Absolute Anonymous Email?

J

JOKER_JOKER

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 2, 2005
Messages
471
I don't know if this is the right place for this, but here goes. For reasons I cannot share with you guys, I need to send an email that is totally anonymous. I know that if I were to send an email from my home computer or laptop, someone could possibly find out my IP and track the origin of the email. However, if I were to send this email from my laptop at a place that has free WiFi, could they still find out which exact computer sent it? I know my computer is given an IP address when I connect to the network, but from there can someone find out that it was MY computer that sent the email?

JUST REMEMBER, IGNORANCE IS BLISS.
 
That would depend on the company offering the "free WiFi" and possible ISP(s), and whether or not they keep records. But if it's free, I assume you provide no personal or financial information, therefore making your laptop untraceable. But this also assumes it's a one time deal. If you live near a business that offers "free WiFi", and you are constantly connecting to it or "always on", and you're using the same IP address each time (Static assigned IP), then it's possible to trace it, I would assume.

You can also set up a free e-mail account with someone like Yahoo. Much like a cellphone, it's hard to trace. But if you're going to be "breaking the law", then I'd advise you first not "break the law", and secondly that everything can be traced, it's merely a matter of time and effort...
 
I guess a lot depends on how determined anyone checking up on the origination of the e-mail is, as well as how paranoid you wish to be (is 'what if' game is in full force?)

Some paranoid things that jump to mind are -
If you use wifi in a public place, beware of security cameras and try to make sure that others are computing at the same time. (e-mail came from here at 1:00PM.. only joker_joker was in starbucks at the time using a laptop.. hmmm.)
Change the machine name of your laptop. Depending on how/what is doing DHCP it might log the machine name of your box with the ip that it issues. So if your laptop is called joker_joker then the 3v1L ones will have a decent idea of who it might be.

But that line of thinking can continue until you're standing ontop of a van in a ski-mask and an inflatable sumo suit down by the bridge waving an antena around trying to find an unsecured WAP. :D

edit: on a serious note - just want to echo Panzer and say 'Don't break the law'
 
I'm trying to imagine why you'd be sending an anonymous e-mail that doesn't involve law enforcement agencies tracking you down. Because it generally takes a court order for your ISP to give them your name, which typically requires you being suspsected of doing something wrong.

Practical joke.......no, because there aren't a lot of people with the resources and power to get a free e-mail host like Yahoo to turn over your IP address, much less take that IP address and have the ISP turn it into your name and billing address.

Secret admirer love letter......no, same as a practical joke.

Something illegal...yep. That fits the bill quite nicely.

Seeing as people around here tend to object to giving advice on how to circumvent the law, i'm going to suggest you to stop asking, or explain how it is you think you need more than just a free e-mail host for what you're going to do.
 
Go to your nearest public library or university computer lab. Create a fake e-mail account through one of the free e-mail services and send it from one of those computers.
 
PopeKevinI said:
Seeing as people around here tend to object to giving advice on how to circumvent the law, i'm going to suggest you to stop asking, or explain how it is you think you need more than just a free e-mail host for what you're going to do.
Click to expand...
I'm forced to agree. Unless you tell us what you are doing, and it's not illegal, I don't see why this wouldn't violate board rules.

btw; The ideas suggested in this thread are interesting starts, but if you really are doing something illegal, they won't help you that much. There are far better ways to send anonymous emails, but without any details I don't think anybody would be willing to share it.
 
connect to a free or open wireless network and to add insult to injury, use a program to change your MAC address on the wifi card so you are really no one.

if ever anything tries to track you, you can show that your MAC address is totally different. Unless of course they find the mac changer program on your computer.
 
wh not just walk into some cafe and use their computer, create a new email account on that computer and send the email.....
 
MrGuvernment said:
wh not just walk into some cafe and use their computer, create a new email account on that computer and send the email.....
Click to expand...
because sometimes those cafe's have cameras, or track who uses what computer.
 
Maybe he's wanting to tip off the Feds anonymously about some illegal mob activity so he doesn't get wacked.
 
Don't bother, JOKER_JOKER. I already know I have bad breath, and that sometimes it's really bad.
 
BarneyGumble said:
Maybe he's wanting to tip off the Feds anonymously about some illegal mob activity so he doesn't get wacked.
Click to expand...

Snail mail works just fine for that sort of thing, and is much easier to keep anonymous.
 
cyr0n_k0r said:
connect to a free or open wireless network and to add insult to injury, use a program to change your MAC address on the wifi card so you are really no one.

if ever anything tries to track you, you can show that your MAC address is totally different. Unless of course they find the mac changer program on your computer.
Click to expand...

Any techie good enough to be investigating a crime committed online knows that MACs can be spoofed. I thought about this, and it's a good way to muddy the waters, but in the end it's not really worth the effort.

Besides...the NIC would probably show some sort of evidence that its MAC had been changed, even if there's not a specific bit that flips to indicate that.
 
I made this list from what I heard from you guys. I highly doubt that anyone would go so far as to find out my MAC address, so I left that out.

