Spying on the spies- I need help

[Melinda789]

:eek:
I'm a middle-aged lady who participates heavily in animal rescue. For the past several years, I've been being spyed on and the situation has gotten to the point that someone using my own name from a hotmail address actually sent me my name, address, phone number, & drivers license number and asked me if I wanted a copy of my credit report. This, after sending several juvenile, threatening e-mails about ruining my life. My chief suspect is a person who I had to deny an adoption of an animal to. Naturally, I reported this to the local police, but they have no idea how to trace a hotmail account, and from what my surfing research told me, it's pretty hard to get Hotmail to go along with a trace, and it costs the department money. So, of course, nothing ever came of the police investigation, because there wasn't one.

My problem isn't that I suspect my computer has been hacked (although the suspect may be watching my every entry, even as I type it, I know), or that he's been sending viruses - if he has, I'm unaware of it. No, my problem is the means by which the perp is carrying out his threats of "ruining my life" and the animal rescue I work with, by means of sending e-mails containing the most viscious lies, and continually reporting me to animal control (which nothing ever comes of it and they _animal control_ , can't tell me who is reporting me because that is legally priveledged information. The most recent one, from 5 days ago, was via an anomymous letter mailed to animal control.

What I want to do is disguise my identity to the point where this man ( male person is more accurate - he's no "man", he's a coward who hides and sneaks) cannot trace me to find out that I am me. I wish to pretend to be one of the persons he targets, specifically the officers in the animal rescue I am associated with, because I do know for a fact that he contacts officers in the organization and succeeds in running them off from the organization entirely. After all, when the news is shocking/embarrassing enough, about one key person, they are often too embarrassed to simply ask the person whether it's true or not, or they expect that if they do ask, they'll get a denial because what was supposedly done is so evil.

It's to the point where the animals would be suffering if not for a few volunteers paying out of their own pockets to care for the animals. But, nothing can be done about it until the identity of the perpetrator can be proven in a court of law.

I googled a freeware program that will search for IP addresses for hackers to use, but I'm afraid that if I download it, I won't know enough about it to understand how to use it.

I need a mentor. If you love animals and have just a little bit of time to guide me through this process, please send me a private e-mail. I could say a lot more, but I don't know if I'm being watched or not, and I have come to the conclusion that the only way to stop this person is to be my own private detective. I do have a pretty good grasp of how computers work, it's just that I've never had any reason to learn how to disguise myself on the computer.

Thanks in advance to anyone who helps me.

[Catweazle]

Maybe others here more knowledgeable about such matters may be able to advise you differently, but I suspect that you are going to out of luck tracking the source of threatening messages sent via a web-based mail account. Those messages can be sent from anywhere, and are not tied to location and oerson in the way that POP3 emails are. If the message comes from an ISP-based email account it's more easily traceable.

I'd suggest that you advise all in the organisation to make complaint to MSN whenever such messages are received, and to continue reporting every instance to the police. I think that the best you can hope for is to convince MSN to shut down the accounts used to send such messages, and I'm sure that if a series of accounts proves to be used for such a purpose, and the messages originate from a particular location, further action might then be possible.

But the key to success is to ensure that the people in your organisation do not give him any satisfaction by allowing his messages to impact on them. If his efforts bring reward he will continue, if they don't he will stop!

You sound like a nice person, and it's probably a pity that you're unlikely to have some 'not-so-nice' friends. A few of them paying the fellow a visit is what this situation sounds like it needs :)

[w1r3sp33d]

I would make sure that you have some record of your initial attempt to contact your local law enforcement. This might be enough to lay a foundation for a restraining order in the future. If he breaks that, he will be in violation of well defined law that can be prosecuted by local authorities without a computer expert.

Next I suggest logging a complaint with the FBI. They have worked on cases as small as ebay fraud over a few hundred bucks. Did you know that cyber protection is the FBI priority #3? http://www.fbi.gov/priorities/priorities.htm (that’s before protecting civil liberties or combating significant violent crime.)

You can find your local field office here: http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm

[Catweazle]

Thanks for that, w1r3sp33d. Here in Australia, where out police are all under State or Federal administration, we have well-established Computer Crimes units, and stalking/harrassment is also taken quite seriously. Being under State administration, our local police have very clearcut mechanisms whereby such matters can be dealt with. Perhaps you have been unlucky enough to strike a situation where communication between authorities isn't the best. Going directly to the people responsible would certainly be a good move to make!

[Melinda789]

This is all good information to know. Must say, though, that my main interest in IP numbers comes from not wanting them to trace me, more so than for me to trace them.
Thanks, everyone! ;)

[dlh6213]

:My problem isn't that I suspect my computer has been hacked (although the suspect may be watching my every entry, even as I type it, I know)...

What do you mean by this? Do you suspect a keystroke logger has been installed on your computer?

:...my main interest in IP numbers comes from not wanting them to trace me...

What type of ISP do you have, dial-up or DSL (or somthing else)? If you have dial-up, your IP address changes everytime you log on, so it would be pretty hard to trace you that way. If you have DSL, or something else with a static IP address, you can change it by doing a Release & Renew as often as you like -- I don't know if it will help, but it might.

