Posted May 17th 2010 4:09PM by the AOL Mail Team
You may receive spam from your own email address if your account is compromised or your email is spoofed. While most of the time it is spoofing that causes this issue, it is best to take precautions to guard against either situation.
But first, what is spoofing? There are different types of spoofing. Email spoofing is when spammers fill in the From address with the To address, making it look like the email is coming from the recipient. In other words, the email appears to be coming from yourself. However, the email is most likely coming from an outside source.
To help prevent these spam messages, consider the following tips....
Report the email as spam
Reporting spoofed emails as spam helps to ensure that future emails from the spammer source behind the email will go into your spam folder. Please be assured that by reporting the email as spam, you are not blocking or reporting yourself. You are just helping us identify the source of the spoofed email.
Delete your email address from your Address Book
By having your own email address in your Address Book it reduces the scrutiny applied to mail that appears to being sent from you to you.
Change your password
If you suspect your account has been compromised, check your Sent folder for any emails that weren't sent by you. If you see any such emails, please change your password immediately.
You can learn more about the above tips as well as some others here.
Thank you for choosing AOL Mail and for helping us in the fight against spam.
Regards,
The AOL Mail Team
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 22)
People in my "contacts" have been receiving spam mail from my primary email address. Because it is my primary address I read that I cannot delete it. I have been putting this mail in my "spam" folder. The number of these irritants have lessened so I am assuming the problem has been taken care of. Very frustrating!!!!!
Thank you for this information....appropriate timing.
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Yes this happened to me also. My contacts were getting my SPAM mail. BUT it looked as though it came from me with my AOL address as the sender. My daughter is a editor for VOOK.com in Oakland CA and advised me to change my password.
This WORKED! I no longer have an issue. AOL is not alone. Recently many other .comers have had there email HACKED ALSO.
SINCERE ALWAYS,
Maryann PS......Check out Vook.com
Boy, do you have that right. I have been trying to figure out how I am getting mail supposedly from myself to myself. It is frustrating and I am afraid to open it and most of the time don't. I get it on my main aol account and a secondary one I use, and I am afraid to delete my main one. I think I will change my passwords and see if that helps. It's not a lot, maybe two or three a week, and since my email is out of control right now, it would be less than that if I kept it up. Let's hope AOL's points are what will solve what could be a discerning problem on my computer.
Happened to me 3 times even though I changed pw....I made up a very weird pw and it hasn't happened since.
You actually opened it? It wasn't obvious? Learn how your operating system and internet protocol works internally or for the love of privacy, don't connect it to the internet! If you make it painfully obvious that you are clueless, people will take advantage of you. You wouldn't go to a mechanic and say, I don't know how automobiles work at all, fix my car. Or better example, go sit at a poker table and say "I have no idea how to play poker." No wonder freedom is eroding faster than a beach in hurricane season.... IF YOU DON'T KNOW, DON'T DO!
Jesus once said, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." I say, "Lord, forgive them no longer, for they know what they do and simply don't care."
I had a Master Card changed several months ago. In the mail today I received a letter Prepared for Samuel Fowowe with my address. I don't know Samuel. He was using my old card number. He also used it and owed $25.90. Please correct this matter. Thanks
I enjoy eating lamb-chops.
I feel very insecure giving out my password everytime i log in to facebook. one of the rules is{never give away your password to anyone. Why is this required?
Yeah it happen to me before yesterday. I received an e-mail from my same e-mail. What I did I change my password. This is the letter the spam used:Our company has a new vacancy opened in your region.
Please read this email and see if you will be a good match for this available position!
We are a well known company founded in Eastern Europe with branches throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
Two to four hours a day in the leisure of your home performing your duties over the Internet is sufficient for this position.
We provide one month paid training period. During your training you receive online training and phone support.
Benefits:
- Monthly salary starting at $2000(after a month evaluation period)
- 5% commission for every task you complete
- Banking and Western Union fees covered by the company
Main Duties:
- Processing payments from our customers (wire transfers)
- Ensure the efficiency and completion of financial transactions
- Keep accurate record for the performed transactions.
NOTE:
This is not a sales position and is available only for United States residents.
You must be at least 25 years old.
My goal is to spark your interest.
In the present economy, our position offers training,
support and a pay scale comparable to entry level position requiring 40 hours per week.
I hope you will explore, compare, and then contact me with your questions.
If you are interested to learn more pr have any questions please email at Jimmy@consult-west.com
Best regards.
THANKS!very helpful info,will take under consideration.
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can you try to showe mr. hill that you can sent that the good news and something if you want to iok .
I appreciate your information. I don't know how this happened. When I get spam I automatically delete it if I can't unsubscribe.
Please keep me abreast of this situation. Thank you.
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If it's SPAM...Do NOT try to unsubscribe...it only validates to the SPAMr that it's a valid/active address.
To some of the others with password/spam issues. I'd recommend establishing an email that you ONLY use for email. THen use another for all the website entry that you need to. I've NEVER rec'd SPAM on the email account I use only for correspondence
I SEEM TO BE SPAMING MYSELF! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE HELP!
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Just make it spam
I'm not a paid member, so the responses to the questions to change my password doesn't apply and therefore, I haven't been able to change my password as suggested. Please help.
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I'm not a paid member either, but if you actually have AOL as a browser on your pc, you should be able to still go into keywords find accounts and change your password. It worked for me but if you are just using AOL mail you still should say I forgot my password and answer questions, I had so many people complain I was sending them a virus then actually checked the site it sent to and it was just spam. (Of course I did that at the library!)
Good luck, and p.s. it did it when (spam) even when my p.c. wasn't connected so I don't think its a virus...just the above tips! I will say its not just AOL I have the same spam from someones Hotmail.
Typical AOL response to THEIR problem......their system was hacked and they want their AOL suscribers to handle the problem.
Obviously AOL can't control being compromised.....so you need to
keep your e-mail address in your address book. That way you'll know when AOL has been compromised, and you can take action. Like changing you password.
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Only make comments when you have a clue on the subject on which you are commenting about
They are telling you to delete your email address from your own contacts because emails received from people in your contact list are not as highly scrutinized as others (because it is assumed you know them) It has nothing to do with AOL being compromised or changing your password. These are two totally diferent issues (spoofing vs account compromised)
Thanks to rb for trying to clarify this to psbwizard. Some people just don't read.