HOW TO STAY ANONYMOUS WHEN SENDING AN EMAIL:

1. Go to a place that offers free WiFi.
2. Run Internet Anonym or other IP changing program.
3. Change computer name.
4. Set up a free yahoo email account.
5. Write and send the email.
6. Change computer name again.
7. Delete all the files associated with IP address changing.
 
Gmail is pretty well known for not recording the IP address of the originating machine in the headers of the e-mails sent via it
 
If you can get your hands on an smtp email addy, you can always send off a "fake" email using smtp commands though command. http://www.yuki-onna.co.uk/email/smtp.html

Much like everyone else, I'm not sure why you would need to send an email like this, but yeah. I say go to a library or (i'm not sure how well this will work) but use a free ip thing, like NetZero or something to send the email over a 56k connection.
 
crazjayz said:
If you can get your hands on an smtp email addy, you can always send off a "fake" email using smtp commands though command. http://www.yuki-onna.co.uk/email/smtp.html
Click to expand...
If you connect directly to the destination SMTP server to send the message, it's going to record your IP address during the HELO. If you send it out via another SMTP server, it's going to require you to authenticate somehow, and it's going to record your IP address in the headers passed to the other MTA (unless it's a open relay, which is a *bad* *thing*). That's why I suggested Gmail, as it won't record your client IP address, and the user you create to authenticate as is pretty much anonymous.
 
But does it matter if it reads my IP address if I'm at a commercial WiFi location? If anything, all they will know is that my computer was at this location on this so-and-so date.
 
i know of a few programs, but without knowing why you need it, i am unable to share.

and yes, i am a sharing type of person, but for reasons that may be against forum rules, i cannot share this information.
 
JOKER_JOKER said:
But does it matter if it reads my IP address if I'm at a commercial WiFi location? If anything, all they will know is that my computer was at this location on this so-and-so date.
Click to expand...

It really depends on the hotspot.

If they have cameras and good logging, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who you were, even in a crowded cafe.

I'm still trying to think of something not illegal that would necessitate going to more elaborate steps than just using a bogus Yahoo Mail account.
 
PopeKevinI said:
It really depends on the hotspot.

If they have cameras and good logging, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who you were, even in a crowded cafe.
Click to expand...

Very simple way - go to any mid priced hotel/motel in the early evening. Ask where their business center is, they usually have computers connected to the internet for the convenience of their guests. No one has ever asked me to show them a room key or other form of ID :p

If that's too brazen, the just check from the parking lot if they have unsecured wifi. This works well with hotels that are off the interstate with no nearby competitors; they rarely bother securing their wifi.
 
Well, I really don't care if they see my face at all. The place I was just at has good lighting and cameras but I'm sure they delete the video files after about a couple weeks, so I'm fine. And the purpose, I know of a few people that did something illegal recently, and I would like to email the police to turn them in, and I really don't want the police or the culprits to know it was me that turned them in. Hey Protias, mind sharing?
 
JOKER_JOKER said:
Well, I really don't care if they see my face at all. The place I was just at has good lighting and cameras but I'm sure they delete the video files after about a couple weeks, so I'm fine. And the purpose, I know of a few people that did something illegal recently, and I would like to email the police to turn them in, and I really don't want the police or the culprits to know it was me that turned them in. Hey Protias, mind sharing?
Click to expand...

pm sent
 
hopefully these people that just did the illegal activity don't know that you post on [H]ard|Forums and what your name here is ... I'll have to keep my eye on your local paper there in PA to see what they did ...

:)

 
JOKER_JOKER said:
And the purpose, I know of a few people that did something illegal recently, and I would like to email the police to turn them in, and I really don't want the police or the culprits to know it was me that turned them in.
Click to expand...
Why not just call Crime Stoppers? McDonald is in Washington County, so call Crimestoppers of Washington County at 800-446-9777.

Or just send the police an anonymous letter by the US mail.
 
mikeblas said:
Why not just call Crime Stoppers? McDonald is in Washington County, so call Crimestoppers of Washington County at 800-446-9777.

Or just send the police an anonymous letter by the US mail.
Click to expand...


exactly, call them froma payphone.. done deal.
 
cyr0n_k0r said:
USPS will not mail letters without a return address.
Click to expand...
I get 'em pretty frequently. I don't know of any policy about it, though I have seen the clerk refuse packages that have no return address. QSG010 (PDF), for example, says it's only required for certain types of mail.

Even so, use a random address. Or the address of the police station itself--the post ofice certainly does still deliver envelopes that were originally sent as SASE's.
 
Do a search for anonymous remailers. The way they used to work is the server encrypted the email, sent to the next server at a random time, which did it again, and again to another, each time taking off any headers, and randomly sending to another, until it eventually got sent to the person you wanted it to. Not something Ive looked into in a long time, so don't rememebr the details, but used to be the best way to send anonymous emails.
Remember if you want to report something your company is doing illegalyy, but don't want to get fired....This is a way to do it so the people you work for can't then find out who you are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_remailer
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top