Suspicious outbound email from an email account

[mc]

I am running Windows XP sp2 Outlook 2003. I use outlook to poll a number of
email accounts from various ISPs to receive and send emails. Recently I am
getting undeliverable notices for emails that I never sent. It seems to be
an indication that my computer has been compromised and used to broadcast
spam. Can someone help me with the following 3 questions:

1) I have done all the scanning with different anti-virus software and
cannot find anything. Any suggestion as to how to erradicate the problem?

2) The undeliverable notices shows that the original email was sent from an
email account that I used only for receiving email and not sending. If I
cannot erradicate the problem, can I at least stop email going out under that
one account?

3) As a final measure, can I limit the number of recipients on any outgoing
email? I am thinking that may also stop my computer being used for spams
since they typically would have a large number of recipients.

Thank you.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I am running Windows XP sp2 Outlook 2003. I use outlook to poll a
number of email accounts from various ISPs to receive and send
emails. Recently I am getting undeliverable notices for emails that
I never sent. It seems to be an indication that my computer has been
compromised and used to broadcast spam.

No, it indicates that your email address has been hijacked and that the
spammer is using someone else's PC (his own or some poor victim's) to send
mail that appears to come from you. Since the recipient addresses the
spammer has contain bogus entries, the bounces are returning to you.

1) I have done all the scanning with different anti-virus software and
cannot find anything. Any suggestion as to how to erradicate the
problem?

2) The undeliverable notices shows that the original email was sent
from an email account that I used only for receiving email and not
sending. If I cannot erradicate the problem, can I at least stop
email going out under that one account?

You're account is not being used to send the messages. Perhaps you posted
that address on-line somewhere and a spammer search bot found it and is now
using it.

3) As a final measure, can I limit the number of recipients on any
outgoing email? I am thinking that may also stop my computer being
used for spams since they typically would have a large number of
recipients.

There's nothing you can do because it's not your PC sending the messages.