Someone else's name appears when my email address is entered?

Question

When sending an email to myself to get documents to my other computer, someone else's email address shows up as the "name". My name has always showed up as Gail C, but now it's ** moderator removed - privacy @emails.lytho.com. I don't know this email address. Has my email been hacked? I've changed my password and have MFA. What else can I do?

Answer 1

Hello Gail C,

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum!

It's certainly unsettling to see an unfamiliar email address like @emails.lytho.com appearing as your name when you send emails to yourself. Given that you've already taken excellent security steps like changing your password and enabling MFA, it's highly unlikely your account has been fully compromised. This situation points more towards a display issue or a minor misconfiguration.

Understanding What's Likely Happening

Based on what you've described, here are the most probable causes:

• Corrupted "Self-Contact" Entry: Your email client (whether it's Outlook, Apple Mail, or even your webmail's built-in contacts) often creates an entry for your own email address. If this specific entry somehow became corrupted or was accidentally updated with that strange name, it would explain why it appears when you email yourself.
• Email Client or Browser Cache Issue: Sometimes, temporary files or cached data in your web browser or email application can become outdated or corrupted, causing incorrect information to display.

Here are a few steps you can try

We'll focus on the most common solutions first.

1. Check Your Contacts or Address Book

This is often the primary place to investigate for this type of issue.

• Search Thoroughly: Open the contacts section within your email client, and if you use separate online contact services, check those as well.
• Search specifically for your own email address (e.g., GailC@example.com).
  • Also, search for the strange domain name lytho.com.
• Locate Your "Me" Contact: Many systems have a designated "Me" or "My Card" contact entry. If you find one, open it.
• Edit or Delete Any Corrupted Entries: If you discover any contact entry (especially one for yourself) where that lytho.com address is linked to your name, or your display name has been changed to it:
  • Edit it: Correct the display name immediately back to "Gail C" and ensure only your correct email address(es) are listed. Remove any references to lytho.com.
    • Delete it: If you're confident it's a corrupted entry exclusively for your own address, you can delete it. Your email client will typically recreate a basic one for you.

2. Clear Your Browser's or Email Client's Cache

This helps ensure you're seeing the most up-to-date information.

• For Webmail
  • Clear your web browser's cache and cookies.
    • Then, close and restart your browser completely.
• For Desktop Email Client
  • Look within your email application's settings or preferences for an option to clear its cache.
    • After clearing, restart the application and ideally, your computer.

3. Examine the Email Headers (For Deeper Insight)

This step can tell us if the problem is purely a display issue or something more.

• Open a Problem Email: Go to your Sent folder and open one of the emails you sent to yourself where the strange name appeared.
• View Full Headers: Look for an option like "View Message Source," or "View Headers." This will display the raw technical details of the email.
• Focus on Key Fields:
  • From:: This should clearly show "Gail C" and your correct email address (e.g., Gail C <******@yourdomain.com>).
    • Return-Path:: This should always be your correct email address.
• What to Look For:
  • If emails.lytho.com appears only as part of the display name in the From: field, but your actual email address is correct in the angle brackets < > and the Return-Path:, then it's almost certainly a display issue stemming from your contacts or cache (Steps 1 & 2).
  • If emails.lytho.com is listed as the actual sending email address in the From: field (e.g., From: <******@emails.lytho.com>) or the Return-Path: field, this is more serious. If this is the case, please move to the "Review Your Account Settings" step below immediately.

4. Review Your Email Account Settings (If Necessary)

 This step is crucial if the headers indicated a deeper issue.

• Log In Directly: Log directly into your email provider's website, rather than just using your email application.
• Check "Send Mail As" / Aliases: Look for a section related to sending mail from other addresses or managing aliases. Remove any unfamiliar or unauthorized addresses, especially the lytho.com one.
• Check Mail Forwarding Rules: Verify that no unauthorized forwarding rules have been set up to send your emails elsewhere, particularly to any lytho.com address. Delete any suspicious rules.
• If lytho.com was the actual sender in headers:
  • Use your email provider's security settings to "Sign out of all other sessions" immediately. This will log out any potentially unauthorized access.
    • Contact your email provider's support team directly. Provide them with the header information showing the lytho.com address as the sender; they can investigate server-side.

I hope these steps provide some immediate relief and guidance. I recognize the importance of reliable email service, and I'm here to help you through these troubleshooting steps.

Please let me know how these suggestions work for you, or if you'd like assistance in navigating Microsoft's support channels.

Warm regards, 

Kal Duong | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist

Answer 2

Start "New email". Click on "To:". Find your name. Click on "X" next to it. Close it. Try again new email and type your name. Is it ok now?