what should I do?

[katarina]

I just recieved this email from someone I do not know. Should I answer it and say - 'who the heck are you? and What web page? and where did you recieve this email'? Or should I delete it, or should i report it as spam?
you'll note there is no link to said homepage.
quote;

"Hello there, whatcha doin? I received an e-mail and saw your photo from your website, You are cute. Kaylah and I went to the beach and took some new photos, they are uploaded to my homepage, take a look. She told me all of us can hook up. Waiting to hear from you =) kisses"
unquote.

When I ran the cursor over it, a whole lot more text - just gobbaldiegook appeared.
I do have virus protection which stops anything suss from opening.

[canuck]

Delete it right this second.




Unfortunatley I get these things too. Right now it is a UK lottery prize I keep winning. Interesting that I should get that in Canada.

[sam]

definatly delete it, it could be a virus :eek:

[Errogie]

Hit delete!

Likely to be a prelude to selling medication, shares, or enlisting you simpathy for a dodgy financial scheme in Abidijan.

[j4bberw0ck]

Do you use Outlook Express for email? Or Outlook?

If you do, especially if it's not a current version, and you have the preview pane open, the email is opened and displayed "for convenience".

The purpose of most email like the one you have is to see whether a spammer's "email address quessing software" has hit a valid email address by chance - you open it, or that piece of dangerous junk called Outlook Express does it for you in the preview pane, and there'll be an image or images which are "called for" across the internet from the sending server, which then knows the email to your address got opened. And you join the list of "validated" email addresses for sale to spammers everywhere.

So turn off the preview pane if it's on (check Help for how to do it, I can't remember) and don't ever open an email from anyone if you don't know what it is or if it's from someone you don't know.. No matter how tasty the headline might be, and how great the temptation.

And consider getting an email client that doesn't use Internet Explorer to render HTML content. There aren't many, they ain't generally free - consider >>>Thunderbird<<< (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/) which is, or >>>PocoMail<<< (http://www.pocosystems.com/home/index.php?option=content&task=category&sectionid=2&id=7&Itemid=28), which isn't, but is the best email client I've ever come across.

PocoMail is secure because it won't run VB scripts or Java scripts, doesn't use IE for HTML, and lets you view your mail on the server without downloading it so you can delete the garbage before it ever hits your computer. And it has its own built in spam filtering tools if you want to use them (I don't bother - just check them on the server).

Hope this helps.

[Angela]

For several weeks I've been getting a daily email exhorting me to buy medicinal products I have no need or wish to buy!
It comes from a different sender and with a different subject (thinly disguised) each time.
I have McAfee Spamkiller but it's never identified as spam.
I can usually identify it without opening it and just delete it staright away, but it IS irritating! [evil]
Anything I can do to stop it? :confused

[DarkAngel]

For several weeks I've been getting a daily email exhorting me to buy medicinal products I have no need or wish to buy!
It comes from a different sender and with a different subject (thinly disguised) each time.
I have McAfee Spamkiller but it's never identified as spam.
I can usually identify it without opening it and just delete it staright away, but it IS irritating! [evil]
Anything I can do to stop it? :confused

Snap!! I get the exact same..Im with AOL and i report it as spam!! Dont bother opening it!

[canuck]

Do you use Outlook Express for email? Or Outlook?

If you do, especially if it's not a current version, and you have the preview pane open, the email is opened and displayed "for convenience".

The purpose of most email like the one you have is to see whether a spammer's "email address quessing software" has hit a valid email address by chance - you open it, or that piece of dangerous junk called Outlook Express does it for you in the preview pane, and there'll be an image or images which are "called for" across the internet from the sending server, which then knows the email to your address got opened. And you join the list of "validated" email addresses for sale to spammers everywhere.

So turn off the preview pane if it's on (check Help for how to do it, I can't remember) and don't ever open an email from anyone if you don't know what it is or if it's from someone you don't know.. No matter how tasty the headline might be, and how great the temptation.

