Spam E Mails

[Carole]

I have been receiving some E Mails from my friend's hotmail account which she didn't send me and they are sent to every-one in her address book with just a link to a website.

I haven't opened them, but my friend doesn't know how to protect her E mail account and stop this happening and I am not sure either.  I am presuming this is what is classed as a form of Spam.  She has reported it to Hotmail.

Not sure if it's a coincidence but this happened after she left Hungary and then she started using my Wifi from her own laptop (she's staying with me for the time being), but I am not aware of any problems with my PC.

She uses Avira Virus protection.  

Any suggestions please.

Carole

[Ian]

get her to change her password. Might not help, but it's a start.

[Carole]

Thanks Ian, she already did that but it has happened again since.

One interesting thing she has just told me, is that she could not log out of her Hotmail, which means it was always left open, could this have something to do with it?

She has now changed to Outlook Hotmail which gives her a logout option.

Carole

[Tony G]

I am presuming this is what is classed as a form of Spam.

Not sure if it's a coincidence but this happened after she left Hungary (she's staying with me for the time being)

Any suggestion please.

TTT (Tony's Tip of Today)

If she is a guest at your house at present, feed her something other than spam, something like corned beef and she won't go hungry.

Tony G

Please contact me if anyone is in need of advice.

[Mac]

I have been receiving some E Mails from my friend's hotmail account which she didn't send me

I think she did send it to you,

Normally, they (the not so bright computer users) normally receive a link off of another friend,(also not a bright computer user)
to which they click on, and nothing happens,  except it starts a java script or similar, and then sends out the same e-mail to every one
in their address book.

The link is normally, This is a fantastic video, have a look, or similar.

I had the same with my dad. After telling him NEVER EVER click on any links that are just links with no text, which he normally receives from someone else.
The problem stopped.

If the problem continues, just give your friend a junk e-mail address for you, as i do,

I give out my hotmail address to everyone who is not computer savy, including any websites that need an e-mail address.
I dont care what goes into that box as i only check it once a week, and have a filter set up so anyone i do want gets moved into a different folder.

to date this year I have had just under 6000 Junk E-mails in my Hotmail account.
This normally gets emptied on the 1st Jan ready for the next years mail.


Mac.

[Carole]

I know what you are saying Mac, but she was on board a plane and airbourne when the first one was sent, so she definitely did not send that one even in error. 

Although she is not savvy enough to sort out the problem, she is very on the ball about not clicking on stuff she is unsure about.

So is there no way of stopping this happening then?

I also have a Hotmail account which I use for back up and get loads of junk in that.  Maybe once she gets back home and has her own ISP she should think about getting an E Mail address with her provider rather than use Hotmail. 

Carole

[Mac]

but she was on board a plane and airbourne when the first one was sent, so she definitely did not send that one even in error.

im assuming that because of the time stamp on the e-mail this is the proof.

well i've just sent me an e-mail from my hotmail @ 17.36 and the timestamp is 09:36

You need to check the timestamp, so see when it was sent, that way you can prove it wasnt sent by her.
Also the IP address (which ive blanked out ) will show her where it was sent from.

The time on your e-mail is the time when your server recieved, it, not when it was sent, this can be a difference of many many hours.

Mac.


Received: from smtp.demon.co.uk (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) by HVUT01.thus.corp
(xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) with Microsoft SMTP Server (TLS) id xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx; Mon, 5 Nov
2012 17:34:33 +0000
Received: from mdfmta007.tch.inty.net (unknown [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx])   by
mdfmta007.tch.inty.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1155B3AC300   for
<xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>; Mon,  5 Nov 2012 17:36:40 +0000 (GMT)
Received: from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (unknown [127.0.0.1])   by
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxxt (Postfix) with ESMTP id EB07C3AC2FE   for
<xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>; Mon,  5 Nov 2012 17:36:39 +0000 (GMT)
Received-SPF: pass (mdfmta007.tch.inty.net: domain of hotmail.com designates xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx as permitted sender) client-ip=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx; envelope-from=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx@hotmail.com; helo=bay0-omc4-s21.bay0.hotmail.com;
Received: from bay0-omc4-s21.bay0.hotmail.com (unknown [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx])   by
mdfmta007.tch.inty.net (Postfix) with ESMTP   for <xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx>;
Mon,  5 Nov 2012 17:36:39 +0000 (GMT)
Received: from BAY170-W57 ([xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]) by bay0-omc4-s21.bay0.hotmail.com
with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4675);    Mon, 5 Nov 2012 09:36:16 -0800
Message-ID: <BAY170-W57C7715A4EB2855C7280C49B640@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
   boundary="_31103a43-3f94-4d6c-aef0-24c21c33cd83_"
X-Originating-IP: [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]
From: Mac - <xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx@hotmail.com>
To: "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxxdemon.co.uk" <xxx.xxx.xxx.xxxdemon.co.uk>
Subject: test
Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2012 04:36:16 +1100
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Nov 2012 17:36:16.0876 (UTC) FILETIME=[0F3012C0:01CDBB7C]
X-MDF-HostID: 21
Return-Path: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthSource: HVUT01.thus.corp
X-MS-Exchange-Organization-AuthAs: Anonymous
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Antivirus: avast! (VPS 121105-0, 05/11/2012), Inbound message
X-Antivirus-Status: Clean

[JonH]

I have lots of emails like this before, often it is caused by clicking a link in a dodgy email which then dumps a load of nasty crud onto your computer as cookies or malware of some sort.
An easy fix is normally a full browser history delete (something most people don't do anywhere near often enough!) that usually kicks it in the ass, but if not a full scan with malwarbites antimalware and/or SUPERAntiSpyware which are both free.
I have yet to come across anything those two combined cant shift.

[Carole]

Thanks Mac, point taken. 

Thanks John, She has cleared her browser history and currently installing SuperAntispyware.

Lets hope that works.

Carole

[mickw]

Does she still have free access to your wireless network ?

Does any trojan also have free access to your wireless network ?

[Carole]

She's using my Wifi while she is staying with me.

I am hoping the SUPERAntiSpyware that Jon suggested might have sorted it out as there was definitely something nasty on both our PCs (The same thing) that it said needed removing immediately. 

Thanks every-one.

Carole