No name Emails

[jvandy57]

My ISP is bellsouth and it has a built in Spam-n-ator for my email. All of the sudden I've started getting No Name and No Subject emails that offer enlarged PEN.1S type stuff and drugs.

I've set some rules in Outlook Express to delete some but I can't find a rule to delete if the subject or From line is Blank. Got any clues.

 

[Ron Eggers]

Jerry, I am clueless.

I've been getting a wave of spam with reasonable-sounding sender names and subject lines made up of 8-10 random words. The words are different in each email.

I carefully opened a few to see if I could find a pattern to set up a new filter. Nope.

Even the content appeared to have little in common - only the nonsense subject line.

They may be messages from either Mars or North Carolina.

 

[Bill Henry-]

Assuming the OutLook Express is somewhat similar to Netscape (as far as filtering is concerned), I just leave the "Subject" filter blank. There is another filter where I have a single "space bar" character, too.


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With NN it sends anything that has nothin' in the subject directly to the Trash.

I haven't tried the same thing with a "no name" sender, but I'll bet it would work.

 

[Ron Eggers]

Bill, if I did that, I have to train some of my friends - like Charles - to start using subjects in their emails.

It looks like you might be filtering out emails about a satellite that's going to crash into your house. Are you sure you wanna do that?

 

[John Richards]

Looks more like an out of work sex maniac who got his degree repairing satellites whose mind suddenly went blank. No this is a great question and I looked in both my e-mail services and do not see an area to filter like this.

 

[Bill Henry-]

Bill, if I did that, I have to train some of my friends - like Charles - to start using subjects in their emails.

I have told my friends (both of them) that if they don't put something in that subject line, I ain't never gonna see it.

It looks like you might be filtering out emails about a satellite that's going to crash into your house. Are you sure you wanna do that?

Aw Geeze, you've got me worried! Now I've got to look up when I'm driving?

 

[CharlesL]

But Ron,
What about that email I plan to send with all my credit card info, complete with 'security code'?

I wasn't gonna use anything in the subject line on that one! Of course, you wouldn't have gotten any closer to your new Wizard with a credit limit of $15.00!

 

[JPete]

Some raido guru's said if we all sent our group e-mail under BCC everyone would get it but all of the addresses are not visible for others to spam you. I thought I would do that the other night and guess what, they show up as no sender or no name. So I quickly sent another e-mail explaining the first. Now the spamers are doing it also.

 

[shopmonkey cpf]

i think my outlook express has a problem, i keep getting messages telling me that my message was undeliverable to so n so. but i'm not sending these emails. does that make sense? is it a virus, or something that has hijacked my mail program? thanks for any help...

 

[Dermot]

Shopmonkey

I have the same problem……about 10 a day….I just ignore it….and delete….I think it may have being a hacker who got into my ISP and harvested my email addresses …….I have 3 email addresses and get this spam mail to them generally at the same time…….or my email addresses have been harvested from various sources or from someone I sent an emails to….I have given up trying to control this….it appears to be doing no harm….I have Office 2003 and I use Outlook….not Outlook Express to manage my email…..the anti span and junk mail facilities are doing a good job……I take a quick look before I delete….as a few genuine mails get send to junk….generally FW.emails or replays.

 

[Bill Henry-]

i keep getting messages telling me that my message was undeliverable to so n so. but i'm not sending these emails.

I was getting these, too, a few months ago. But the letters are sent by "farmers" who are trying to verify your email and, sometimes, extract your credit card number and other personal information.

Report them by forwarding the messages to your ISP.

 

[Mike Labbe]

Those are usually a false alarm. If you're getting 10 or more per day, it might be worth looking at the headers to see if they originated from your IP address.

This will confirm if your machine is unknowingly sending out spam, or if its from someone out there "spoofing"(faking) you as the sender.

Making sure your antivirus is up to date is always a good thing, as is weekly scan with AD-AWARE or your favorite adware/spyware tool.

Mike

 

[Marjorie]

Jerry,

I've been getting those also. I just sent one to my ISP (Comcast). I'll let you know if anything happens.

Marjorie

 

[Dermot]

Thanks Mike

I quite certain it’s not my machine….it is very new (that very nice new little thing I got

)…I did not copy any email over (and just about nothing else I started afresh) I just set up my email accounts new on this machine……this problem has been going on for a few years or so….it all started when I bought a “Ready To Go” (prepaid) mobile/cell phone in New York the last time I was there…I had to give an email address at the Verzona (sp) shop……I also gave my email address out to book the hotel…..and a few other places got my address…..since that I have being getting an ever increasing amount of spam…….and no the emails are not originating from my ISP….though many of them have other people included in the CC box….for example I’m ontheedge@oceanfree.net there will be many more oceanfree.net accounts targeted on the same email…

My own feeling is that the powers to be will sort this out eventually so I’m not spending much time on it…..BTW in the EU it is illegal to spam….so I get little or none from EU locations……

Again I think this is a problem that will be solved….but not by me ….so I will just wait and see…..

I use Norton and it seems to be very good…….

it catches just about everything…….and if it overdoes it so what if it is very important…I have no doubt people will get to me some other way…

Ohhhhhhh……I need to do a computer course……and get to understand what my software is doing and how I can maximise all this lovely equipment I have