Tracing an email address

Mumstheword

I'm wondering if there's any way to trace details of the owner of an email address.

I suspect the answer is no!!

A fraudulent item was on my credit card statement, and investigation shows that it was a payment made to Nochex for email money purchase.

The person knew my postcode and card expiry date, so it's maybe someone working for a shop where I've purchased something who has taken the details.

But anyway....the investigation has given me the email address that the money was sent to.

So, that's the reason for my interest in this!

Thanks for reading!

Mumxx

albertross_2

Isn't that what the police get paid to investigate?

Chippy_Minton

An email address alone isn't enough to trace where a message came from. You also need the email headers from an email sent from that address to trace the originator. See this previous thread for information on email headers.

Darksun

Contact NoChex and your credit card company, together they should be able to do some investigating, which could lead to police involvement. You could also try contacting the email provider for the address you have.

Either way, you should have fraud protection with your credit card, I'd assume. Make sure you're not charged for the fraudulate useage, possibly see if the credit card company can issue you with a new card

timm_2

You could try contacting the domain owner (ie, tiscali / wanadoo, aol etc) or the company owning the address if it's obvious.

Agreed though, if it's UK based it should be a matter for plod.

Mumstheword

Thanks very much for all your replies.

A bit more info -

It's a tesco credit card. The one chap I spoke to about what seems like obvious fraud seemed very uninterested. I suggested police involvement. He said that I could report it if I wanted, and get a crime reference number. I suspect that he knows that's about as far as it would go (it was only £100).

He also said I could change my credit card number. But he also said not to bother unless it happens more than 3 times. This is the only incident, and it happened in December, and I won't be held responsible, so unless it happens again I'm kinda thinking if they don't care, should I go to the trouble of organising a new card, and then changing that pin number, then memorising my new card number etc. If it does happen again, of course I will!!!

It's a gmail email address.

I know it isnt much money really, and I wont be responsible for paying it, but it narks me that I know the cc company and police wont really be interested in investigating. So it was just an idea since I know his email addy. Unfortunately, he knows more about me, lol!!

Thanks for your input, your comments are all helpful.

Maybe I should just post this in the arms with his email addy, and ask all MSEers there to bombard him with emails, lol!!

NastyMatt

This really is a matter for the cc company as it's their money they are losing.

Quite simply you only know the email address of where the instructions were sent to. NoChex should have a record of the account the money was paid into.

I don't know much about NoChex but I would have thought they would not supply you with information as this would invalidate secure payments.

Loobeylou

You state "it is only £100", but just think that if the person has already defrauded you out of £100, then think of all the other people he/she is also doing it to, or has already done it to.

It needs stomping on from a great height and stopped! The fact that the chap who you spoke to at Tesco was uninterested was just not good enough in my book. I agree you should leave it to them to sort out and do their own investigations, but at the same time it is your money gone and you are the one who has had all the shock and hassle over this.

PS - I had more than £300 taken from my cloned credit card before the credit card company themselves put a stop on my card. No idea how they knew it was not me spending the money, but one day I got stopped at the supermarket as my card would not go through for payment. I was taken to the customer services desk, they phoned the credit card company and the upshot of it was that I was issued with a new card. Fortunately, I had a second card with me with which to pay for my food!

pchelpman

This happened to us 3 times over November 2005 to January 2006. All involved cc purchares "customer not present" via internet and all were trading with foreign companies.

On each occassion the cc company phoned me immediately as they noticed the "unusual spending pattern" on our cards, stopped the cards, cancelled all PINs etc. and so on. We had 3 new cards to contend with, all new numbers to remember etc. However, the cc company were very good about it all and refunded every penny immediately without even asking whether I had fraud protection.

As you say, Mum, it is a nuisance having to deal with new cards, new PIN numbers, setting up new automatic payments etc. but, as the crooks took over £3000 in total across all the cards, I considered it worth the trouble.

Even if it had been once only, like you, I would still have changed everything.

But that's just me, I guess. Ever security conscious!! :cool:

mr_fishbulb

NastyMatt - I like your sig! I wanted to find more, so I searched google for Churchill Quotes and got a great deal on my car insurance

intel

As with the Gmail thing I would give up on that as they can be
created and deleted within a minute or so, untraceable then..

I would get the old bill to do there job tho... They have a fraud division.