Need Help From an Internet Tech Person About a Bizarre Occurrence

Yesterday afternoon I start getting phone calls my business emails are being returned. Today I find out my email account and all evidence it ever existed has been removed from my providers system.

Luckily I'd set up an alternate account I never use or the company would not have believed me it ever existed. They are in a major panic over it and how it could happen. The Tech admitted to me that only one of them could have done this and they are not sure how it was done or why.

My business is not controversial or sensitive and there is no logical reason this happened. I do not know anyone who works for them. They are not customers. The emails are not even sensitive and the whole world could read them without causing me any concern.

What I'm wondering is if there is Federal Agency I should be alerting to this and if anyone here knows how this is possible? This means every business here with DSL Service is at risk and I'm thinking perhaps I should contact the media.

Any idea's? I put this here not knowing where else to put it.

reply to post by Blaine91555


Sounds fishy?
Possibly a mistake? Or a computer Glitch?
Idk. Technology isn't perfect.

reply to post by goos3


I know. The Tech I spoke with admitted however it had to be done internally and told me that a trail should still exist but it does not. They are not sure how that was done. Fortunately I had an alternate sequential account which proved the other existed so they are in a panic over it. This could be a public relations nightmare for them if businesses find out this is possible on what is supposed to be a secure system. I expect a call from a Corporate Exec any time now.

I don't believe any Federal agency could help you out here unless it was part of a Federal investigation. Your affairs with private company web-servers and e-mail storage is between you and the company in compliance with the contract you agree too apon providing their service.

I'm certainly no lawyer but it seems to me, the only way you could make this a civil suit is if they directly violated anything that was in the terms of service agreement. A lot of times companies will put in that they reserve the right to retract their service to you under any circumstance they see fit. It's odd because it doesn't sound like that's what was done.

It's possible they've experienced a storage medium failure but larger companies almost always have back up's and it certainly would not have just been you to have your information lost.

Very odd... i'm really at a loss

*edit* So it was intentionally removed and any action that was logged from the user also removed? Wow, sounds like someone at the company doesn't like you! Lol, I love the I.T field but unfortunately I don't think I have any relevant advice for you.... sorry!

reply to post by Blaine91555


hmmm...maybe you know something you aren't telling us?
Like, that you are spy?

But seriously, it is weird...Why would someone try to erase any trace of your email?
Did you ever compose any....suspicious emails?

reply to post by Blaine91555


maybe it was the Chinese, they are hacking everyone lately, or maybe your own gov't. it plausible you know, doesnt mean you have to have any sensitive emails, maybe its over some business elsewhere, like ats? were you involved with the amalgam thread?

more than likely someone made a mistake somewhere. i'd keep an eye out though, if your bank account gets frozen, then it's time to freak out. until then, don't worry. and give your email host hell!

This could be anything from a script gone wrong, or someone deleting the wrong account (they may not admin this mistake). Could also be data corruption or something like that. I would guess this is not intentional if it is only your account. It is however strange if they do not have backup of the database with userinfo or backup of your mails.

reply to post by Artanis667


I have no interest in a law suit I'm concerned about my private business correspondence and the fact somebody could just go in and delete my account like that. Mainly who did it and why? It may be random as I can not imagine any reason.

Even stranger, I'm told that the trail that should be there is gone. It's as if the account never existed at all (Insert Twilight Zone Theme Here).

Thought I might find a person here who could explain what they could not.

Originally posted by goos3
reply to post by Blaine91555

 

hmmm...maybe you know something you aren't telling us?
Like, that you are spy?

Shhhhhhhhhhhh Nobody is supposed to know that.

reply to post by Blaine91555


I just asked my brother (who has a bachelors in computer science)
and he said if it was an accident, or a computer error
there would be at least SOME type of trail left behind
.

reply to post by emptyOmind


If they are after me, boy are they dumb. I'm about as threatening as newborn Kitten. Perhaps it's the Food Police as I have a taste for a Code Red now and then and I like meat.

reply to post by Blaine91555

This actually happens more than people know. However, what doesn't happen as a norm, is not having any trail to how and when. Every click and keystroke is recorded on these servers. I would say it was a screwup of theirs, and they're doing damage control as quickly as possible. Any "trail" would need to be intentionally erased.

They are not going to tell you if their server was hacked, and several accounts deleted. They will say you are the only one.

And if they themselves deleted several accounts, same story. They'll claim they're at a loss for how it happened.

It's my business to know these things. I've seen it all before.

Originally posted by goos3
reply to post by Blaine91555

 

I just asked my brother (who has a bachelors in computer science)
and he said if it was an accident, or a computer error
there would be at least SOME type of trail left behind
.

That is what the Tech said which is why she was so baffled by this. She was pretty freaked out which made me more nervous. Suddenly my account of 8 years is gone from their system. She rebuilt it and it's working now. If I change it I have to inform thousands of business customers of the change. The man hours alone could wipe out a weeks income. It is seriously not funny.

If it is just a glitch and she clearly did not think so, it could cause problems for all their DSL customers. They are more upset than I am at the moment. The conversation started out that no such account ever existed until they found the alternate one I'd set up and never used.

reply to post by Klassified


That makes more sense than what I've been told so far. That actually makes sense. Perhaps a new employee messed up and does not have the sense to know they won't be fired for telling the truth. Good thought, thanks.

reply to post by Blaine91555

Something you might consider... Setup your account so that all mail is kept in two places. A copy on their servers, and a copy on your e-mail client, or another webmail account.

Most clients such as Outlook, Windows mail, etc. have an option to "leave a copy on the server" under "accounts".

Or you can have all mail forwarded to a webmail server such as gmail(Google).

Redundancy is the name of the game in computers. Especially when it comes to business.

reply to post by Klassified


Thank you so much for that great advice. I'll look into doing that now. I actually have an account with another company for my home office I could forward too. Thanks again.

I also just found out they are having some kind of major problem that has all their people tied up right now. It started about the same time as this happened to me. I think they were hacked as you suggested. I can see why they would not want that out in the public. The coincidence is to great to ignore.