Email account hijacked (both local outlook and verizon mobile emails)

[Leatherman1]

About a week or so ago, I got some emails returned (bad addresses) to my inbox indicating that i had sent some emails to some bad addresses. Along with the bad addresses, many went though supposedly from me. They were all spam emails. A day or so later, I got an email from Comcast indicating that a system in my house was sending spam and was probably taken over by a bot.

So, I did an AV/AS seach and nothing was found. I used MULTIPLE sources for checking my system. Not only the locally installed Norton product, but Malwarebytes and several online scanners (trendmicro, eset, etc.). None detected an infection. 

Not having the time to mess with it further, a few days later, same thing happened again. SPAM messages were again sent via my system to people in my contact list. Again, some were returned because they were old/bad addresses. I again got an email from Comcast indicating my system was sending mail via a bot.

Again, I did more scans. Again, nothing came up.

So, I stopped using my outlook. I changed my password and so forth. Outlook will not even send or receive messages since it has an old password.  I started to use the webmail.verizon.net to send and receive emails.

I also setup my mobile phone on verizon to send emails via the verizon mobile system with the new password. I did this after discontinuing use of outlook.

Today, I got an email from someone on my list that indicated that they received yet another spam email. It was from my email address and had "sent from verizon mobile.net" at the bottom of the message. This tells me that it was sent from my PHONE and not my local computer.

Can someone (ANYONE) tell me how this would have been sent via my phone??/

Also, how does verizon expect you to have a very secure email password when the system will not allow symbols???

Thanks to all that read (and hopefully) respond!

[Nanbriar]

Leatherman,

The exact same thing started happening to me about a week ago.  Numerous e-mails sent via Verizon Mobile (I don't even have a Verizon mobile account) from my Verizon e-mail address.  Spam e-mails being sent out to my entire contact list.  I changed my password already but how did this happen and why?   Not sure my changing my password would fix this problem.

Hopefully someone will have an answer - I hate that these spam e-mails are coming from my e-mail address for inappropriate advertising.  

[tpuetz]

I noticed my email started acting a little strange a few days ago.  I check my email from my work via Webmail and noticed I would get duplicate emails.  I'd refresh and they would go away.  I immediately changed my password but then last night (at 12:46am) an email was sent from my account via Verizon Mobile.  I don't have a Verizon mobile account, I have T-Mobile, so not sure how this happened. 

I plan to scan both my computers when I get home and may have to install Verizon's internet security suite again.  I currently have AVG (paid version & free version on another computer). 

If there has been a recent email security issue with Verizon email, please let us know!

[tpuetz]

An update to my situation....

In the last 24 hours I have had three attempts by someone using my SSN to open AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint accounts.  I'm starting to put this all together and the first attempt by someone using my SSN number was one day after my Verizon router stopped working and I had to get a new one.  Someone supposedly from Verizon called my husband's cell phone number the day after I ordered the router, which I am not sure how they got because we always call from our home number.  He didn't answer but called the number back and it sounded like the regular Verizon message and he was transferred to an agent.  This person said he couldn't find out account by looking up our home phone number and then asked for a SSN, which he did NOT give him.  My husband gave me the phone and I asked the person if he was calling about our router order and he said he couldn't see that information.  I immediately said I had already confirmed everything and hung up.  That was on 12/29/11.  The first alert I got on my SSN was 12/30/11.  Now 3 more alerts in the last 24 hours and also a week after I believe my Verizon email account was hacked.  We've had Verizon for several years and I have never been asked by an agent for a SSN. 

I called Verizon and the person I spoke to was clueless and said there were no security issues with Verizon home accounts.  Well obviously there is because I've found serveral posts on the forum about Verizon email accounts being hacked.  I've also run scans on my computer at home and no virus. 

[jmw1950]

I am convinced there at least has been a security problem with Verizon email's web interface. About 10 days ago email supposedly sent by me turned up at a couple of friends email addresses. They aren't in my address book, and I don't use Outlook either (which makes it next to impossible for a virus to even get to my address book), and I have the paid version of AVG Internet Security.

The messages were sent from the Verizon Wireless network, which I found interesting because I don't have cell phone capable of communication with the Verizon wireless network, let alone a Verizon Wireless account.

I got nowhere with technical support (surprise, surprise), and I finally just dropped the problem in Verizon's Legal Department's lap. They received a certified letter last week (and I know they received it). I changed the email password, and it made no difference. I have subsequently scanned my computers several times, and each time the scan reports nothing.

I have concluded that Verizon's mobile network does no address authentication on the sender. I.E. The sender on the Verizon Wireless network can use any email address they want. This really isn't any surprise when you realize that many Verizon and other wireless Internet users have their email off network (gmail, yahoo, etc)...