[CathyMeadows]

Melinda,

This man knows you. Do you have a disgruntled boyfriend? Lover? Is there someone who you crossed in school? Are you a whistle-blower of any kind? Did you turn someone is for anything?

The fact that he is not coming forward means that he is trying to make you look crazy. He is trying to make you look like you are paranoid ..either paranoid personality disorder or paranoid schizophrenia.

Since you work so close with animals, do you have contact with law enforcement? Did you send a letter to them for any reason.

This type of work is often done by persons in the know. People who have the ways and means of doing it.

Has your home been broken into? Anything destroyed?

HIS diagnosis is probably Narcissistic Personality Disorder. They are the ones who do stalking and who destroy reputations. They try to get other people to hurt you while they hide. They are full of themselves and are self-righteous. They are self- described "good guys". They may go to church, for example and help out, seemingly a good guy. Do you know anyone like this? Maybe a neighbor? Look for someone who is different then normal people. Someone who is almost too good.

Could it be someone you work with?

Have you turned down any dates?

It is someone who knows you.

I can help. Please feel free to e mail me at email removed by alc6379

Don't worry so much about your privacy. They live to get you exciteable. Show no excitement or fear. Act like "these things happen".

Cathy

:eek:
I'm a middle-aged lady who participates heavily in animal rescue. For the past several years, I've been being spyed on and the situation has gotten to the point that someone using my own name from a hotmail address actually sent me my name, address, phone number, & drivers license number and asked me if I wanted a copy of my credit report. This, after sending several juvenile, threatening e-mails about ruining my life. My chief suspect is a person who I had to deny an adoption of an animal to. Naturally, I reported this to the local police, but they have no idea how to trace a hotmail account, and from what my surfing research told me, it's pretty hard to get Hotmail to go along with a trace, and it costs the department money. So, of course, nothing ever came of the police investigation, because there wasn't one.

My problem isn't that I suspect my computer has been hacked (although the suspect may be watching my every entry, even as I type it, I know), or that he's been sending viruses - if he has, I'm unaware of it. No, my problem is the means by which the perp is carrying out his threats of "ruining my life" and the animal rescue I work with, by means of sending e-mails containing the most viscious lies, and continually reporting me to animal control (which nothing ever comes of it and they _animal control_ , can't tell me who is reporting me because that is legally priveledged information. The most recent one, from 5 days ago, was via an anomymous letter mailed to animal control.

What I want to do is disguise my identity to the point where this man ( male person is more accurate - he's no "man", he's a coward who hides and sneaks) cannot trace me to find out that I am me. I wish to pretend to be one of the persons he targets, specifically the officers in the animal rescue I am associated with, because I do know for a fact that he contacts officers in the organization and succeeds in running them off from the organization entirely. After all, when the news is shocking/embarrassing enough, about one key person, they are often too embarrassed to simply ask the person whether it's true or not, or they expect that if they do ask, they'll get a denial because what was supposedly done is so evil.

It's to the point where the animals would be suffering if not for a few volunteers paying out of their own pockets to care for the animals. But, nothing can be done about it until the identity of the perpetrator can be proven in a court of law.

I googled a freeware program that will search for IP addresses for hackers to use, but I'm afraid that if I download it, I won't know enough about it to understand how to use it.

I need a mentor. If you love animals and have just a little bit of time to guide me through this process, please send me a private e-mail. I could say a lot more, but I don't know if I'm being watched or not, and I have come to the conclusion that the only way to stop this person is to be my own private detective. I do have a pretty good grasp of how computers work, it's just that I've never had any reason to learn how to disguise myself on the computer.

Thanks in advance to anyone who helps me.

[Catweazle]

CathyMeadows, those comments most certainly do not address the question that has been asked here. Certainly your comments are somewhat relevent in respect to aspects of the 'stalker' mentality, but this is a computer forum, and it is a computer related question that's been asked. I fail to see how advertising your 'Mystic' business can be contrued as a computer related response!

Please don't use this forum to promote your business. Advertising must be paid for!

[Libertate]

There is a open source software package out there called Ethereal. within the package of OPENXTRA.

This package ""sniffs" or monitors every packet that goes in and out of your system. By loading it, and running it while you are NOT working on your machine, but still having it on, you can see (if you are technically savvy) what IP packets travel from your computer to others.

With the packet capture you can find the other person's IP address. Hotmail part is of no use. Anyone can and will register a hotmail with fake information. If they have direct access to your machine I suggest you load the free version of ZoneAlarm and you set it at the highest level of security. If this individual loaded some spy software on your machine, it will request access to the Internet and ZoneAlarm will ask you to allow/deny access.

Alternatively you can monitor your machine by periodically typing NETSTAT at a DOS/cmd prompt. This program returns recent or current TCP/IP connections.

Finnaly you can set something we call a honey pot. A honey pot is a software trap that will entice the nasty bear to dig in, and while digging in the pot, it triggers tools to hunt it down...

I suggest you contact someone directly who can get on your compute, clean it and lock it down tight as a drum.

Good luck.