Imposter among us

[Celtic_Emperor]

Hey, get this, someone just sent a messege to my yahoo group. I haven't approved it, so it won't show up until I do. But the problem is that it was sent by me, using my e-mail address and I didn't type that messege at all.

So its apparent someone is trying to screw with my account or already has. I want you to know that if something should happen, that I told you this beforehand, and if someone should be going around on groups or sites or anywhere else claiming to be me and doing whatever, that its not true and its not me unless you verify it with me in some way this manipulator wouldn't know about.

"Subject: A special nice game

Hi,This is a nice game
This game is my first work.
You're the first player.
I expect you would like it. "




Thats what they said, and as I said my account/e-mail was used to do it. My e-mail account is [email protected] , and thats the one they used to send this messege.

I would ask that if anyone notices such suspicious activity happening around them to notify me or those that would be concerned with this. Apparently I'm the first, and not the last. This person, if they are serious, is obviously sick or disturbed in some way, and therefore dangerous and a threat to us all.

Be on the look out.


Thank you.


- Damien

 

[Limeoutsider]

Sounds like a hacker is about to have you for breakfast!

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Well, the thing is, I don't have any enemies that would do this or go this far.

It doesn't make sense. It seems totally random.


- Damien

 

[qjakal]

Virus...

Some of the newer virii generate sentence structure such as you describe. Have you swept your rig/network thoroughly and checked for infection? Sending emails using the primary profile has been a virus function as well for quite some time. Just a thought... Q

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Hmmmmmm, perhaps a "search and destroy" is necessary....
If it happens again, tell yahoo, they usually frown on hackers. Just tell them that their central server is next. That'll get them going.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

@ qjakal- I'm sorry, but I'm not really a computer expert, so I don't understand what you mean. I mean, I get the jist of it, I just don't know what to do.

I'm glad you at least could varify, in your opinion, that it is a virus.


@ HDS- Yes, exactly. And I just now sent a messege to Yahoo!, although the last time I sent them one it took about 2 weeks for them to reply, and this is a serious problem.

The biggest thing I'm worried about is if this person is posing as me and ruining my reputation everywhere and handling my affairs. He (or she, I won't be sexist) has nothing to gain by trying to get to my art. But if they do know me, they might want to do as much damage as they can while they have assumed my identity.

That is of course a worst case scenerio, and I hope it doesn't come to that.

Does anyone else here know of anything I could do? I could sure use some reassurance. If this person does something to my site, can I count on someone here to lend me support until its over?

Then again, this might be a one time deal, with a person just out to prove that they CAN DO SOMETHING to you. They may not necessarily want anything.

This is very unsettling, and a first for me. I'm not afraid, or filled with fear, but it is making me anxious.


- Damien

 

[TKpervert]

A good virus/worm package (Norton,MacAfee) is about $50.
Buy one if you don't already have one and let it clean up your machine.

You do have a firewall I hope ?

If you run Windows XP, close port 5000 on your PC.

Do you have a secure password for your email acct that nobody else cound know?

just some ideas. Good luck.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

I do have that program. I'll go run it.

I do have windows XP. This is a laptop. But how do I get to port 5000 and what do I do to close it? And when I close it, will it affect the operation of the rest of the computer in any way?

And yes, I do have a secure password that I've not told anyone else. Obviously if they got lucky and guessed it, then they're in. I could change it, but I don't see what good that would do seeing as how this seems bigger than simple passwords.


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

We know you too well to be fooled. I'll stand by ya. If your mail is shut down, I can let you use mine so you can post messages that are clean and virus/hacker free.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

This coward is pathetic HDS. What a loser.

A reward to the TMF member that brings this bastard or bitch to me, alive, or otherwise!

I'll make like Mel Gibson in the movie "Randsom" where instead of paying the kidnapper the money, I pay the general public the money to hunt him down for me!


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Losers tend to congregate towards such things.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

What makes it so petty is that I'm hardly worth the effort. If I was some fortune 500 company, that would be different. But I'm just an artist, I don't need this extra stress.


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Don't worry, somebody'll get him. And an artist is just as important as a 500 company in my book. More so even. Don't dis yourself.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

I'm not dising myself really, only showing how stupid they are for doing it. Theres nothing to be gained here ultimately. I've been air-tight about who and what sites can also have my work on them, but now, after this, I wonder if I can even post them at all, even on my own group, without risk.

If people thought I was too uptight before, watch out. Sigh...


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Try creating another email address by adding a 2 to the end of the old one. I've got two just in case of such an eventuality.

 

[TKpervert]

I do have windows XP. This is laptop. But how do I get to port 5000 and what do I do to close it? And when I close it, will it affect the operation of the rest of the computer in any way?
- Damien

Get your virus definitions updated before you do the scan, as it could be a new virus/worm. (Fizzer? only nine days old).

This will take care of port 5000, and your machine will run fine without it. When you get to the unpnp website look for the green 'download' button. I did this two weeks ago and I'm shill here.


http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=29397

Good luck.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Yeah, I've thought of that, but how do we know they wouldn't get to that one too? How do we know e-mail is even the way they did it?

You know what....damnit...why can't this happen to someone that actually deserves it?


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

It always happens to the nicest people. Damn %#$%@#$*(@!!!!!

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Get your virus definitions updated before you do the scan, as it could be a new virus/worm. (Fizzer? only nine days old).

This will take care of port 5000, and your machine will run fine without it. When you get to the unpnp website look for the green 'download' button. I did this two weeks ago and I'm shill here.


http://www.ticklingforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=29397

Good luck.

Its too late, I already started the scan since you first mentioned it. I don't want to stop it right now. And like I said, I'm not a computer expert, so you might have to run this by me again later. This is too much to deal with all at once. Its confusing me. Mostly because this is a first time and I've never had to deal with it.


- Damien

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

The scan just finished, and it shows no problems. But somehow that isn't very relieving.


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

If you really want a walkthrough, tell me and I'll give you one.

 

[Myriads]

Common Virus. The forum gets the exact same mail about 5 times a day. No one has hacked you. Forget about it.

Myriads

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Ahhhhh, I see. C_E: Update your antivirus and scan again.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

@HDS- We'll see what happens.


@ Myriads-

Are you sure, sir? I want to be able to walk away from this confident I have nothing to worry about.


- Damien

 

[His Divine Shadow]

Good luck, my friend.