And consider getting an email client that doesn't use Internet Explorer to render HTML content. There aren't many, they ain't generally free - consider >>>Thunderbird<<< (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/) which is, or >>>PocoMail<<< (http://www.pocosystems.com/home/index.php?option=content&task=category&sectionid=2&id=7&Itemid=28), which isn't, but is the best email client I've ever come across.

PocoMail is secure because it won't run VB scripts or Java scripts, doesn't use IE for HTML, and lets you view your mail on the server without downloading it so you can delete the garbage before it ever hits your computer. And it has its own built in spam filtering tools if you want to use them (I don't bother - just check them on the server).

Hope this helps.

j4bberw0lk thank you for your technical advise. I continue to be amazed at the useful things I learn on these threads.

For fifteen years I have had the Preview Pane activated on my e-mail. NO MORE, thanks to j4bberw0lk's sound advise. It will take a bit of getting used to, but I have discovered that life happens that way.

For Outlook Express the route is click View, click Layout, and on the area that says "Preview Pane" de-click (un-click, re-click?) "show preview pane". Then at the bottom click "apply" to get it to stick.

Hopefully this will keep me out of the expanding circle of offers, requests and who knows what will be designed to overwhelm us next.

[ginajade]

DELETE! I got a Spanish one, being unable to speak Spanish I was unable to tell what it said. As I was trying to trace Spanish relatives at the time, I naively thought it might be from them. A photo of topless women popped up on opening and when I tried to delete it it opened hundreds of boxes and wouldn't shut down. Fortunately my man is computer literate and was able to sort it out before it did to much damage, but beware of the foreign ones.

[peedie wifie]

Delete it!!!!!!

Thanks to J44bber and Canuk for your advice. I too have had my preview page open for 4 years - but no more!

I used to have Norton as my anti virus but it didn't stop all viruses. I now have Avast which you can download free from avast.com and I've never had a problem since:lol:

[j4bberw0ck]

For several weeks I've been getting a daily email exhorting me to buy medicinal products <snip>
I have McAfee Spamkiller but it's never identified as spam. <snip>
Anything I can do to stop it?

I'm surprised SpamKiller doesn't zap it, to be truthful; sometimes though the spammers change the "from" email address as a quick way round the simple banning of certain domains - it's very easy to have your email address show as anything you like, regardless of what it ACTUALLY is.

On the assumption you'd prefer to avoid parting with $40 for PocoMail which has Beyesian filtering and is very clever, try Thunderbird (see links above), which has spam filters which "learn" from you and will send to Junk anything it thinks is spam. Junk is a kind of purgatory - mail sent there sits for a while until you delete it, save it or it time expires and the software deletes it (thought Canuck might enjoy the "email purgatory" bit :lol: ).

Changing email client is a bit of a hassle but they mostly all look quite similar to Outlook Express and work much the same way - they have to, if Joe Public is ever to consider changing! Worth persevering with, though.

Good luck - if you change find someone who can set it up for you if in any doubt - it's a 5 minute job (honest!). Oh alright then, 10 minutes.

[j4bberw0ck]

Hopefully this will keep me out of the expanding circle of offers, requests and who knows what will be designed to overwhelm us next.

Glad I was able to help! Unfortunately, of course, you're already in the expanding circle and the only way out is to change email address, which is a royal pain because everyone else has to learn to use your new one. And sooner or later the spammers find you again.

I registered my own domain name and got free email redirection as part of the package; it helps because with most ISPs <anything at all>@<your logon>.<isp>.com is directed to your mailbox. So, let's say your email address is:

yourname@canuck.isp_name.com

or something similar, mail addressed to

joe bloggs@canuck,isp_name.com, or to
wejkfgkdhjkvf@canuck.isp_name.com

will all end up in your inbox, unless your ISP lets you refuse email not addressed to an approved list.

