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Green Leaf · May 17, 2008, 03:26 PM

I'm want to play a joke on one of my friends. I want to send an email, but have it show up as if my friend is actually sending it. Essentially, i want to use my friends email address as the sender.

What program exists which will allow me to do this?

ibook_steve · May 17, 2008, 03:29 PM

Spoofing someone's email address is not a joke.

Steve

Green Leaf · May 17, 2008, 03:46 PM

He's a buddy of mine who played a nasty joke on me and i need to get him back.

turtle777 · May 17, 2008, 03:57 PM

Wow, you have to ask how to spoof someone's email address ?

Dude, you're not ready to conduct technical pranks

-t

besson3c · May 17, 2008, 05:38 PM

You don't need to acquire a program to do this, you can easily write your own in 1 line of code:

PHP: mail - Manual

Of course, this will only spoof the email headers, not the envelope information (which is much harder to do).

philm · May 17, 2008, 06:29 PM

Just change the 'From' details in your e-mail program. Easy.

turtle777 · May 17, 2008, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by philm

Just change the 'From' details in your e-mail program. Easy.

philm, what happened to your sense of responsibility ?

I mean, someone who can't even figure out how to change that shouldn't start email pranks in the first place.

Someone get the OP a babysitter.

-t

angelmb · May 18, 2008, 04:49 AM

Add that buddy's mail to several Microsoft security updates lists in order to receive a notification every time a new update is available, now that has to be truly annoying

Just kidding, that's not how you are supposed to deal with buddy's issues…

philm · May 18, 2008, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by turtle777

philm, what happened to your sense of responsibility ?

I mean, someone who can't even figure out how to change that shouldn't start email pranks in the first place.

Someone get the OP a babysitter.

-t

Fair point, I admit.

Green Leaf · May 18, 2008, 03:46 PM

No offense, but your point is ridiculous.

I came to this forum asking for help because I want to play a joke on a friend. However, because i'm not as experienced in setting up email accounts or as computer savvy as you; therefore i shouldn't be allowed to do it?

A simple i don't know or no response at all would be fine. But to put me down for not knowing, is just plain wrong. How does one learn anything in life. By asking and doing.

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 03:50 PM

Yes, go ahead and just do it. And make plenty mistakes.

I'm sure it's gonna backfire. Please keep us posted.

-t

Green Leaf · May 18, 2008, 05:33 PM

you're such a loser.

besson3c · May 18, 2008, 05:45 PM

Another productive MacNN thread...

If somebody wants to learn something, teach him/her how to do this thing, offer constructive criticism to suggest something else, but don't discourage and insult... What is the point of that?

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by Green Leaf

you're such a loser.

-t

besson3c · May 18, 2008, 07:50 PM

turtle777: thanks for adding.

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

offer constructive criticism to suggest something else, but don't discourage and insult... What is the point of that?

What ?

Your advice to write "1 line of code".

Was that meant to be constructive ? I mean, for something that you merely change the Mail preference for ? C'mon.

-t

besson3c · May 18, 2008, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

What ?

Your advice to write "1 line of code".

Was that meant to be constructive ? I mean, for something that you merely change the Mail preference for ? C'mon.

-t

And then Mail would connect to his ISP's SMTP server which may not even permit delivery of a message like that. Last I checked, Postfix is set to deliver mail by default in OS X, so he wouldn't have to rely on another SMTP server my way.

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 08:04 PM

Technicalities aside: MacNN's rules are against helping people do things that are illegal.

Spoofing the email sender par se is not illegal, but it can be used for phishing.

With a n00b coming in asking this kind of question, I'd rather be patronizing and NOT tell than giving him knowledge that's beyond his grasp. Who knows what he'll do with it.

Is it my concern ? No really. That's why I don't offer a solution.

-t

besson3c · May 18, 2008, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Technicalities aside: MacNN's rules are against helping people do things that are illegal.

Spoofing the email sender par se is not illegal, but it can be used for phishing.

With a n00b coming in asking this kind of question, I'd rather be patronizing and NOT tell than giving him knowledge that's beyond his grasp. Who knows what he'll do with it.

Is it my concern ? No really. That's why I don't offer a solution.

-t

Please Turtle, this is nonsense.

If he had any intention to start himself a phishing business, there are far better guides and far better means to do so than this particular forum and a traceable email address. A few posts back you were criticizing him as not knowing enough about computers to know how to make a change to his account settings in Mail, and now you are suggesting that he might be doing this to phish?

You did not offer him a solution, but you also offered him your usual shoddy treatment that you semi-regularly offer members here (including myself). This is a pattern with you - there is no need to be rude, there are enough negative vibes here as it is.

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 08:21 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

Please Turtle, this is nonsense.

If he had any intention to start himself a phishing business, there are far better guides and far better means to do so than this particular forum and a traceable email address.

O'Rly ?

But MacNN is the ONLY & OFFICIAL guide on how to spoof email addresses for pranks ?

-t

turtle777 · May 18, 2008, 08:24 PM

Oh, and btw, why don't you stop playing the good guy here. Your advice was as good as mine: absolutely useless to the OP. You just hid it better behind technical mumbo-jumbo.

I guess, props you you, you didn't reveal your true intentions as well as I did.

-t

besson3c · May 18, 2008, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Oh, and btw, why don't you stop playing the good guy here. Your advice was as good as mine: absolutely useless to the OP. You just hid it better behind technical mumbo-jumbo.

I guess, props you you, you didn't reveal your true intentions as well as I did.

-t

No Turtle, the method I described is the best way I know how to do this, my advice here applies regardless of your level of savviness. Just because it required a bit of legwork did not mean that I had non-helpful intentions.

Let's move on.

Dork. · May 18, 2008, 08:46 PM

Those new stars sure are purty!

Green Leaf · May 19, 2008, 07:02 AM

Thank you Besson3c.

and Turtle...... lighten up! Just because you don't have FRIENDS to play jokes on doesn't mean you have to spoil it for the rest of us.

bjojade · May 19, 2008, 12:31 PM

Spoofing email is pretty easy to do. Now, if you are pretending to be someone who you aren't, it can be considered illegal.

Now, if you do this, the odds of the email getting stuck in a SPAM filter are pretty high unless you are sending it from the originators ISP as well.

This isn't something I'd recommend, even as a joke.