Strange emails with 1,000's of attachments.

2005CLAIRE

Every day for the past few weeks I have been receiving around 10-20 emails with Russian type writing in the headings. There have been 1,000's of attachments on each one. I haven't clicked and opened any of them-I have just blocked sender and bounced them back. But I am still getting them.
Any ideas on what they are and what I should do please?

2005CLAIRE

It would be a bit of a pain to change my email address-is there any other way?
Is there any thing I can download to get rid or block things that are bigger than the average email?

vultura

You could try pop3 scan mailbox it allows you to view the contents of your mailbox, but without downloading it to your PC. You can then tick unwanted messages, once you tell the program to disconnect it deletes them from the mailbox.

You can set up message rules within it to automatically mark for deletion messages from a certain email address or that have a certain word in the title. I have used it often when my company mailbox was "bombed" with thousands of messages all the same.

2005CLAIRE

Sorry to be a complete plonker. I can't follow the information when I clicked on the link you both gave.
Is there a step by step way you can tell me what to do without it taking up too much of your time?

Debt_Free_Chick

Actually, the considered advice is not to bounce email at all! That just confirms to the spammers that your email address is "alive & well".

Claire - which email account do you use? Do they have a webmail option, which allows you to view the email without deleting it? Do they have a "block sender" option. I'm assuming you've blocked the sender within Outlook. This doesn't prevent email from the same sender being rejected - it just puts it in the Junk Mail folder. You need an email account that allows you to block the sender at the mail server, so it's simply rejected. To do this, you normally have to log on to Webmail, if your provider offers it.

Tony_H_3

If you are using OE (Outlook Express) you could create a rule to delete these messages from the server instead of receiving them. You have so far blocked each message.

What you need to do is create a rule, but the rule will be global for the server from which the message is sent eg

Blocked email address:

sender01'@'junkmail.ru & sender02'@'junkmail.ru & sender03'@'junkmail.ru

Delete from server rule:

"Where senders email address is" '@junkmail.ru' "Delete from server"

this will stop these emails in their tracks as it doesn't matter what the first part of the email address is it simply blocks from the whole server. This is only a good method for specific spam problems & has to be used with caution with others for example it wouldn't be a good idea to block spam from say @yahoomail.co.uk as you may miss emails from friends & colleagues.

Read the help files in your mail client for assistance with setting up rules.

HTH
Tony

2005CLAIRE

I've found the bit where I can stop emails which are bigger than a certain size - what size should I put? Is this a good idea.

Debt_Free_Chick

Claire

That will stop every email, from everyone over the size limit getting in. And if these spammers start to send email with smaller attachments, then your blocker won't work.

Which email account are you using e.g. @blueyonder.co.uk, @hotmail.com, @freeserve.co.uk

2005CLAIRE

I'm using @ntlworld.


I never thought about the spammers sending smaller emails.

I've just had a look at the ones I'm receiving (without opening them) - they end in
tokyo.com
one800.net
louisekoo.com
edomex.com
yyhmail.com

Where on earth do they all come from - I've just received one with 16777216 attachments.

Debt_Free_Chick

According to the website, NTL have anti-spam on all their products. Can you log on to NTL account and see if you can find out more. I can't, as I'm not an NTL user.

Log on here https://www.home.ntl.com/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-login&bsref=ntlhome&param1=login with your email address and password and then try Help/Support.

HTH

2005CLAIRE

I think I may have cracked it!

I went to Tools then Options, then Security on my email thingy (see I was getting technical but I just had to spoil it).
The junk filter was off (don't ask me why, it wasn't me).
I put it to ON and it said anyone who was not approved would be put into the junk&unapproved bit.

I think getting rid of the emails full stop is a bit over my head so until someone visits my house that knows a bit more than how to switch the computer on I will have to leave it at that.

I thought I had suffered a DVT in my leg the other day until I realised I had accidently knocked the cdrom button with my knee.