I have Norton AV and virus definitions are updated weekly. I've just run a full scan and it says I have no viruses. But - a friend tells me he received an email from me today with strange Greek characters in it, yet I have sent him no messages. Today I received the same email from someone else. Is it possible for a virus email to APPEAR to come from me but not actually come from me? (NB This was not from my hotmail account but my POP email account on my computer).

BCP: Sounds like a piece of malware could have hijacked your address book. You may still have it on your PC. Besides your AV software, and just to be on the safe side, have you scanned your PC with Syybot and Adware? Even if it isn't spyware, using the two programs below regularly is always a good idea. 1. Download and install Spybot; update the utility BEFORE scanning your PC. 2. Download and install Ad-Aware; update the utility BEFORE scanning your PC. Click on the names: AD-AWARE SPYBOT After installation and updating, scan your PC with both utilities. Delete everything they find. All deletions are reversible. Recommend the same to your friends, if they haven't already done so. Solarian

Also run the online trojans scan at PC Flank: http://www.pcflank.com/trojans_test1.htm Solarian

Thanks, I'll have a look at these. The 2 similar emails that I received were from someone I know, that person would have my address on her PC as well as the address of my friend who received one supposedly from me. Isn't it possible that her PC has a virus and it has sent it to people with other peoples' details in the Sender box???

BCP: Yes, entirely possible. That's why I suggested you recommend to all concerned scanning their computers with the software I mentioned, plus the trojan scanner at PC Flank. Solarian

More likely it is someone who did not get the same e-mail, but has you and all the others in their address book. One thing I do is place my own e-mail address in the address book. This way a virus infection will send a copy back to me. Second thing I do is placed an entry in my e-mail list like AAA@invalid so that it gets rejected and sent back. This way the ISP e-mail system bounces back any virus e-mail. This would give you two clues that you were infected, so you can start looking.

Thank you. I've already got my name in my address book, but the invalid email address is a good idea. I'm now fairly sure it's not me that's infected but another person's PC. A friend told me this is the sort of thing that can happen: A's computer gets infected, the virus chooses 2 addresses at random from A's address list - sends it to B, and inserts "from C". So B thinks they got it from C, and A is none the wiser and keeps on spreading it. Bcp