My laptop keeps firing off emails with dodgy ad links/attachments

[Calm1]

http://extremetechsupport.com/forum/images/icons/icon1.gif My email fires off ad links/attachments

Hi, for some time now I have had problems with my laptop. It started one Monday morning when I discovered that I had 23 emails. Most of these emails had been returned mail from addresses in my address book. It seems that my laptop had been firing off emails during the night.

I take it that a lot of the individuals who had been receiving the emails had security systems that blocked the emails sent from my address. Of those who had been able to open them, some had received dodgy attachments and adverts for viagra amongst other things.

I took advice on this and completely wiped my laptop clean. However, it is still happening periodically. I have McAfee full security system which keeps scanning and coming back clear as does others such as Avast which I have also tried on their own also spybot.

I bought a new laptop which had no files etc from the infected one and it has now started the same thing. The problem seems to be with the email. Have been to the Tech Guys at PC World and they reckon the same thing. I am never onthe laptop when these emails are being sent out. I take it this is being accessed remotely. What can I do?

[Dalo Harkin]

This has happened to quite a few people (over several thousand) I wont give you the long version of the story, so change your Hotmail password and the emails will stop.

[Calm1]

Laptop fires off dodgy emails

 

This has happened to quite a few people (over several thousand) I wont give you the long version of the story, so change your Hotmail password and the emails will stop.

 

 

Thanks for that. Mine is not a hotmail address but an aol one will changing the password still work?

[Dalo Harkin]

Yes I am sure it will, email addresses get hacked all the time, someone is basically accessing an account of yours (remember that some email addresses link to others/can be forwarded to others)

 

someone has your username and password for your email account, changing the password is the best process to ensure the emails stop

[Calm1]

Yes I am sure it will, email addresses get hacked all the time, someone is basically accessing an account of yours (remember that some email addresses link to others/can be forwarded to others)

 

someone has your username and password for your email account, changing the password is the best process to ensure the emails stop

 

Thanks for that. I was getting very worried about it.

[Dalo Harkin]

No problem at all, let us know if there are any issues, but I doubt there will be :)