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Well basically she sent me a message that said she read my emails and didn't like what I had to say about the break up to my friends. So I changed my password, and signed out of any external sources. Then later she sends me an email saying she read my mails again. So I thought that maybe opening the blank email from her is what did it. I didn't know it was blank, I thought she was sending me a message of some sort, so I naturally opened it. But there was no link to click on or anything.
Are you positive one of your friends isn't forwarding her the e-mails? Why not just stop talking about it, and her with others?
I think if a blank e-mail worked, all those spam companies that try to look like Fedex or another legit company and try to make you click on links ("There is a problem with your delivery...click this link for more information) wouldn't need to try to make you click on the link, all they'd have to do is send a blank e-mail.
Okay thanks for the input. As far as my friends forwarding her the emails, it may have been possible with the first email I wrote about her. However, the second one I wrote about her, I just wrote as a draft. I didn't actually send it to anyone, and decided not to. I just left it as a draft and decided to forget about it.
And then just a few hours later, she emails and tells me she read it and described exactly what I wrote in it. So she was able to read the draft, without it actually being sent. And yes I double checked, it is still a draft and was not sent to any address.
Okay thanks for the input. As far as my friends forwarding her the emails, it may have been possible with the first email I wrote about her. However, the second one I wrote about her, I just wrote as a draft. I didn't actually send it to anyone, and decided not to. I just left it as a draft and decided to forget about it.
And then just a few hours later, she emails and tells me she read it and described exactly what I wrote in it. So she was able to read the draft, without it actually being sent. And yes I double checked, it is still a draft and was not sent to any address.
Well, if you wrote it using a web based e-mail program like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. then she wouldn't need a keylogger or even access to your computer. That would be very sophisticated and tedious as well. All a person would really need, which would also be the most practical, is to simply have you login credentials to that account. Because if you start a message but not send it, it gets saved in "Drafts". The message or related data is not on the computer it was written on. It is a part of that mail account. If she can read your draft message then 2 logical possibilities:
- She has access to your e-mail account (yes, somehow even after changing password)
- She has a spy utility that records the screen (a GUI version of keylogger but more likely to be detected)
How certain are you that when you changed your mail account password, she is not getting notified somehow?
Try writing another message but don't send it. If she still finds out, then your machine is compromised (I'd say don't mess around with it and simply backup your data and re-image the computer).
How computer savvy is this woman?
I'm not sure how computer savvy she is, but the point of changing your email, and logging out on external sources, is to stop other people from getting into your mail. So if changing the password and logging out on external sources, doesn't do any good, then what I can do to get her to be logged out?
Re-imaging the whole computer is a big task, when really all I need to do is tell gmail to get her the hell out. So how do I tell gmail how to do that? It's a gmail problem, and not a computer problem, right? So it seems to me that the problem should be solved with gmail, since gmail is causing the problem.
I'm not sure how computer savvy she is, but the point of changing your email, and logging out on external sources, is to stop other people from getting into your mail. So if changing the password and logging out on external sources, doesn't do any good, then what I can do to get her to be logged out?
Re-imaging the whole computer is a big task, when really all I need to do is tell gmail to get her the hell out. So how do I tell gmail how to do that? It's a gmail problem, and not a computer problem, right? So it seems to me that the problem should be solved with gmail, since gmail is causing the problem.
The point/suggestion of re-imaging your computer was merely to eliminate any possibility of the culprit being on your computer. I agree, it is an overkill but might need to be done as a last resort, especially if the problem lied somewhere on your system. Based on the info you provided in your previous posts, I believe she has access to your e-mail account, however unlikely that may seem to you.
Gmail is NOT causing the issue. The issue is with your gmail account. Please understand the difference. As you noted, Gmail tech support will have to assist you if changing your password didn't help. It really wouldn't help to contact them just as long as you can prove who you are and also the account belonged to you because after all, they don't know you from Adam.
What backup/secondary e-mail address and/or phone was used when you created the account?
Could there be another e-mail address of phone number that is getting notified of the password change that she might have access to?
Before contacting Gmail Tech Support, do some research yourself:
- Scroll all the way to the bottom of Gmail screen
- Locate the "Details" link and click on it (See screenshot 1)
- Check out where and when your account was accessed and note the suspicious ones (see screenshot 2)
- You can also click on the button that ends all other open sessions (and requires a login)
- After doing the above, immediately change your Gmail password again!!
PS. Bear in mind, above might not be much help if you are using a password management tool/account like Lastpass that she also has access to and uses at her end. If that is the case, then that would be the actual culprit.
My account activity pretty much shows all expected access.
I access Gmail:
1) At home using Opera (inaccurately identified as Chrome)
2) At work, using Waterfox (identified as Firefox because it uses the same engine)
3) Also rarely via my Android
So, times, IP address, locations, browser/device, etc. all look normal.
Okay thanks. I have changed the password a few times now, but how is she knowing what I changed it to? Because isn't the point of changing it, that any other person will not be informed of it? How is it that gmail would be informing her specifically? Can I ask gmail tech support to not inform her of the changes?
Okay thanks. I have changed the password a few times now, but how is she knowing what I changed it to? Because isn't the point of changing it, that any other person will not be informed of it? How is it that gmail would be informing her specifically? Can I ask gmail tech support to not inform her of the changes?
Quote:
What backup/secondary e-mail address and/or phone was used when you created the account?
Could there be another e-mail address of phone number that is getting notified of the password change that she might have access to?
Please re-read my previous post as I put a lot of detailed suggestion and things you could/should do.
Okay thanks. Yeah I checked the log, but since I am emailing people all the time for business purposes, I cannot tell what times my mail has been open, that would have not been mine, since I am on there, all the time throughout the day. If I am signed into my gmail, without signing out and I still turn off the computer, does that count as still being logged in, since I didn't sign out technically?
Okay thanks. Yeah I checked the log, but since I am emailing people all the time for business purposes, I cannot tell what times my mail has been open, that would have not been mine, since I am on there, all the time throughout the day. If I am signed into my gmail, without signing out and I still turn off the computer, does that count as still being logged in, since I didn't sign out technically?
Online web mail accounts and even general web site logins are entirely different and unlinked to your computer being on or off. The sessions will eventually expire and the site will log you out but each site setting and policy could be different plus if you are using any type of tool to keep you logged in, auto-login, etc. the session could remain active.
That is why it might be a good idea to click on that button and have it log out (end) all other sessions besides the one you are currently using. That is something you should do before, or immediately after changing your password for that account, just to be on the safe side.
If she is becoming aware of what new password you have changed to, more than a keylogger, I'd suspect she is getting some sort of a notification for it but when you change a web based mail account password, I don't believe Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail actually sends you a notification displaying what the new password is. They typically NEVER tell you what your current or new password is. They simply notify you of the change. So, the culprit is still likely to reside on your system.
That is why I mentioned re-imaging the system as a sure-fire way of eliminating that possibility.
You haven't answered any of the questions I asked about using a password management tool or not so I cannot comment further on any other possibilities.
Could there indeed be a keylogger or a similar spy utility on your machine? Sure, that could be the case but probably so if she had physical access to the machine and has some knowledge of computers. If she is the type that can barely turn on the computer and check her e-mails, doubtful.
Still, it would be a wise thing to have your machine scanned using freely available tools. Collect log files and submit those log files to get feedback from experts of such topics.
There are a lot of knowledgeable folks even on this site that can give you information on how to scan your system and what tools to use to collect relevant info. I'd let them chime in.
Good luck.
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