Suddenly receiving lots of strange SPAM

[homenetwork]

Hi guys,

I'm hoping someone could help me as I'm tearing my hair out.

Basically over the last few weeks I've started receiving spam email in my outlook/hotmail email. I access outlook via google chrome browser. I've hardly ever got spam and any that I did, I'd set a rule for outlook to put it into junk folder, which worked great.

But over the last few weeks even after putting rules and sending it to junk folder, it just keeps getting worse. Now I'm getting around 15-20 spam emails per day.

But my concern is that many of the emails coming through are under titles of things that I may have searched for in the past. Most seriously are already marked as FLAGGED as though I've manually selected and flagged them as important email.

How can this be possible?

I am running windows 10. I've already done a virus/malware check, but can't find anything and have cleared the cookies.

What can I do to combat this?

Thank you.

 

[Burpo]

Sounds like malware. Download & run this.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/

 

[homenetwork]

Hi Burpo,

Thank you for your reply. I've already done a full scan with Malwarebytes about a week ago, but it didn't find anything at the time. Here are today's results:-

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
www.malwarebytes.org

Scan Date: 26/10/2016
Scan Time: 20:10
Logfile:
Administrator: Yes

Version: 2.2.1.1043
Malware Database: v2016.10.26.10
Rootkit Database: v2016.09.26.02
License: Free
Malware Protection: Disabled
Malicious Website Protection: Disabled
Self-protection: Disabled

OS: Windows 10
CPU: x64
File System: NTFS
User: Masteruser

Scan Type: Threat Scan
Result: Completed
Objects Scanned: 409263
Time Elapsed: 7 min, 31 sec

Memory: Enabled
Startup: Enabled
Filesystem: Enabled
Archives: Enabled
Rootkits: Disabled
Heuristics: Enabled
PUP: Enabled
PUM: Enabled

Processes: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Modules: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Keys: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Values: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Registry Data: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Folders: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Files: 0
(No malicious items detected)

Physical Sectors: 0
(No malicious items detected)


(end)

What else could I check?

Also how are emails I'm receiving already being flagged before I've even selected and done this manually?

EDIT: Added Malwarebytes results

 

[corkyg]

Change your email ID and password. You've been hacked.

 

[homenetwork]

Thanks corkyg. I don't understand how I could have been hacked as I've got a 50 character password, similar style to this:-

8vp8$a$iKg%Df2sA$NrTKG32Dh5!fHmA3gJmr36Cp%itsBzUvM

I've changed the password as you've requested, but I don't know how to change my email ID.

 

[LFaWolf]

Also run this if you are running Windows - https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/

I don't think you have been hacked though. Maybe you signed up for a website or new service in the last few weeks, and your info was sold?

 

[rh71]

If it helps to know, I've gotten a surge in spam getting through Hotmail filters since a few months back. But nothing like you're getting, only a handful a week.

Maybe it's time to accept email only from known contacts. And switch to gmail - no issues there. I use both daily, but user-experience is much better w/ gmail. Hotmail is such a bloated clunker of a web app.

 

[homenetwork]

Thank you for the link LFaWolf. I've scanned the pc and it picked up about 30 threats, which have now been cleaned. I can't think of what I may have signed up for, but it could be anything.

@ rh71 - I've been using hotmail email for a very long time, so many many websites are registered to this. How can I migrate across to gmail without losing these sites? Is there a quicker way?

 

[corkyg]

Sounds like a case of PUPs. Have you considered an app that lets you see all your email at the POP server and create white and blacklists? That enables you to dump all unwanted email without downloading. I have done that for years and would not be without it.

 

[Connielee]

Thank you for the link LFaWolf. I've scanned the pc and it picked up about 30 threats, which have now been cleaned. I can't think of what I may have signed up for, but it could be anything.

@ rh71 - I've been using hotmail email for a very long time, so many many websites are registered to this. How can I migrate across to gmail without losing these sites? Is there a quicker way?

