tracing email

[spiff]

just a question about tracking email If I opened a free yahoo email account on my laptop! right and while sitting in a wifi shop I logon to my free yahoo email account on THEIR computers and I send someone a bad email!! can they trace that email back to me / my laptop - is it possible or not?

 

[warwickw]

Yes they could trace it back to the IP address that the email address was sent from. Which in most cases would be the public IP address of the cafe, they then could apply for a court order for access to CCTV footage, computer browsing history etc etc to try and ascertain who you are.

 

[LazyLion]

Is it a once off Yahoo account ... or the one you have been using all along?

Why.,.. what are you planning?

Should we alert the authorities?

 

[spiff]

no its a friend of mine who told someone to take a serious hike!! and now he's a bit worried that they can tract him through the account on his laptop.

 

[Veroland]

What about going through a anonymous ssl proxy and then using a server that supports remailing? i.e. Change the from address and strip out the headers

 

[spiff]

that a bit complicated for him - he's only learnt to walk upright in terms of computers

 

[Veroland]

no its a friend of mine who told someone to take a serious hike!! and now he's a bit worried that they can tract him through the account on his laptop.

problably, but like warwickw said, they will need a court order

 

[Veroland]

that a bit complicated for him - he's only learnt to walk upright in terms of computers

hahaha, well put!

 

[spiff]

ok so say they get a court order and obtain the cctv footage - can they link his face - to his ID / home / work address ??

what is the worst they can do?

 

[Veroland]

There is a legal requirement that the internet cafe must make a copy of your id before you are allowed to browse, however, few of them actually implement it

 

[milomak]

let's start at the beginning, did he falsify the information to setup the yahoo account?

 

[spiff]

ok he says no ID / paid cash and all info regarding the account was false etc. but I guess if they really want to they could use the cctv cameras and following him to his car and catch his number plate when he drove out?

 

[LazyLion]

unlikely. Are we talking about an individual or a big company here?

either way it will be an expensive time consuming process... and usually in order to get a court warrant, you need to be able to prove the possible commission of a crime.

 

[spiff]

indivdual

 

[ponder]

These questions should be asked before committing a criminal act, not afterwards when it's to late

 

[eclipsedx]

Here are a few tips.

1 If you created the email account before going to Internet Cafe dont use it.
2 Dont do it using a Hotspot from your own laptop.
3 Go to a small Internet Cafe pay cash. Have a cap on(if they have CCTV but small shops dont). Only go to yahoo.com create a account then send the mail from it.
4 Then dont access the email account again.

If you are stupid you will get caught. Just create the account and send the mail nothing else.

Hope it helps. Just make sure you make the email a good one if you want to do cr@p like this dont let it be for nothing

 

[LazyLion]

indivdual

not likely that he is going to have the money, time or expertise to do such a trace.

It is more likely though that he will use his brain and put two and two together and figure out who sent it based on the tone and spelling.

 

[spiff]

These questions should be asked before committing a criminal act, not afterwards when it's to late

see post #6

 

[Dyl106]

OMG ... it's Osama trying to use an Internet Cafe to setup a terrorist attack! Run!!!

PS: This is SA ... don't be worried ... who's going to take the time to go find CCTV footage and attempt to find your friend! have you ever visited a governement departement or your local police station?? Pathetic they are!

 

[spiff]

great thanks guys I'll forward all replies to him - maybe he can sleep easy tonight