With mail redirection I can tell the server to reject anything not on a "permitted" list, and what's more to return it to the sender with a message of my choosing - no, not what you're thinking, but something like "recipient unknown". If it happens often enough, the theory runs, the spammer gets the idea that your domain has no email and so you drop off the lists. It's not a complete answer by any means, but after 5 years using the same email address I get maybe 4 - 12 spams a day; 12 is a bad day. But I'm careful about opening email and use a webmail address for anytime I need to leave an email address on a business website.... the webmail box gets deluged, but that's what it's there for! I just go in once in a while to see if there's anything I want to save.

[canuck]

Thank you j4bberw0lk. Every little bit helps in trying to understand this complex system.

One thing I have wondered about for years and that is "does anyone buy these products that are so blatantly advertized through spam e-mailing?" I now get spam with job offers. Are they just looking for computer identity information and bank account details?

[j4bberw0ck]

Yes, people do buy stuff, amazingly. It only takes a few to do it because the cost of the marketing is negligible on a per capita basis.

Job offer spams are just another way of piquing your interest so you open the email and so validate your email address. The email katarina started this whole thread with was a classic - someone who apparently knows you has uploaded pics to their website. You click on the website - bang. Email address confirmed operational.

Others are things like invoices for online purchases ("Uh?" you think...."I haven't bought anything - it must be someone stole my card - I better check"). Loads of "hooks" to get you to open the email.

It's maybe no surprise people buy from spam solicitations - think about all the people each year who fall for the Nigerian scams..... "just send me $30,000 for expenses and I can get you your share of $50,000,000...."

[Metalattakk]

Just as an aside, if you're looking for a free Bayesian filter, there's a nifty one available at http://keir.net/k9.html

Beware it takes a bit of setting up, so it might not be easy for the uninitiated. But once it's set up and running it's brilliant.

[Tristan]

Another good way to deal with spam is to use yahoo or hotmail which has built in and updated filters for your general email account.

[j4bberw0ck]

free Bayesian filter

That looks superb. Cheers! J.

[Ricco]

Seen these before - Delete is your only option worth considering. If you want nice friendly, loving, cuddly e-mails that are safe your orger friends will send them all day long if you ask.:)

[Victoria]

if you reply then you are varifying your address - and you end up with even more junk mail. Bin it

[North Rhins]

Apparently I have a doppelganger living in Wisconsin, USA. He keeps trying to buy Dell laptops using my paypal account. Well that’s what the phishing email would have me believe. I must admit I did ring my credit card provider just to be sure. My rule of thumb is, if I don’t recognise the sender, then it gets put in the spam bin.

[johno]

i got one from some clown saying that he had to transfer money from spain and if i sent him my details he would tranfer x amount of money, to which i would get a per centage for my trouble. all i had to do was to give him my bank details. guess he must have thought that i was the clown.
i dont even open emails that i dont know where they come from now.

[katarina]

I got another one! Same wording - different names! from a different person. I reported both of them as spam.
I've had one - same as Johno from S. Africa. We used to get letters, saying the same. Very irritating. I have spam filters and virus check, and that worked for a while, but now they are finding a way to get through. I find the only way to stop it completely for a while is to change your email address.

[Ricco]

I got another one! Same wording - different names! from a different person. I reported both of them as spam.
I've had one - same as Johno from S. Africa. We used to get letters, saying the same. Very irritating. I have spam filters and virus check, and that worked for a while, but now they are finding a way to get through. I find the only way to stop it completely for a while is to change your email address.

Kat - I get several identical ones every day.. and just torch them without even reading them. Its no good sending a response - most of them come from auto-diallers and you will not get through. Simply dump them.. oh, and don't forget to also delete them from your Delete folder.

[Angela]

In the last couple of days I've had emails arriving from fellow .Orgers which have been identified as spam.

Why might that be? :confused

Needless to say the content was completely innocent and the emails very welcome! :D

[j4bberw0ck]

You need to tell your spam filter they're "friendly". Depending on what you're using it'll "learn" by analysing content of emails and eventually will be making "decisions" at 90% or better.