You can please check the steps from here I think
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-migrate-emails-from-Hotmail-to-Gmail

 

[RLGL]

The junk I get with my .MSN acct has risen in the past few months, even though my PC is "clean". I have been using the "block" feature on the outlook site to slow the flow.

 

[torak3x]

Sounds like a case of PUPs. Have you considered an app that lets you see all your email at the POP server and create white and blacklists? That enables you to dump all unwanted email without downloading. I have done that for years and would not be without it.

Hi, may I know an example of such an app ?

 

[corkyg]

Examples here:
https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLG_enUS329&q=Mailwasher

 

[JeffMD]

errr... getting more spam in your web based mail box has nothing..NOTHING to do with your computer. It means your email was picked up by some active mail spam list. These list are sold and passed around constantly. There is nothing you can do about it but tighten your spam filters.

 

[homenetwork]

My apologies for the late reply. I'm just wondering if it's worth going through all the headache of moving emails from hotmail to gmail, especially if my email is on some active spam list. I mean there is a good chance that eventually, even my new gmail address will also receive spam.

 

[corkyg]

Like I said, . . . screen your email at the POP server before downloading. You can set mup white and black lists and quickly delete all the garbage you don't want. You can even bounce it. Really, it's fun.

 

[homenetwork]

Like I said, . . . screen your email at the POP server before downloading. You can set mup white and black lists and quickly delete all the garbage you don't want. You can even bounce it. Really, it's fun.

Thanks corkyg.

Right, can you please help a noob like me understand mate how this would work????

I do the following????? :-

1. Install Mailwasher on my pc (pro? server? or free?)
2. Put my hotmail/outlook server details in and download all emails (will the download this include all INBOX? SENT? SUBFOLDERS?)
3. Clean any spam emails
4. What next?

Also once I've cleaned all the email, how can I then upload it to my new gmail address?

 

[corkyg]

1. I would go with Pro - free is very limited.
2. Yes, you set up all your email accounts that you want checked.; There is no download. You will then be able to see all emails in your pop boxes and decide which you want and which you don't want.
3. Once that is done, you press the WASH button and all the ones you checked go to a recycle bin. That is all deleted after each day.
4. You then go to your regular email program and download your email. You will on ly get those you did not wash away.
5. You don't need to upload anything. What remains in your regular gmail box you access normally as in step 4. Your new gmail box should be one of those you check as in step 2.

 

[homenetwork]

Thank you for your help corkyg. I'm going to be honest and say I can't pay for the Pro version as I don't have the money. I'm very hard up with cash, so I guess I'll just have to put up with the spam. I do appreciate your advise and I think many people would struggle without your help.

I may instead try to move slowly over to google's gmail, although with over 10,000 emails just in the inbox, it will take a hell of a long time to migrate.

 

[Burpo]

Maybe these guides will help..

https://sites.google.com/a/tc.columbia.edu/tcapps2/outlook

http://www.labnol.org/internet/email/export-outlook-email-to-gmail-pst-backup/1938/

 

[homenetwork]

Thank you burpo. Actually I've just found out that there is an easier option built into gmail that allows you to import all email from outlook.com and not only that, but gmail also keeps checking your old outlook email for 30 days and forwarding them to the new gmail.

There is one answer I never got and would definately like to know......

Assuming someone has got hold of my hotmail email address and are spamming it, then how is it possible for the spam emails that are coming through to already be FLAGGED/PINNED? How are they managing to do this?

 

[lenjack]

You didn't, by any chance, give out you email addy on a website where the world could see it, did you?

 

[homenetwork]

You didn't, by any chance, give out you email addy on a website where the world could see it, did you?

Honest answer is that I wouldn't know lenjack as I've subscribed on many websites over a long period.

See screenshot below. I'm baffled why no-one can explain that if it's a spammer server, then how are they are:-

1. Pre-marking the incoming emails as IMPORTANT/FLAGGED/PINNED?
2. Including my real name in some emails?

Surely I should be the ONLY one who can choose to flag my emails and not the sender???