Strange Emails...

ManicMatt · Thu 14/12/2006 00:36:00

Quote from: JimHejl on Wed 13/12/2006 23:31:27
The motivation for the spammer is to find a "live" e-mail address. That is... a human being is on the other side, reading it. So, the GIF thing is a trap -- when you open it, you validate your e-mail.

Didn't someone else just say this?

Jay · Thu 14/12/2006 20:56:46

Quote from: JimHejl on Wed 13/12/2006 21:36:45
A relatively new way of tracking your surfing habits and securing personal info is through the use of transparent "web bugs," small (usually 1x1) .GIF files that are linked to various Web pages.

Relatively new? I can't remember the last time I saw an e-mail client that didn't automatically hide images.

Pegasus · Thu 14/12/2006 21:23:42

Quote from: ManicMatt on Wed 13/12/2006 01:40:14
Speaking of spam, recently my yahoo email has been getting confused and putting spam into my normal folder, and normal stuff (Say myspace notifications) in my bulk folder! Is spam getting smarter to fool the filters? It's starting to work itself out a bit, but I'm still getting the odd spam slipping through the cracks.

Grrr. I've been getting the same problem. I guess spammers have figured out a way to get around the blocks yahoo uses... sad really.

JimHejl · Sat 16/12/2006 14:33:00

Quote from: Jay on Thu 14/12/2006 20:56:46
Relatively new? I can't remember the last time I saw an e-mail client that didn't automatically hide images.

The _method_ of harvesting/validating e-mail in this manner is relatively new. E-mail clients have been able to hide images for a very long time (although the idea was mostly to hide porn). "Automatically hide" doesn't mean anything. It's just a setting - and some people have it enabled, and some people have it disabled.

EagerMind · Sun 17/12/2006 07:40:13

Just change your settings to display email as plain text and turn off previews. Voila. Pretty basic really.

Though I can't claim that this actually cuts down on your spam over time. Once your address gets out, it seems that you're f---'ed.

ManicMatt · Sun 17/12/2006 10:26:37

My address "got out" about seven years ago..

(Okay I don't know how many years ago, but a very long time ago)

Plain text huh? Ok!

EagerMind · Mon 18/12/2006 14:54:48

Actually, not sure if there's a text mode in Yahoo mail. I was actually talking about email clients (Thunderbird, Outlook, etc).

Of course, the best option is to just delete spam without even looking at it. If it's not an email that you're expecting to get or it's not from someone you know, just delete it.

Ishmael · Mon 18/12/2006 15:27:25

Spam that gets through to me is very easy to identify. The subject line about always is either blank or starts with FW:, RE: or a combination/repetition of those. And sender address' are afidkdjfkl@afioadf.dfoaidf, and I know for sure dfoaidf is not a domain end thingy.

ManicMatt · Mon 18/12/2006 15:38:35

I did actually get fooled into opening some spam the other day. It was a day after I'd posted my guy with horns sprite in the critics lounge, and I had an email with the subject "Horn guy" so.. I thought it was an email about that! But it was junk... (With an image in it too)

Maybe they meant to write "horny guy"?