Has My Guy's Email Been Hijacked? How to Tell

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying whether an email account has been hijacked, particularly focusing on how to determine the authenticity of emails received from a potentially compromised account. Participants explore various methods of verification, the implications of email hijacking, and share personal experiences related to spam and security breaches.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest contacting the sender directly to verify if they sent the email, while others express reluctance to do so.
  • A participant shares a personal experience of recognizing a hijacked account based on the sender's communication style.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulty of determining the sender's identity without direct communication.
  • Several participants recount experiences with spam emails and discuss the nature of email hijacking, including methods such as phishing and keystroke logging.
  • One participant describes a scenario where a friend's email was hijacked and used to send spam, highlighting the potential for miscommunication.
  • Another participant mentions the use of deceptive emails that mimic legitimate services to extract personal information from users.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not agree on a definitive method to ascertain whether an email has been sent by the original account holder or a hijacker. Multiple competing views remain regarding the best approach to verify the sender's identity.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the effectiveness of various methods for identifying hijacked emails, and there are references to personal anecdotes that illustrate the challenges of email security.

drizzle
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how do I know if a guy’s email account has been hijacked by someone who sends a message to me? can I know who has sent the e-mail I received, the guy himself or the hijacker?
 
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Contact the sender over the phone and ask if they sent it..there's no way for you to detect if his email has been hijacked.
 
Call the guy on his phone :rolleyes:

But my friend's msn was hijacked once. I found it quite easily from the way other person talked. And, I usually refer to the few days/weeks/months/years old things so it is not easier for anyone new to join that conversation. People say I have a really good memory :)
 
I don’t want to ask the guy! I doubt that he sends it himself, can I know without asking him?
 
Why wouldn't you want to ask him? Even if you're mortal enemies, which is why you don't think he'd send you an email, he might like to know if his email has been hijacked and the hijacker is sending love letters to his mortal enemies. And if he is really sending you the emails, then he doesn't mind communicating with you and won't be surprised by your call.
 
drizzle said:
I don’t want to ask the guy! I doubt that he sends it himself, can I know without asking him?

http://www.flash-gear.com/8/
good luck
 
rootX said:

urghhhhhh you urghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

what, isn't there one possible way to know, fine just say no
 
drizzle said:
what, isn't there one possible way to know, fine just say no

I think that's what people are suggesting, that there isn't a way to tell. If you're not comfortable calling, maybe someone else you know might be willing to make the call as an intermediate?
 
I've received friggin' spam e-mails that show me as the sender!
I readily admit that I talk to myself, but only in person.
 
  • #10
Moonbear said:
I think that's what people are suggesting, that there isn't a way to tell. If you're not comfortable calling, maybe someone else you know might be willing to make the call as an intermediate?

ahh, that’s an idea, thanks Moonbear:smile:
 
  • #11
drizzle said:
ahh, that’s an idea, thanks Moonbear:smile:
Good suggestion, Moonie! Good luck, Drizzle! I hope you can resolve this nicely without any real confrontation.
 
  • #12
I've been getting the "viagra" emails forever, but just recently all of my emails have been from Africa telling me how many millions I've just been given by some prince. I'd always heard of these, but had never gotten one 'til now and now I'm getting tons of them. I don't know what list I've gotten on recently but I might have to stop speaking to you all because apparently I'm now a billionaire.
 
  • #13
tribdog said:
..but just recently all of my emails have been from Africa telling me how many millions I've just been given by some prince. I'd always heard of these, but had never gotten one 'til now and now I'm getting tons of them. I don't know what list I've gotten on recently but I might have to stop speaking to you all because apparently I'm now a billionaire.

haha funny, I received one a couple of weeks ago, it was from a friend asking for $**** to cover his bills in some country in Africa, the next morning he sends an email telling it was a spam and a hacker has done it.
I really wonder how can a person get access to someone’s email, is s/he only guessing the mail and the password :rolleyes:
 
  • #14
One of my old email accounts used to be barraged by spam. Years later, the spam has really quieted down...but it's been hijacked, which I know because every few days it fills up with a slew of "undeliverable messages" from me sending advertisements to random addresses I do not know. Sigh.
 
  • #15
tribdog said:
I've been getting the "viagra" emails forever, but just recently all of my emails have been from Africa telling me how many millions I've just been given by some prince. I'd always heard of these, but had never gotten one 'til now and now I'm getting tons of them. I don't know what list I've gotten on recently but I might have to stop speaking to you all because apparently I'm now a billionaire.

Oh, I gave your name and email address to one of the princes I met while there. I want a cut of the profits when you get them. :biggrin:

drizzle said:
I really wonder how can a person get access to someone’s email, is s/he only guessing the mail and the password :rolleyes:
There are keystroke loggers that can get installed on computers to find out things like that, if it isn't something more simple like the person forgetting to log off on a public computer. I'm sure there are probably many more ways than that that I don't know about yet.
 
  • #16
The simplest method is to copy logos, etc from a popular email front-end and send your mark an official-looking email telling them that if they want to continue to get free hosting (or increase their storage space, or other such garbage) they need only enter their account name and password and hit "reply". Human engineering is the easy way to get personal information.
 
  • #17
yea, my sister fell for this one a few days ago:

Hello!

aaaa@hotmail.com invited you to check who has deleted or blocked you from their contact list on MSN Messenger.

It's Easy, Secure and Free!

Try it Now, http://recorta.com/60be6a"

After you follow the link you have to enter your username and password, after they have that they send the invitation to everyone on your contact list.

When I talked to her about it she said 'oh but the site said it was secure'. :mad:
 
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