The emails that were originally sent to friends of mine were from messages that were handled only handled through Verizon's web email interface away from home.  There were only 3 addresses, and in fact one of them has never even been on my home computers.

Since that time several hundred messages have been returned to me as undeliverable, however none of them were sent by me, in fact they originated outside the USA. I finally put a filter on my email client to just send the undeliverable messages directly to the trash. At least that prevents me from being overwhelmed with this trash.

In short, I doubt the problem is on your computer, and I doubt the Verizon Security Suite will do anything except lighten your wallet.

I

[Leatherman1]

I thought I had it licked. But oh no. I just got an email from Comcast (my isp) that is telling me I have a bot and that numerous emails have been sent from a system in my house. I am only using the webmail account via verizon at webmail.verizon.com. I have changed my password several times and it does not appear to make any difference.

Is anyone else able to change their password to something more secure by being able to use symbols? I am not able to and how does Verizon expect you to utilize a secure password with out being able to use non standard characters??

Thanks guys...please keep us all updated that way is some gets resulution it can be shared.

[PSulse]

Same thing happend to me....

Here is the source email

vms173013.mailsrvcs.net

Return-path: <>
Received: from process-daemon.vms173013.mailsrvcs.net by
 vms173013.mailsrvcs.net
 (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 7u2-7.02 32bit (built Apr 16 2009))
 id <0LZ000C00L8GMV00@vms173013.mailsrvcs.net> for {edited for privacy}@verizon.net; Tue,
 07 Feb 2012 02:38:27 -0600 (CST)
Received: from vms173013.mailsrvcs.net
 (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 7u2-7.02 32bit (built Apr 16 2009))
 id <0LZ000D4ULC21600@vms173013.mailsrvcs.net>; Tue,
 07 Feb 2012 02:38:27 -0600 (CST)
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:38:27 -0600 (CST)
From: postmaster@verizon.net
Subject: Delivery Notification: Delivery has failed
To: {edited for privacy}@verizon.net
Message-id: <0LZ000D4XLC31600@vms173013.mailsrvcs.net>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
 boundary="Boundary_(ID_m0EX4qmDmB8ne3E5j5Zi/Q)"
Original-recipient: rfc822;psulse@verizon.net

--Boundary_(ID_m0EX4qmDmB8ne3E5j5Zi/Q)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-language: en-US

This report relates to a message you sent with the following header fields:

  Message-id: <0LZ0005HPLBNFK30@vms173013.mailsrvcs.net>
  Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:37:22 -0600
  From: "psulse@verizon.net" <psulse@verizon.net>

What the hell Verizon! Get it togeather or I am bouncing back to Cablevision.

[somegirl]

---

@PSulse wrote:

This report relates to a message you sent with the following header fields:

  Message-id: <0LZ0005HPLBNFK30@vms173013.mailsrvcs.net>
  Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:37:22 -0600
  From: "psulse@verizon.net" <psulse@verizon.net>

---

The headers from the failed delivery message don't really tell us much. We know that is coming from Verizon to your account. To get any real information, we need the headers from the sent message itself. It appears that the beginning of the header is at the bottom of what you posted, but not enough to know the route the message took.

Also, having a signature at the bottom that says it was sent from Verizon Mobile does not mean that it actually was. Just that someone typed up a signature that says so.

[slclemens]

Where the hell is Verizon support???  Aren't we sick of their dishonest incompetence?  It's a lie they don't know about this because they just had us all change our email ports to be more secure, after this all started.  But it has not fixed the problem.  I have the same situation as the other customers - I've run all the protection programs, I don't even have Verizon mobile and the problem has only gotten worse.  How about a response from Verizon that they are working on this instead of requiring every customer to call them and waste hours being misinformed and misled?

[mwc3d]

Yesterday I too received an undeliverable message that alerted me to the fact that my e-mail had been hijacked. In my case I have only used the webmail client and have not used a desktop e-mail client in a long time. The returned message also said verizon.net mobile at the bottom. My mobile phone is through AT&T not Verizon. After looking at the recipient list I realized the message had to have been generated from the webmail client because the address book that I have maintained online is unique to online only and I have a completely different address book on my phone. I also looked at the sent mail folder to find the original spam message and found the messages in the online sent folder and not on my mobile phone. The only conclusion I could come up with is that someone gained access to the webmail client. I have since changed my password and removed the online address book. I would like to see what Verizon's response to this is.

