I need help figuring out an e-mail identity!!!

I don't belong in this world of computer hackers/genius'... I'm totally electronically illiterate! But I need help so I've been searching for weeks...
I'm receiving some very nasty and disturbing e-mails (not quite violent enough that the authorities can "involve themselves")... the problem is, I know it's someone close to me because they know every move I make.
They send me (and to my family and supervisors about me) sporadic e-mails... it's just a plain old hotmail address, but with a fake stupid name attached.
I've done all the typical searching but have come up with nothing... I feel helpless and frustrated and a little scared... can anyone of you help? Is there ANY way to find out who this person is without spending money I don't have???
Please help... any feedback is appreciated! :confused:

If you don't know who is doing it and you are frightened and as scared as you say you are, maybe alerting the authorities is the best thing to do. What exactly is the person saying in the e-mail's? Any threat's? You say they know your every move. That could be looked at as stalking, so maybe you should alert the authorities.

They've been notified and won't/can't do anything... I'm also in the military and our authorities can't do a thing since they say it wasn't originated from a military e-mail account. Everything said is very borderline... no physical, violent threats... but they've done a lot of other damage. I recently was moved from one state to another and changed my name and they've still found my new personal info... I just can't understand why it's so hard to figure out who's behind a simple hotmail address if it's so easy to get my info when I spend no time whatsoever on the computer...

Okay, give me a sample of what they're saying in some of the messages.



EDIT:

Quote:

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they've still found my new personal info

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I find this extremely hard to believe. I find it hard to grasp that you moved and then they found your information. It's probably a relative or a friend playing a joke on you if that's the case.

Hellion86,

Can you get one of these e-mails, copy it REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS at attach it to a post?

Are there any attachments, or is it just a straight e-mail

Is it your personal computer?

Have you been messing with the colonel's daughter or someone else's wife/girl? (sorry, I have to ask that)

Do you owe anyone money, have pi$$ed them off in any way?

Maybe we can progress from there?

Cheers

EDIT: Purple blob at the top "PM" is private message, if you don't want to post everything to your thread ;)

Quote:

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Have you been messing with the colonel's daughter or someone else's wife/girl?

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Haha, that's classic. Yeah, I think it's a relative/friend who's pulling a prank because I find it really hard to believe someone has tracked you despite a move or whatever and all that.

At least begin the paper trail, save the emails you receive, and contact the authorities through email. Save the emails, print them out.

-OR-

Remove all contact with the person harassing you. Delete all the emails, make it no fun for them anymore. Are they using a single email account, or bouncing around?

Paste the email address in google. Maybe they are dumb enough to have used it elsewhere.

Quote:

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Remove all contact with the person harassing you.

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That's a good point, are you replying back to these e-mail's? If so, what are you saying?

:)
Think about it: you say you've been moved. I surmise that this is by marching orders of the military? Who in the military might have access to the database with your profile? Does the information match what is in your profile? What information has recently changed and matches
with what your "stalker" knows? Can you change your e-mail account? Do you continue to recieve
e-mails of this nature after you have changed the account? Who has knowledge of the new account?
You can remain 'passive', or start to initiate some subtle "controlled" changes. It is akin to planting info, selectively, and monitoring the "trail" you have left, then isolating the common denominator(s). You might be surprised.

There basically is no simple way to find out who this person is (without spending money), but there is some info you can gather by looking at the email properties.

I don't know how you look at your email, but I'll assume that you're using Outlook (Express).
Open one of the emails, and go to File --> Properties. Select the Details tab. You say the mail is coming from a Hotmail address, so you should see something similar to this:

Quote:

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Return-Path: <sendersname@hotmail.com>
Delivered-To: your mail-address
Received: (qmail 3307 invoked from network); 26 May 2004 23:00:43 -0000
Received: from your mail-server (your mail-server's IP)
by xxx with QMQP; 26 May 2004 23:00:43 -0000
Received: from msendersname@hotmail.com by xxx by uid 1004 with qmail-scanner-1.20rc3
(clamscan: 0.60. Clear:RC:0:.
Processed in 1.805491 secs); 26 May 2004 22:58:44 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO hotmail.com) (65.54.247.43)
by 0 with SMTP; 26 May 2004 22:58:42 -0000
Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC;
Wed, 26 May 2004 15:58:40 -0700
Received: from 24.1.15.92 by by2fd.bay2.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP;
Wed, 26 May 2004 22:58:40 GMT
X-Originating-IP: [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]
X-Originating-Email: [sendersname@hotmail.com]
X-Sender: sendersname@hotmail.com
From: "senders alias" <sendersname@hotmail.com>
To: your mail address
Bcc:
Subject: Subject
Date: Wed, 26 May 2004 17:58:40 -0500
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 26 May 2004 22:58:40.0994 (UTC) FILETIME=[FCCF7C20:01C44374]
X-Qmail-Scanner-Message-ID: <108561232263826049@xxx>

