Email spamtard has stolen the email address

**lsemmens** · 12-12-13, 11:44 AM

I've been given a PC to sort out spamtards on. Something has been sending e-mails posing as their address and, of course, it is getting about 100 bounced messages a day. I've re-loaded the system, changed their e-mail acct password and it is still getting bounced messages. now to the Questions

1. how long should I expect this to continue before changing e-mail address entirely.

2. I've changed the password and can access the acct via Windoze Mail but it won't accept either the new, or old password when I try to log into the acct live, work that one out. I even tried copying the password from a password cracker program just in case I got it wrong, but, no, still cannot log in when live but can log in using mail.

Suggestions, please?

**Philquad** · 12-12-13, 02:42 PM

umm
is it a hosting \ cpanel email account (domain)
there may be some clues in there if there is
block your own address from receiving?
1 of my personal ones is spammed out so i killed it, remake it now & then just to check, but noticed, it still gets spam

if its hosted, best let the support mob fix it, i had to get hostgator to block a address that i wasnt able to

**jwoegerbauer** · 12-12-13, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by lsemmens

I've been given a PC to sort out spamtards on. Something has been sending e-mails posing as their address and, of course, it is getting about 100 bounced messages a day. I've re-loaded the system, changed their e-mail acct password and it is still getting bounced messages

When an e-mail address has become known, anyone can send

• spam to this e-mail address,
• using this e-mail address as sender send an e-mail to third parties.

You can not prevent that. What I would do: delete the abused e-mail account, create a new one.

EDIT:

Sometimes there really is the need to publish an e-mail address. In such a case always use a disposable e-mail address, means temporary e-mail address. Some providers exist which allow you to create for free a temporary disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 30 minutes, or so. Of course, you can extend the time. You can read within the time window incoming e-mails and reply to it.

**lsemmens** · 12-12-13, 10:28 PM

Thank you, the above suggestions have already been considered, I was hoping that someone may have had another solution, looks like a new address is on the cards for this person. I'd suggest that he does not practise particularly safe browsing practises although there were no real nasties on his system before I blew everything away.

**niftyned** · 13-12-13, 08:37 AM

Sometimes it is a huge hassle to change you address, particularly if it is already printed on business cards and promotional literature etc, that said though it is often the easiest solution. The first thing I would do is contact their ISP or the supplier of the email address if it isn't the ISP. See what they offer in the way of spam protection, if anything. As others have said once the spammers have your email address it is impossible to stop them sending you emails but there are steps you can take to avoid receiving the crap that they send. See if you can find out the IP address of the spammer and block all incoming mail from that IP or if they are from multiple IPs but a common region, like russia for example, you could block anything with .ru in the address. My recommendation would be to just delete the email account and start again though but make sure to send a notification to all their contacts advising of the new address.

**jwoegerbauer** · 13-12-13, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by niftyned

As others have said once the spammers have your email address it is impossible to stop them sending you emails but there are steps you can take to avoid receiving the crap that they send. See if you can find out the IP address of the spammer and block all incoming mail from that IP or if they are from multiple IPs but a common region, like russia for example, you could block anything with .ru in the address.

That's the reason why I'm using "MailWasher", a piece of software that connects to your e-mail account and reads the e-mails arrived. If any, a pre-view list automatically is provided. You use this list to tell "MailWasher" whether to add sender's e-mail address / domaine to spam-list, or friends-list. You can force "MailWasher" to bounce back the e-mail, etc, pp....

**lsemmens** · 14-12-13, 11:41 AM

It's not so much that the spamtard is sending him the crap, it's the fact that it is using his address so all the bounced messages come back to his in-box. It;s slowed a little, only about 30 in the last few hours.