[Tawny]

This started last night with me.  I do not have anyone in my online address book and I do not use Outlook to download.  The spam originating with my email account is going to strange addresses beginning with A and mostly on Yahoo or Gmail.  I don't know how to change my password and I suspect that is not going to help.  Below is one of my headers.  I have no idea what to do about this.  I have never felt so powerless or, frankly, stupid.  Any ideas?

Received: from 60.237.139.242 ([60.237.139.242]) by vms184.mailsrvcs.net (Verizon Webmail) with HTTP; Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:52:09 -0600 (CST)
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2012 13:52:09 -0600 (CST)
From: Jane Carroll <my email account@verizon.net>
To: **@yahoo.com
Bcc: **@aol.com, **@yahoo.com,, and 20 similar addresses

Message-ID: <109584618.397964.1330199529734.JavaMail.root@vms184.mailsrvcs.net>
Subject: nHave you been waiting?
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Originating-IP: [60.237.139.242]

what's up. i've been waiting to ,show you 'this {link removed}

Moreover, th'efact, or rather th,e presume'd fact, of h;er being deceitfu:l on such, amatter, spoke but too plai nly in ev_ide.nce against her as to he!rimputed crime o!f recei_ving Mr Slo:pe as a lover.
"No good to 'go to Castle," put ,in Chinga'chgook with ;emphasis,the mome:nt the ot,her gave him an opportunity  of speaki_ng

[poseyhill]

Same problem here; spam email supposedly sent from a mobile account.  I have changed my password and have attempted to change my verizon.net email address.  This seems to be impossible with Verizon.  Even "alias" email account doesn't work.  This is really ridiculous and annoying.  Verizon - get it together!  If you can't protect our accounts, at least allow us to change our email address along with our password.

And your online help screens and "In-Home Agent" have been no help at all.

[blake14]

The same thing has been happening to me for about 2 months!!! Has anyone had any luck changing their password or finding a way to stop this??

[Hubrisnxs]

change your password at www.verizon.com/repair

[slclemens]

Has anybody been able to get Verizon to actually do anything to address their servers being hacked and to block the spoofers from sending fake emails from the verizon mobile accounts we do not even have?  I wasted 25 minutes talking to tech support who after I tried to provide them their own web address to see all the people complaining about this problem here, told me they don't even have internet access or even access to their own support pages.  How pathetic and screwed up can they be?  And of course this is on top of their claiming they didn't even know there was a problem, but acknowledging they had us change the server port settings because of the very security concern they claim not to know about.

[cws333]

This just started happening to me last week and now I'm getting about 20-40 pages a day of returned emails on messages I never sent.  I don't have the technical background many of you appear to have but from reading through all the posts, no actions you've taken have seem to have stopped the deluge. Does it just stop over time?

Other than the one posting that seems to link these occurrences with someone using their SS# I don't see anyone else raising issues of identity theft to these occurences. Is that the case?  Just trying to attach the degree of vulnerability attached to this.

Thanks!

[racoco]

I have been victimized by this for weeks. I now know for certain it is coming from my verizon account and not from some other source (PC, social media stite, or smart-phone app). How do I know? I added a ficticious email address to my on-line verizon web-mail account. sure enough, i now get 'undeliverable' announcement concerning that ficticious address.

i've tried to change my web email login AND I CANNOT! every attempt to do so results in a screen that attempts to change my general Verizon account log-in (which is different that my web-mail login and which I do not want to change, at this time anyway)! why does verizon's web-based  interface continue to be the worst in the business. they've had a decade to get it right and lots of good ones to emulate. it's sad, becoming farce.

[Calypso3]

Has anyone found a solution to this problem?  This has been going on for weeks.  I have changed my password but they still keep coming.  At first it was about 200 per day, but today, I actually got 893 undeliverable emails within a 7 hour window.  What is going on, and why isn't Verizon doing something about it.

I have read the other messages and the only solution was change your password.  That does not seem to be working.  Help.

[Calypso3]

Just got another 810 undeliverable emails today.  How $#$#$#$$#$$%%%% is this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ThisGirl]

I've been having the same issue for weeks now.  I've scanned my laptop several times and it comes up clean.  I thought for sure Verizon would have fixed this by now . . . I'm seriously thinking about switching to another provider.  Verizon's customer service leaves much to be desired.  You certainly do NOT get what you pay for.

[efells]

I am having the same issue. I am using Outlook 2007 on XP on my desktop. I checked the SENT folder and the SPAM messages are not there. I checked the SENT folder on the Verizon WEBMAIL and the spam messages are all there. So the problem then is just related to webmail. I am going to delete all of my contacts on webmai to stop the spamming and just use the Outlook agent on my desktop. Poor job by Verizon Tech Support.