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What you can learn from this is:
- The sender's real email address
- The sender's real IP address (unless he's smart...heh) can be found under
X-Originating-IP: [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx]

This IP address can be used to do basic tracking on the sender. It might at a minimum give away his ISP, maybe if you're lucky the state he's in...

To find out all the info on his IP address, go to SamSpade, and paste his IP in the IP WhoIs box...

It's not much, but it's a start...

Your profile give nothing away; but with the content of your post, that is understandable.

As you have come here, you have no other IT literate people around that you wish to share with ?

Firstly: I would save ALL the offending mails.

As a quick check, right click on the Emails title, this should open a box in which you should see a tab for details, click on this, from here there is a button marked 'message source' this contains IP addresses that you can use, with a little help, to backtrack the sender.

[edit] started typing when only ONE answer, posted, and ended up on page TWO. At least Negative is saying what I was trying to get across.

Also, forgot to add DON'T REPLY TO THESE MAILS, [/edit]

Spyder~

Quote:

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Haha, that's classic. Yeah, I think it's a relative/friend who's pulling a prank because I find it really hard to believe someone has tracked you despite a move or whatever and all that.

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Yes, but very easy if you work for the military, and you are not in "one of those" units?

They demand to know where you live?

Change mail provider and posibly ISP I suppose..........

Check machine for trojans/keyloggers?

We have a way to go with this one...............I do hope he is USAF/SAC................ I have a superb "application for the position of test pilot in a cruise missle squadron" one............lots of laughs in the past. (Assuming that a bit of mild revenge is in order)

However, at the moment we have to assume that this is seriously malicious

Reply awaited my friend :D

Yeah I wasn't considering that he worked for the military. They need to know virtually everything about you while your under them, so I'd assume they'd know your constant change of e-mail's/ISP's/etc. So yeah, nihil your right. Negative's post was also helpfull in the sense that SamSpade can give you the abuse number to the IP's ISP. So that can prove to be very helpful.

Thank you~! I did what you said with the X Originating IP address off one of the e-mails and pasted below is what came up... does that mean the individual's service provider is in Tyler, Texas or the actual person is???
On a side note, it's not family... I have very few and they are more computer illiterate than I am and would not do this to me regardless! Also, no I didn't sleep with anyone -- although they like to accuse me of that too -- or owe anyone anything.
Is there anything else I can do with this IP address to track them or would I honestly have to pay a hacker at this point to find out exactly who the person is?



OrgName: Classic Communications
OrgID: CCKS
Address: 6151 Paluxy Road
Address: Building A
City: Tyler
StateProv: TX
PostalCode: 75703
Country: US
NetRange: 207.254.224.0 - 207.254.255.255
CIDR: 207.254.224.0/19
NetName: CLASSICNET3
NetHandle: NET-207-254-224-0-1
Parent: NET-207-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
NameServer: NSA.IBBSONLINE.COM
NameServer: NSB.IBBSONLINE.COM
Comment:
RegDate: 2003-10-02
Updated: 2004-01-07
TechHandle: SYSTE3-ARIN
TechName: System Administrator
TechPhone: 1-888-271-6551
TechEmail: [email protected]
OrgTechHandle: SYSTE3-ARIN
OrgTechName: System Administrator
OrgTechPhone: 1-888-271-6551
OrgTechEmail: [email protected]
CustName: Classic Communications
Address: 6151 Paluxy Road
City: Tyler
StateProv: TX
PostalCode: 75703
Country: US
RegDate: 2004-01-04
Updated: 2004-01-04
NetRange: 207.254.233.0 - 207.254.233.255
CIDR: 207.254.233.0/24
NetName: CLASSIC-CABOT
NetHandle: NET-207-254-233-0-1
Parent: NET-207-254-224-0-1
NetType: Reassigned
Comment:
RegDate: 2004-01-04
Updated: 2004-01-04
TechHandle: SYSTE3-ARIN
TechName: System Administrator
TechPhone: 1-888-271-6551
TechEmail: [email protected]
OrgTechHandle: SYSTE3-ARIN
OrgTechName: System Administrator
OrgTechPhone: 1-888-271-6551
OrgTechEmail: [email protected]

It means that his ISP has a branch in Tyler, Texas... hmmm... that's like a couple miles away from here :D

An email to [email protected] explaining the whole situation is your best bet.... make sure to include all your evidence.
Or give them a call ;)

Personally, I would call them. I think it would have more of an effect if they are talking to a person on the phone than communicating with a character over email... Just a thought...

