E-mail, chat, & VoIP forum: Spam Being Sent Using My Email Address - How?

I meant to write that in all caps.

Q. "How can this happen"?
A. It's called SPOOFING.

Q. " and how can I stop it?"
A. You can't. It's just one reason why there is so much spam.

I will NOT post more about spoofing in this reply, but will tell you a few things.

1. Research SPOOFING on http://www.google.com if you really want to know what it is, but since knowing about it won't stop it, and since you have google, I hope you understand why I won't write one more word about it.

2. DO NOT OPEN, VIEW or PREVIEW any email that is junk. STOP DOING THAT. With all the exploits to Outlook and outlook express, people who open or even look at junk/spam/virus/other email are part of the problem. Don't be part of the problem.

Just viewing a spoofed email with some exploit can cause your machine to be infected (yeah, your antivirus will stop a 20 minute old virus?) and start emailing out the new bug.

Don't open such mail. Don't preview such mail. Don't inspect such mail...

Delete it and move on.

Bob

While most of your reply is about your concern, it seems I didn't convey that SPOOFING is how its done. It also seems you haven't done the Google and read about this term.

I wish I had a cure for this, but until internet email is revamped, spoofing will continue.

In closing, the person is not "using" your email address, but virus/worm/other is commonly spread this way with a spoofed address or sending you a "bounced", "returned" email and they hope you open it.

A spammer will use any return address they wish...

Bob

I'm having the same problem There are no attachments. The return path is blank. I am getting multiple bounced e-mail reports. In addition I'm getting daily e-mails which report that Symantec has removed the w32Klez.H@mm virus from it. Again, there is no return path when I open the full header. Any ideas?