HELP! Someone is spying on my emails.

[falcon2000]

The problem is not that I use my work email for anything other than work related matters. The point is that he now has access to privilege information which is outside of his purview. Personnel, trade, financial, etc, info which he should not be privy to. It's a big deal, in my opinion. Imagine if he worked for the Pentagon and he were to spy on a General's emails!

I may be completely off the mark but that can make your boss think of you as a complainer or troublemaker.

Jerry, that's my concern also. On the other hand, I do know that this guy is not at all popular within the company b/c of his various antics. I am not sure how officials higher up feel about him ... he is a brown-noser!

jdc2000, lgbpop, buf and wonderingguy, you guys bring out the other concern that I have. Yes, what if he twists the whole thing around and set me up for some wrong doings! If he can steal my and others' emails, I am quite certain that he can plant evidence in my computer and mail systems to accuse me of something that I didn't do.

[jdc2000]

One possible alternative would be to send an e-mail informing company officers of the problem from an outside webmail account. A Hushmail account set up using their automated process does not collect any personal info and can be accessed from any web connected computer, so it cannot be traced back to the sender.

[falcon2000]

Hushmail, mmm, that's an option.

[jerryctx]

If you have proof this man is violating company policy you have a responsibility to notify management.

Otherwise, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. If you are wrong it could be fatal to your career and even open you to a law suit from the accused.

[jerryctx]

If you have previously complained about this person you would immediately come under suspicion as the (cowardly) source of an anonymous email.

If you are sure of your charges, tell the boss face to face.

Otherwise, you are playing with fire.

I spent ten years researching real and imagined security threats for a large organization. Often, this involved "suspicious" activity reported by a fellow employee. With few exceptions, it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

[falcon2000]

The only proof I have is eye-witness account. A co-worker and I both saw the guy opening up another person's email and reading it. Not sure this is strong enough or not. That's why at the beginning I asked for ways to find more evidence. How can I get proofs that he intercepts my emails?

[HAN]

If he has system admin privileges, he can pretty much do as he pleases and unless there is some type of logging for his activities, no one could prove anything...

[Steve R Jones]

This is getting tuffer....You're spying on him spying on you

You and the co-worker could exchange emails....

Hey <insert the IT Guys name here> - we know you are reading our mail.

[jerryctx]

If two people state they saw him opening another's email, that is sufficient proof for me.

However, my guess is that he is the company's monitor. Since a company can be held liable for employee activities, they have both the right and the responsibility to verify that their resources (computers, networks, ...) are only used for approved activities.

Most organizations use software to scan all email for certain words and phrases. In addition, reading (usually random) employee email is SOP at most larger organizations.

BTW, they do the same for web sites you visit.

[falcon2000]

Steve, no, we didn't spy on him. As I mentioned b4 I don't want to say too much on an open public forum right now but we saw the activities going down and the way we saw it was completely innocent and legitimate. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Jerry, yes, it's a tough call. I am sure the company can monitor emails and other activities. But the questions are #1, by whom and #2, to what extent? I am one of the recipients of that particular email and so I know that it is 100% business related. Now, assuming that he was indeed told to monitor emails, but after he read the first paragraph, would it be sufficient enough for him to realized that it was a legitimate business email and that he should cease reading the rest of it? Kind of like the wire-tapping law. When the cops realize that the conversation is not related to the crime they are investigating, they must switch off and stop eavesdropping. I don't know. Also, I have spoken to my boss (he is very high up) and he told me that, yes, the company may choose to monitor emails but there is not any company directive right now for anyone to so. If there is one, he would know.

[jerryctx]

If you were able to view this activity on at least two occasions without any special effort, either he is an incompetent snoop or he has nothing to fear. My guess is the latter.

When the cops realize that the conversation is not related to the crime they are investigating, they must switch off and stop eavesdropping.

Not the same. The monitor is not looking for a specific activity. In any case there are no limits on what can be read.

I have spoken to my boss

Then it might be best to tell him the whole story. Good luck.

[falcon2000]

I finally spoke to my boss about the whole thing. Turns out that he has his own suspicion that the guy is spying on him also. Other people in the past have told him the same suspicion before. He is 99.9&#37; sure that the guy is not asked to "monitor" anyone's emails. Now, because the 2 of us actually witnessed the activities, he said he would take it to the appropriate authority. We'll see.

[buf]

Sounds like a happy ending to a bothersome situation. Gotta have some feeling for the guilty--now. Guess he is going to have a painful experience and ending and hope he learns from his wayward ways. Vindication may be yours shortly.