Tug of war

Got your own spyware horror story?

A couple hours ago, someone tried to steal my Windows Live account using the password reset system. He added me in Live Messenger and asked if I could do him a favor: forward a message to him that would arrive in my in-box soon. I didn't think that would cause any problem, so I agreed. The message was written in a foreign language I didn't understand. I forwarded it. In seconds, I found the links in the e-mail contain the word "account," and I realized it might be an online fraud.

I immediately signed into my account, but while trying to change the password, I found it had already been changed, along with my password security question. Soon, I was kicked out of Messenger when the other person logged in. At that time, I was still logged into the account system through the browser. Fortunately, my Live Mail desktop was still open. I filled out the password reset form and let it send an e-mail to my in-box. Thank goodness I got a chance to reset the password and security questions.

However, the story doesn't end there. I kept refreshing the account page because I knew the trickster might be logged into my account system at the same time and doing the same thing I did earlier. My suspicion was correct. I got a notification from Live Messenger saying I received an e-mail, but when I logged in my e-mail account, the in-box was already empty. I was still able to save myself. By refreshing the account information page, I found that he had already changed the alternative e-mail address to prevent me from accessing the account. But still, the password security question was left unchanged. I regained control of my account using location information and my password security question/answer.

It seems the other person logged out of Live Messenger and closed the browser after failing to rob my account. He then logged into Live Messenger on the account used to cheat me, cryptically IM-ing, "What an irony to me."

-Kris
Beijing, China

Reply from the Download.com editors:

We're glad you got your account back, Kris, and hope that's the end of it. To be safe, you might consider deleting the old account and starting fresh with a new e-mail address. Just don't take that path before alerting everyone in your contact list to the change and to the attempted hijacking. If the thief was able to copy your addresses, your friends may not be safe from receiving malware-filled e-mails and links that look like they've come from you.

What perplexes us is how this stranger managed to convince you to forward an e-mail that he or she apparently already had access to (if it's a friend, you've got bigger problems). Otherwise, how would they know the contents of your in-box before a message even arrived? If anything ever feels off about an online exchange with a stranger (who could be anyone with any motive, despite what they tell you), remember that you don't owe virtual acquaintances any favors. If someone needs a legitimate file sent that badly, he or she isn't likely to look to random strangers for help.