Unfortunately, you can't really document phone calls. Emails should accompany the phone calls, so that if something were to happen, people can be blamed that didn't take action. It's all about liability these days.

I suppose that is true... But the person that reads the email might throw it off as a silly social engineering attempt... so if you do email the company, attach one of the originials the mean person hurting you has been sending... this will prove to the ISP (hopefully) that that is what's going on...

You could record the phone calls however... I don't think it's that hard to tap and record your own local line... if anything just put one of those personal voice recorder things next to a different phone and talk away...

Hi hellion86

You say that local law enforcement are not interested? and that you are military?...........hmmmmm, I guess those two probably go together?

IT IS WRONG, but hell aren't most facts of life?

OK you did not say which service..........quite correct!............please talk to your adjutant (that's Limey speak for the executive officer) you need G2, A2, or the DNI.............let them decide as to whether there is anything important or not? That is what your local cops think, I assure you. You will have approached through "official channels" the real guys will take over from there ;)

Good luck

I REALLY appreciate everyone's outstanding feedback and advice... unfortunately, I promise you that I have gone through every channel humanly possible to try to get this stopped. A few folks in law enforcement even attempted to atleast get the real name... but said ever since Hotmail was broken into awhile back that their security controls are much better and preventing people from finding folks who don't want to be found. They told me my only option was a private investigative firm that deals in computer hacking -- there's not even one of those near where I am, but the costs are above my budget I'm sure.
That's the problem -- like I said in my original e-mail -- the person will not come out and make a physical, violent threat... only elude. What scares me is that they somehow know everything about me... they destroyed my job and my marriage by knowing enough of the truth to spin horrible lies.
It's all like a really bad movie...
Knowing that this is someone close to me, or someone that's watching me... I just don't know if you could ever explain what a horrid feeling that is. They know my daily activities, who I talk to on the phone, who I see and where I eat. Might seem like easy info to have... but I live alone and work alone now and know no-one in this brand new city yet (only been here two months), I speak only to my family and don't do that very much anymore over the phone.
I know I seem like a paranoid schyzophrenic, but hopefully someone could atleast understand why?
I just want to know who the person behind this is.

HI,

Are you by any chance using exactly the same computer as you did in the past, like before you moved?

Please answer this question, it is VERY important ;)

Good luck and God bless

Johnno

That's the problem -- like I said in my original e-mail -- the person will not come out and make a physical, violent threat... only elude. What scares me is that they somehow know everything about me... they destroyed my job and my marriage by knowing enough of the truth to spin horrible lies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above, suggests to me that you DO know who this attacker is.........
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by knowing enough of the truth
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You have the answer, and it is in YOUR past, It is not for us to judge, You have tried to get the authorities involved, and now you want the help off the AO cadre. This in itself is not a bad idea, the problem lies in what you can ALLOW us to see.

To recap:
dump your present ISP.
For online mails, use a cyber cafe.
Do not use the instant messaging services.
For your next ISP, DO NOT USE THE EMAIL FACILITY.
You are in the goddamn military, if the perp comes to town,
open a large can of whuppass on him.
Live for the NOW, Do not look back.
Life IS too short.
Life is GOOD.
Learn to live / forget / forgive.

have you responded to their emails and has s/he/they acknowledged in any way that you did?

if they open the email you send to that accountl there is maybe something we could do to track'em down using a web-bug.

I’m not familiar with Yahoo mail but if its html based you can hide (embed) a one pixel transparent graphic in it that loads from a web server on yours or someone else’s computer. Keep that computer on and watch the logs for a request for that graphic. Being as the email is actually viewed on the computer that opens it.(the perp’s) you can get the actual ip of the computer its being viewed on and at least match that to an account. You might find their running kazaa and get a user name that way. There’s allot you can do once you find the ip/account.

If yahoo is text only you can title your email “do you want money?” and in the body set a link for a document /picture (set up same as above) and give some reason to entice them to click on it. Like maybe “ I think you should see this before you really get yourself in trouble” or “heres my financial situation”. Well you get the idea.