I think my email is spamming

[drfsupercenter]

OK I don't know if I should disreguard these or not.

I have been getting a lot of spam, like ads for viagra etc (so has my mom), I just delete them when they come in. But now I am getting returned error messages going to some .edu account... is that really my computer sending these messages or is someone being funny?

The original message was received at Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:15:31 -0700
from [220.227.209.67]

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<hellerjlheller@unm.edu>
(reason: 550 hellerjlheller@unm.edu unknown user account)
<kahill@unm.edu>
(reason: 550 kahill@unm.edu unknown user account)

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to smtp.unm.edu.:
>>> DATA
<<< 550 kahill@unm.edu unknown user account
550 5.1.1 <kahill@unm.edu>... User unknown
<<< 550 hellerjlheller@unm.edu unknown user account
550 5.1.1 <hellerjlheller@unm.edu>... User unknown
<<< 554 no valid RCPT address specified

[Chewy]

it takes some real sleuthing to track the problem down

1. do you have a spambot installed(trojan)?
2. look at complete headers and do a ip whois to find who sent the spam
3. I had a friend who got infected and since I was in her address book I started getting the spam with a forged from, the headers revealed her isp server(a small local boonies) and I called her and told her the news
4, spammers often fake the return addy and pick one from their maillist,
your isp can warn you if they get complaints

[drfsupercenter]

The ISP used to suspend our emails for spamming, but that stopped long ago.

see the attached text file, it was too long to post the message source here.

[Chewy]

220.227.209.67

mumbai India

didn't know you moved danny?

they are spoofing your email addy

never use a real addy for anything but private stuff
use throw away ones that spammers might get

[drfsupercenter]

OK

Any way to set up an outlook express to delete all these freaking Viagra ads? No means no, those advertisers don't get it.

And AFAIK I didn't use my private address for anything, I use drfsupercenter@yahoo.com for everything private... I signed up for a web server or two, but the spam has been coming in long before I signed up for those. Somehow they have my mom's address too.

[Chewy]

probably from when you all installed the pamela anderson and brad pitt screensaver/trojan/spambots

JK

http://www.sitedeveloper.ws/tutorials/spam.htm#outlookexpress

[drfsupercenter]

They were going to my mom's email first... then found their way to mine

Also seems like it's going to my Yahoo less because the spammers realise I just delete it

[drfsupercenter]

And oh yeah, I knew about that filter thing... I meant a smartfilter like Yahoo has so I don't have to config it by hand all the time

[olyteddy]

I get those too, but when viewed in preview mode in MailWasher they usually contain an attached executable (ends in .bat, .exe, .cmd, .msi etc.) probably in hopes I'd be foolish enough to:
1) download it
2) actually click open it....

[ed klein]

In the past, this is what I did to reduce the quanity of spam e-mail.

1. Use a fake e-mail address, when the spam gets too big just delete the fake email address.
2. Send a nasty email letter to the spamers internet provider. Saying something like:

INTERNET PROVIDER
You should be taking legal action against your client for sending spam over the internet.



You will be surprised on the amount of feedback you get from item 2 from the internet provider

[drfsupercenter]

The problem is, it's a different address each time. And not only that, they are ad addresses like @getfreestuff.com etc.

[jm1647]

They were going to my mom's email first... then found their way to mine

Also seems like it's going to my Yahoo less because the spammers realise I just delete it

Don't delete it report it as SPAM


You could try to make a rule in OE if the message contains words like viagra or whatever to automatically delete it when you download it.

Try going to your mail site and looking at the mail, reporting what is spam for a while. Then download them from OE.