I keep getting offers for viagra and other medicine from my own email address why?and how ?I have never send them and what can i do about it?
Answer:
Although there is a possibility you were ‘hacked’, it is far more likely that your address was compromised by one of the powerful spam bot networks. They have the ability to crack passwords, especially weak ones. They can also ‘spoof’ the addresses in the From: area to make it more likely that they will be opened. Spammers have programs just to ‘harvest’ e-mail addresses. Your account has been seriously compromised, and more of this type of letter will keep happening. It may not even be your own computer that was infected. Nonetheless, act promptly! This is a very common problem seen here on Answers several times daily. You have been hacked, plain and simple – it’s a bad worm/trojan, not a virus and it’s on your computer.
You need to download and run a couple of reliable anti-malware programs such as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware at http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
and/or Spybot Search and Destroy at http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,22262-order,4-page,1/description.html
and/or Windows Defender at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default-mspx
Of course, a thorough scan with anti-virus and a couple of good anti-spyware programs in Safe Mode is an obvious suggestion. Hit F8 repeatedly when the screen first lights up, then choose Safe Mode, using the arrow keys and Enter to get there. Run each full scan in Safe Mode, re-booting into Safe Mode after each scan.
Carefully read the technical advice given below – they are the best, most-detailed I have ever read. Read them BEFORE you set up a new safe account! Yes, you will probably chose to open a new account, but transferring your contacts and saved mail is time-consuming.
Changing your password is NOT sufficient, even though that is Yahoo’s advice! Use a very strong password (letters, capitals, punctuation, symbols – the longer the better. Start with a sentence, and make substitutions.) Change your ‘Secret’ Questions and Answers too – ones that nobody could guess – Yahoo even allows you to invent your own questions. Change and add all-new alternate e-mail addresses too.
AFTER you have read the advice, and copied your Contacts list, you could use a BRAND NEW account to contact everyone with your new address, including your name and ‘new address’, as well as an apology to them. Urge ALL of them to use BCC: and delete all addresses when forwarding mail too! Warn them not to click ANY links in mail from you until further notice!
https://edit.yahoo.com/registration?.int…
Consider opening another ALTERNATE account in Yahoo mail – you will not lose anything (contacts, address list, saved mail, folders.) Send an email to all your contacts with the new email address. If someone sends mail to the old e-mail address, it will go to the same Inbox so you don’t lose any messages. Click the link below to get an extra email address for your existing account. Use it just as you would for your primary address (which of course you can still use). You can send and receive email from either address from the same Inbox in the drop-down arrow menu to the right of the From: section. If you want to make your secondary email address as your primary address, you can click on Options > Mail Options > Account Information > Password again. Once in your account you will see E-mail Information. Click to designate which one you want as your primary, then click SAVE.
http://edit.yahoo..com/config/list_alias…
