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All Forums > Tech Talk > Tech Talk Forum Page 25 > Can I be tracked through my "fake" email??
AuthorPost
conwaysix
Member

8 Posts
9/08
Posted - Sep 4 2008 : 11:14PM
Need some info from you who are very techno savvy. I have been talking to a woman via gmail for a while. When I set up this gmail account I used a fake name and put no personal or real info in.
She recently emailed me and said she knows about who I am and has known for a while. She said she had a friend show her a website that shows a lot about what I do online. She says it was so she would know I’m not a creep… I don’t know if that’s true. But she does know my real name… Not sure how she got that info, but it worries me a bit.
I’ve been reading about ISPs, and I know one can track down a person’s city and general info like that.
My question is do any of you know how she might have gotten my name and possibly other info? I'm worried about her finding a mysapce (deleted that a month ago), or something that could be damageing to me...

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LubeNLuv
Senior Member

1854 Posts
3/06
Posted - Sep 5 2008 : 12:57AM
Generally speaking, your IP address doesn't directly identify you, the end-user. Hotmail and Gmail generally don't include this in the header either (Yahoo does). And if your ISP provides you with a dynamic IP pulled at random from a pool of IP addresses, your IP addy can and does change. If, however, you are issued a static IP address (many cable companies do), it's a little easier to pinpoint the actual user. There are also some third-party "detective" services who canvass all sorts of businesses where you, as a consumer, are registering or purchasing something over the web and your IP addy gets recorded with the transaction details, usually your real name. Then someone can easily cross-reference your private information with your IP addy. Same is true for MAC addresses which are unique.
So more than likely, you are in a database somewhere that xrefs your real name and IP address -OR- you've once upon a time accessed a forum or website under your real name and that same website/forum recorded your IP address when you posted something. She can google your IP address (so can you) and check this out yourself...try it sometime. To get your IP address visit the website whatismyip.com. Then take your IP addy and google it. But just because it doesn't show up there doesn't mean you aren't logged into a private database that exists just for that purpose.
And finally...it's entirely possible she is bluffing to some extent and has instead hacked your email account password or pieced together some things you've told her to figure out who you are. It's called 'social engineering' and it's the most common way this happens.
And as for Myspace....cached pages on the internet last a long, long time after they've been deleted. The Intrawebs are forever.
Edited by - lubenluv on 9/5/2008 1:03:02 AM
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Bornyo
Deactivated Member

803 Posts
12/04
Posted - Sep 5 2008 : 1:45AM
I think the OP is spam.
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NewRomancer
Deactivated User

under THEIR avatar
738 Posts
7/08
Posted - Sep 5 2008 : 7:52AM
If you don't want the whole world to be able to read it forever and track it back to you, don't put it on the internet.
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Drew Black
broken crankshaft

8011 Posts
9/99
Posted - Sep 5 2008 : 10:18AM
Have you used this fake name on other sites? (use google and search for the fake name, see if you get any results that are actually you)
You would be amazed how much stuff you can dig up on people through google.
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RandomPrecision
Senior Member

Enjoy!
8175 Posts
3/06
Posted - Sep 6 2008 : 7:02AM
I'm by no means tech savvy enough to know what I'm talking about here but I'll tell you what I think.
I doubt that the average person is savvy enough to figure out who you are just from the information they could glean from the headers from a Gmail account.
That is, unless the "fake name" you're using is one that you use routinely either on Google or with other services.
I think it is more likely that you've posted personal information somewhere else on the web under a name that is either identical to or very similar to the one you're using on Gmail. This is especially true if it's an unusual name that not too many people are using.
An example would be if you used the name "Joe". The person would probably never be able to just google that name and figure out which Joe was you.
But if you used a name like "Joe_1985", there probably wouldn't be many others who are using that name, if any. Anything you've posted under that name on a site that allows search engines to archive them would likely show up on a Google search.
The lesson is to always use a different screen name when you sign up for different sites. The less similar the name is to other names you use or have used, the better. There may still be some ultra geeks who can stalk you somehow but this will go a long way towards deterring most snoops. And the ultra geeks generally don't waste their time for no reason.
It is also possible that in your conversations with her, you've allowed details to slip out over a period of time that would allow her to narrow down who you are. The smallest details can be very revealing so you have to be very careful.
The basic thing is that you should never give out any information that you think could compromise your identity to anyone online that you don't trust. You could be talking to anyone. You could be talking to your worst enemy and not even know it. You could be talking to someone who's holding a grudge from 10 years ago and somehow tracked you down. There are any number of ways that acquaintances could get your email if you aren't careful.
She has basically admitted to stalking you (no matter how she did it). Even though she seems to have an excuse (frankly, if I was a woman, I probably wouldn't trust anyone online either), it's still creepy.
Edited by - randomprecision on 9/6/2008 7:12:52 AM
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