Ms. Ducktoes, I’m receiving spam from my own address. Does this mean my e-mail account has been hacked? Is my computer in jeopardy? Do I have spyware or viruses? Dedicated Ducktoes Reader David

Dear David,

No, you have not been hacked and this e-mail spam doesn’t mean you have spyware or a virus. Your e-mail address has been spoofed. Spoofing means an fake e-mail address (in this case your own) has been substituted for the real sender’s address. Neither your e-mail security nor your computer have been breached.

Ms. Ducktoes has also been receiving spam from her own address, many a day! They’re all from the same sender, a mail order pharmaceutical company selling viagra and cialis.

This is the ad in the e-mail.

Ms. Ducktoes’s feathers are ruffled by even the insinuation that her marital nest is anything but scintillating!! Tee hee. No really they obviously don’t realize Ms. Ducktoes isn’t of the masculine gender…so there’s nothing personal. But it is annoying to have one’s Inbox full of stupid ads.

This is a photo of my Inbox:

My Inbox: All the ones from admin@ducktoes.com are the really same spam e-mail above

So, David, just relax and delete. That’s all we can do for now. Delete, delete, delete. And let’s hope this spam-fest from our own addresses is short-lived.