Compromised or spoofed accounts

What's the difference between compromised and spoofed?

Your Sent folder will offer the best clue as to whether your account has been compromised or spoofed.

• If you DO find emails in your Sent folder that you did NOT send: Your account might have been compromised.

• If you DO NOT find any strange email in your Sent folder: Your account has most likely been spoofed.

What should I do if my account has been compromised?

Changing your password can help secure your account from being compromised in the future, and we recommend changing passwords regularly to increase security.

What is email address spoofing?

• Spoofing is when a spammer sends out emails using your email address in the From field. The idea is to make it seem like the message is from you – to trick people into opening it.

• These emails do not originate from our email service and do not have any contact with the bOnline Mail system – the email addresses are cleverly edited to make them appear like they're from us.

• The message originates from the spammer's email account and is sent from the spammer's email server.

How can I tell if my email address is being spoofed?

• You'll receive a delivery failure message (from mailer-daemon) in your inbox that does NOT match any messages you've sent before.

• You get messages from people who received emails from you, that you did NOT send.

What do I do if my email address is being spoofed?

Because of the nature of email spoofing, it's not possible to stop this kind of activity from happening. However, there are steps you can take to minimise your chances of this happening to you: 

• Make sure you don't post your email address where others can see it, such as public websites like forums. Spammers often collect email addresses from websites like these.

• Keep your main email address private, just for friends and family. It's a good idea to set up a second email address if you regularly sign up for services online.

• Never reply to spam. By replying, spammers will know your account is active and will continue to email you.

• Don't follow unsubscribe links in the email, this also tells the spammer that your account is active.

• When you register with a website, make sure you know what you are agreeing to.

If you need further support, why not contact us.