mine who knows about this sort of thing, and asked him where it was coming from. He dug about and found the culprit.

But as the spoofer uses different "names" at the beginning of my email address, I cannot stop receiving the refused mails that rebound to my address.

Does this make sense?

Oct 12, 2006 4:39 AM in response to Frances144

But as the spoofer uses different "names" at the beginning
of my email address, I cannot stop receiving the refused mails
that rebound to my address.


Since you are receiving bounced/refused emails from the incoming mail server/domain for a number of email addresses indicating a message or messages sent with your email address appearing as the sending email address cannot be delivered for whatever reason, your actual/correct email address is being used by this spammer to appear as the sending email address for these bulk spam mailings or you wouldn't receive these bounced/refused email error messages.

A spammer/sender cannot use a different name at the beginning of your email address (assuming you are referring to the portion of your email address in front of the "@" sign only) or you wouldn't receive these bounced/refused messages.

As previously provided, your email address can only be used as your actual email address, not with a different beginning or anything else different, etc.

One of the reasons you are receiving so many bounced/refused messages is because the email addresses for these recipients probably aren't valid anyway since spammers also guess at email addresses for a domain when sending a bulk spam mailing to email addresses for that domain in the hope that some guessed at email addresses will be valid and get through which is called a "Dictionary" attack by spammers.

I cannot stop receiving the refused mails that rebound to my address.


You are wasting your time with this but if your friend found the culprit which means determining the computer IP address for the spammer who is doing this (btw, many spammers also "spoof" their computer IP address), you will be better served hiring a lawyer and pressing charges against this person than trying to add rules, etc. or doing anything else to prevent these bounced/refused messages. This spammer won't use your email address for long so it will stop soon.

Oct 12, 2006 4:46 AM in response to Allan Sampson

A spammer/sender cannot use a different name at the
beginning of your email address (assuming you are
referring to the portion of your email address in
front of the "@" sign only) or you wouldn't receive
these bounced/refused messages.


Unless you have your own domain. You are likely to be the 'postmaster' as well & will get all mail for that domain that doesn't have a valid recipient. I know, this happens a lot to me.

Oct 12, 2006 5:13 AM in response to Bernard Knight

Even if you have your own domain, I believe an email address used by a spammer must be a valid email address in order to receive a bounced/refused message sent to your email address.

In that case, I would be able to send a message to you without knowing your email address by using anything in front of the "@" sign for the domain of your email address which is not correct unless I'm misunderstanding you.

Oct 12, 2006 5:25 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Hi Allan

That seems to happen with my setup. The postmaster (which defaults to my domains main mailbox) gets everything that doesn't go to a valid mailbox. I've just verified that by sending an 'x@' email. However no bounced/refused message is returned.

There doesn't seem to be an appropriate setting on my mail providers control panel. It's not something I really considered checking before.

Oct 12, 2006 5:52 AM in response to Bernard Knight

In that case, this is not a good setup for you.

When this does occur, you shouldn't be forwarded the message and the incoming mail server should send a bounced/returned email error message to the sender indicating the email address is not valid.

If an email is addressed to any email address with your domain that isn't a valid email address and gets forwarded to your email address regardless, I would change providers if your provider is unable to prevent it.

I am being spoofed - how do I stop it?

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