OT: Email Problems/Misuse of Company Name

[Guest guest]

I have been getting messages returned undeliverable and they are

from " xxxxxxx.@... " - someone is mass mailing junk

email using my company name. I called my domain host and they said

someone is " spoofing " my email by using my company name and

basically there is nothing I can do about it.

It's bad enough when we receive junk email, but when someone takes

our company name and is able to do this with very potentially

harmful effects it's just devistating to me.

Please, please know that I am not sending you all junk mail if you

are getting any! I will continue to see if I can track the persons

down and if possible pursue legal action, my guess is these may

originate overseas and there is nothing I can do about it. But I

shall try. I would hate to have to change a company name after

almost six years in business but if I have to I will. For as long

as I live I will never be able to understand how sick some people

can be.

The " Real " Nature's Apprentice

[Guest guest]

,

Have you received any complaints from anyone who has gotten any spoofed

email from you?

If so, I'd suggest putting a disclaimer on your sight that these emails

aren't originating from you.

However, I suspect that you may be the only one getting them. The code that

generated the email may be something like this:

get email address

parse the domain (get the @domain.com part)

add a name to it (someone@...)

send the email with the just created address in the " from " field

So if they send those to a thousand different email addresses, then a

thousand people receive email 'from' their own domain. I have several

domains, with multiple addresses at some of them. I get so much email it's

much easier to deal with if it comes sorted into the webmaster, sales,

customer service, personal, etc. folders for my web development business,

and my herbal business, and the webmaster folders for my client's domains.

Many of these addresses have been receiving email from the admin of the

domain warning that too much spam has been sent from these email addresses,

that the account may be closed, and most instruct me to click on a link or

open the attached document for instructions on what to do. Of course, I AM

the admin, and I'm the only one who can close an email account! And I know

I haven;t been getting any complaints, nor did I send that email.

Do you know how to look at the headers? If you want to pursue this, that's

the place to start.

Diane

GreenFireHerbs.com

" Never say 'can't' when there's a 'How About This' still to be tried! "

-----Original Message-----

From: natures_apprentice

I have been getting messages returned undeliverable and they are

from " xxxxxxx.@... " - someone is mass mailing junk

email using my company name. I called my domain host and they said

someone is " spoofing " my email by using my company name and

basically there is nothing I can do about it.

[Guest guest]

,

Have you received any complaints from anyone who has gotten any spoofed

email from you?

If so, I'd suggest putting a disclaimer on your sight that these emails

aren't originating from you.

However, I suspect that you may be the only one getting them. The code that

generated the email may be something like this:

get email address

parse the domain (get the @domain.com part)

add a name to it (someone@...)

send the email with the just created address in the " from " field

So if they send those to a thousand different email addresses, then a

thousand people receive email 'from' their own domain. I have several

domains, with multiple addresses at some of them. I get so much email it's

much easier to deal with if it comes sorted into the webmaster, sales,

customer service, personal, etc. folders for my web development business,

and my herbal business, and the webmaster folders for my client's domains.

Many of these addresses have been receiving email from the admin of the

domain warning that too much spam has been sent from these email addresses,

that the account may be closed, and most instruct me to click on a link or

open the attached document for instructions on what to do. Of course, I AM

the admin, and I'm the only one who can close an email account! And I know

I haven;t been getting any complaints, nor did I send that email.

Do you know how to look at the headers? If you want to pursue this, that's

the place to start.

Diane

GreenFireHerbs.com

" Never say 'can't' when there's a 'How About This' still to be tried! "

-----Original Message-----

From: natures_apprentice

I have been getting messages returned undeliverable and they are

from " xxxxxxx.@... " - someone is mass mailing junk

email using my company name. I called my domain host and they said

someone is " spoofing " my email by using my company name and

basically there is nothing I can do about it.

[Guest guest]

,

Have you received any complaints from anyone who has gotten any spoofed

email from you?

If so, I'd suggest putting a disclaimer on your sight that these emails

aren't originating from you.

However, I suspect that you may be the only one getting them. The code that

generated the email may be something like this:

get email address

parse the domain (get the @domain.com part)

add a name to it (someone@...)

send the email with the just created address in the " from " field

So if they send those to a thousand different email addresses, then a

thousand people receive email 'from' their own domain. I have several

domains, with multiple addresses at some of them. I get so much email it's

much easier to deal with if it comes sorted into the webmaster, sales,

customer service, personal, etc. folders for my web development business,

and my herbal business, and the webmaster folders for my client's domains.

Many of these addresses have been receiving email from the admin of the

domain warning that too much spam has been sent from these email addresses,

that the account may be closed, and most instruct me to click on a link or

open the attached document for instructions on what to do. Of course, I AM

the admin, and I'm the only one who can close an email account! And I know

I haven;t been getting any complaints, nor did I send that email.

Do you know how to look at the headers? If you want to pursue this, that's

the place to start.

Diane

GreenFireHerbs.com

" Never say 'can't' when there's a 'How About This' still to be tried! "

-----Original Message-----

From: natures_apprentice

I have been getting messages returned undeliverable and they are

from " xxxxxxx.@... " - someone is mass mailing junk

email using my company name. I called my domain host and they said

someone is " spoofing " my email by using my company name and

basically there is nothing I can do about it.

[Guest guest]

Diane,

Thanks for that explanation - I thought it was something like that,

but that is not at all what Earthlink said! The 2 email addresses

are both earthlink accounts, one my personal, one my business

(sagescript@...). I do have Norton antivirus and I do keep

up to date with it. The weird thing is that I have made a point of

not keeping any addresses in my address book for my business account

because I have heard of this thing happening before. So perhaps the

virus is coming from someone who has both of those addresses in

their address book?

I really don't understand what you mean about examining the headers

though.??

This was happening on almost a daily basis for awhile, but it hasn't

happened for probably 2 weeks now - maybe I am safe??

thanks

Sagescript Institute, LLC

Microbiology Assays, Health Education

http://www.sagescript.com

>

> In your case, it sounds like both email addresses are valid, and

both are

> from different domains? Is the yahoo address shown in your post

your

> personal email address, while you're getting email from your valid

> sagescript.com email address?

>

> In this case, both your addresses are in someone's contact list,

and that

> someone is infected with the virus. It MAY be your machine or

your work

> machine, but that's probably not the case. Still, do you have

anti-virus

> software installed, and are your definition files up to date?

> I'm surprised the Earthlink support rep found it so hard to

understand what

> you were saying. This has become an incredibly common problem.

Though most

> ISPs, including Earthlink really don't seem to get it. For

example. most

> ISPs, if they catch that the email is infected, will inform

the 'sender'

>>>

> If you examined the headers, you can see that the email didn't

come from

> where it said it came from, and in some cases you may be able to

determine

> where it did come from, but all you'll be able to do is tell the

person

> whose machine is infected that they are infected. That would be

worthwhile

> IF you can determine who it is from the headers. You can't always.

>

> If you're concerned about it, post a disclaimer on your company

page about

> bogus emails. I'm beginning to wonder if it might be good

practice for all

> websites to have such a disclaimer, since not everyone

understands how

> email viruses work.

>

> Diane

> GreenFireHerbs.com