Lots of spammers

[Rob Tucker]

I seem to be getting regular emails from people I know sending me messages that I know don't come from them.

Selling all kinds of crap.

Am I the only one? I doubt it.

[DoryGray]

Rob, I believe that's a virus on your friend's computer. Using their email contact list to send spam. Don't open ANY links or you could get infected.

[PaulW]

It's also possible that a program has guessed the password to their email account. I suggest you suggest to them that they change it.

[birdmove]

You are far from the only one. Apparently whats happening is that someone gains access to a persons email address list and then shoots spam messages to everyone on that list. It happened to me about 6 months ago. Someone goit into, or hacked my yahoo email account, and then did as I said above. They started shooting spam about some online pharmaceitcal drug company to everyone on my email list. Once it happens there is no stopping it. The computer guy at work said yahoo is particularly easy to hack, and the gmail is better. I since changed my yahoo password and deleted the email address list.
Don't see why they don't start prosecuting companies that do this. If they have a buisness and are using these tactics, then they can be gone after. These tactics are about as fraudgilant as you can get.

Jon

Jon in Puyallup, Wa.

[PaulW]

"Once it happens there is no stopping it."
Sure there is. Change your password.

[JerryCarr]

Not from someone I know personally, but recently I asked for and got one of those on line insurance quotes where they get bids from several companies. I got the multiple quotes, and they were from reputable companies, but I immediately began receiving tons of spam, some from other insurance companies I had never heard of and others from totally unrelated enterprises. I'm guessing that the quote service either sold my email address or got hacked.

[mar1957]

This happened to me and besides changing my password
I was told to have my first address in my address book fake ie: aaaabcAThotmail.com
I was told that the spammers start with the "A's" and if it's a reject their program stops after all they are to lazy to e-mail personaly and cheat by using mass market programs...

[TheodoreJay]

Its happened to me several times from a particular friend but thankfully not allot. Definiely make sure your e-mail is not listed anywhere visible on line that an e-mail "miner" can latch onto and then you are toast. Yep and don't give out your e-mail to loads of retail companies that might sell your info.

[Midnight Rambler]

quote:

---

Originally posted by birdmove

Don't see why they don't start prosecuting companies that do this. If they have a buisness and are using these tactics, then they can be gone after. These tactics are about as fraudgilant as you can get.

---

Because they're not "companies". They're hackers in Bulgaria, Belarus, Nigeria, or China. They send out millions of these emails every day, and make their profit off the one-in-a-million who replies. It's all automated, no-effort work. My Gmail account was hacked (due, as I discovered, to a keystroke logger trojan on my computer), but Gmail keeps an access record that showed all they did was log on for a few seconds (from a Chinese IP address) to send out the spam. Didn't even download my mail, which could have been used for identity theft and a much bigger return (but with more effort and likelihood of getting caught).

[DoryGray]

I have 2 different email accts. The first I've had for 11 years & hardly gets any spam, that's my real acct, my friends have. The second acct (alias) is strictly for getting quotes, giving when an email is required, & to other questionable sites. The second gets tons of spam, but I don't care, just delete periodically.