PLEASE HELP - Caught in filthy web

Lorna Allison · Post by **Lorna Allison** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:02 am

Fellow searchers

A contact (not TS) who was a help at one time, kept sending me "funnies". Can't stand them myself, but it was just an irritant although it annoyed me that email addresses should be so freely passed around.

Then he put me on a "Round Robin" which purported to be a M&S/Persimmon Homes offer - send this to X number of people, let us know and we will send you £100. Brightly he said that he didn't suppose it was valid but he would try anyway............... I hummed with fury, but once again ignored it.

Today, I have receeived 3 very nasty sounding emails (didn't open them of course) BUT the sender purports to be - my email address - (which includes my name stupidly)

I have junked them, blocked sender and domain, but does this mean I shall have to change my email address?

I am not particularly computer literate and just feel so upset and worried. Don't know where to start. Of course I don't know if this contact is the cause of this but since I am pretty careful about using DOT and AT, it seems most likely.

Any advice would be most welcome.

Hopefully yours

Lorna

Post by **paddyscar** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:41 am

I'm not all that brilliant with the technical stuff, so I usually call my provider's support line. I'd do it rather quickly to avoid any further hassle.

Hope that helps,
Frances

Post by **AndrewP** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 3:06 am

Hi Lorna,

I receive a lot of junk e-mail. A small amount of that purports to be from my own e-mail address. I use McAfee Security Centre which includes a spam filter. It is very good at picking out the spam. It is not a program liked by all, but it works for me. I wouldn't be changing my e-mail address for that reason.

One of my work colleagues received the Persimmon Homes / Marks & Spencer e-mails that you mentioned. I told her the offer in it was too good to be true, and to dispose of it. She eventually did, but hoped she was not missing out on an opportunity.

All the best,

AndrewP

Lorna Allison · Post by **Lorna Allison** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 8:30 pm

Hello Andrew

You have calmed me down a bit. I use AVG (the free one, as recommended by previous computer "boffin") and have been happy with it as I don't get much at all in the way of spam. About two a day. I block and delete these on a daily basis and felt I was keeping things under control. The email address thing really upset me as I thought I would be getting contacted by people who had received emails with my address against them. I also thought maybe I could not block my own email address.

As I don't understand how these things work, it perhaps makes me excessively worried about them. If you get similar mails and it doesn't worry you then OK, I shall carry on as before and not change my email address - yet!

Thanks for your reply.

Hi Frances

I spent my "away day" today, worrying about what would be waiting for me tonight. Nothing terrible I'm glad to say. I was all set to get in touch with BT and change my address, but have decided to wait a bit and see what develops. Unnerving though.

Thanks for your reply

Regards

Lorna

winslowsmom · Post by **winslowsmom** » Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:02 pm

Hello Lorna

You seem to be getting some good advice. Another thing I would do is to
go ahead and open another e mail account, probably a yahoo account or a g mail account. Then if you ever join any on line groups for any reason at all,
use that e mail address to register with. This especially includes any yahoo groups, which are often useful for genealogy purposes. For example, I join many family name groups, research groups for one city or county.
A group for my particular breed of dog. These are all great groups,
but they generate a whole lot of spam, and certainly not related to the subject. You have an option of not getting mail from them, but then
if you forget to check the messages every day or so, you can miss out on the latest news that might apply to you.
I have to admit, I have relegated some good friends to that e mail address too, because, even though they are great friends, they have
a terrible forwarding habit. Sometimes I do enjoy the jokes they send but I don't want everyone on their buddy list to have my "real" address too.

Anyhow, iits a problem we all wrestle with. My real pet peeve is all the noisy animated ads on the newspaper sites.

Take care
Cathy

Post by **Tracey** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 12:36 am

I think the rule is if you dont recognise who its from delete it. I think its quite freaky when you get an email with your name as subject matter and wonder how they know it

But just one click of a button and they are gone.
The email address i get the least spam sent to , well none actually, is my hotmail account . I stopped using Yahoo along time ago as that recieved an awful lot of rubbish (via scotsorigins and it stopped once i unsubscribed from that) but as i have recently joined our local freecycle group you have to have a Yahoo account for that.
Just think of it all like that junk mail you get through your letter box. You wouldnt dream of spending any time opening and reading it before you put it in the bin, the recycling one of course

p.s......I have recently started using AVG Free and nothing has changed or got worse for me

Lorna Allison · Post by **Lorna Allison** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 2:05 am

Thanks Everyone

I have taken all that on board and will think seriously about having another email account. A sound idea I think.

Off to sleep peacefully tonight

Lorna

CatrionaL · Post by **CatrionaL** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:28 pm

Lorna Allison wrote:Thanks Everyone

I have taken all that on board and will think seriously about having another email account. A sound idea I think.

Off to sleep peacefully tonight

Lorna

Lorna,
I would encourage you to do that. I have two accounts, one for internet use, one for family and friends. The former collects a certain amount of junk, the latter none.

Regards
Catriona

Post by **marilyn morning** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:34 pm

Hi Lorna,

I do the same as Catriona and it works like a charm!

Regards
Marilyn

Lorna Allison · Post by **Lorna Allison** » Sat Nov 15, 2008 1:57 am

Hi Andrew

thought you would be interested in this reply from the chap who kindly

included my email address on his round robin re M&S/Persimmon.

n answer to your question the "M & S Offer" is a 100% hoax / scam! I went onto "Google" shortly after sending that infamous e-mail and found a Statement on the M & S Website to that effect along with loads of other comments. I should have remembered what my dear old Dad said when I was a lot younger than I am now and that was "if it sounds to good to be true - IT IS!

Your colleague should be grateful to you for your good advice!

Regards

Lorna