Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 21:00:01

Title: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 21:00:01
Just checked work email and there was an email from mywifesname @ hotmail.com

Sue does have a hotmail account but rarely uses it.

My work account is my firstname @ companyname.co.uk

How creepy is that!
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Gaffers on 04 October 2008, 21:02:01
could be just a fluke unless you have your email and your wifes name on FB, the crawlers would have seen it in that case....

..but defo v creepy  :(
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 21:03:34
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could be just a fluke unless you have your email and your wifes name on FB, the crawlers would have seen it in that case....

..but defo v creepy  :(

Definately a fluke whats FB?
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Gaffers on 04 October 2008, 21:04:35
Facebook old man!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 21:09:38
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Facebook old man!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D


Never used it - seems to be a teenager thing
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Gaffers on 04 October 2008, 21:11:09
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Facebook old man!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D


Never used it - seems to be a teenager thing

God I wish I was a teenager again knowing what i do now! lol
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 21:13:57
I wish I was young again now I don't care!
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Markjay on 04 October 2008, 22:23:44
Not that improbable... is someone's address book (say Outlook Contact list) has been compromised by a virus, the virus will then send spam to all the people in the list (it will have an autonomous smtp engine as payload, which is why 'proper' antivitus software and personal firewalls also block port 25 on the PC), and at the same will fake the sender's email address using other names/addresses at random form the same list.

So if that someone had both your email address and your wife's email address in his/her address book, and that person's PC got a virus, it is not unlikely at all that you will find spam sent to you from a spoofed email address which is your wife's (and vice versa).

This is actually quite common and I get this a lot from surprised customers....


Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 04 October 2008, 23:03:19
Neither in any address book!
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Markjay on 04 October 2008, 23:54:36
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Neither in any address book!


Not in your address book... both your email addresses would be listed in the address book of someone who knows both of you, e.g. a relative or a family friend, and it is his/her PC that got compromised, not yours....
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: Martin_1962 on 05 October 2008, 10:15:29
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Neither in any address book!


Not in your address book... both your email addresses would be listed in the address book of someone who knows both of you, e.g. a relative or a family friend, and it is his/her PC that got compromised, not yours....


better start checking then
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: graham131 on 06 October 2008, 17:40:52
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Neither in any address book!


Not in your address book... both your email addresses would be listed in the address book of someone who knows both of you, e.g. a relative or a family friend, and it is his/her PC that got compromised, not yours....


better start checking then


Yes that can def happen - best thing is just to delte.  dont reply or open as then they know they have a "real" address
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: rickyboy on 06 October 2008, 18:06:15
Wouldn't think it to be that unusual.  If you've ever used Adaware, when it finishes the scan have a look at the tracking cookies that you are about to delete.  You will find your user name has been used for lots of different email addresses.  Don't think it's a big worry TBH.
Title: Re: Creepy spam
Post by: TheBoy on 06 October 2008, 18:09:05
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Just checked work email and there was an email from mywifesname @ hotmail.com

Sue does have a hotmail account but rarely uses it.

My work account is my firstname @ companyname.co.uk

How creepy is that!
Not uncommon - chain mails etc can easily gather 'related' addresses (that are then almost guaranteed to get through your consumer spam filter)...