receiving emails but not to my address

Trix · 21 September 2004 at 11:40PM

I am recieving emails that are about anything from computers, mortgages and banking to viagra

. They all have the same sort of page layout - very basic with just a few words and pictures with a 'click here to learn more' link, coming from normal looking rather than company addresses. I've got all sorts of protection on my computer and have run all the removal tools etc but keep getting them. I never actually open them - just see them in my preview window and delete them and never click on the links.

The strange thing is - they're not always to my address! They start off with the same couple of letters (although even they keep changing) and end in the same way after the @ but the rest of it is wrong. For now I just keep blocking the sender but as they're always from different addresses I doubt if it makes much difference.

I know when 'my doom' was out I was getting dodgy emails but it was through someone elses computer being infected with my address in so I assumed it was the same sort of thing at first but it's the bit where my address isn't right that's confusing me.

Any ideas ???

Woby_Tide · 21 September 2004 at 11:50PM

it's just spam, the headers are all forged thats all

chitty · 22 September 2004 at 12:59AM

On a related point I'd advise turning the "Preview Pane" off.

You don't always have to click on a link in order for the spammer to realise your email address is active. They sometimes just include an image that links to their servers. With "Preview Pane" on the image is automatically downloaded and the spammer knows your email address is valid and in use. Result = more spam!

(note the above does not apply to Outlook 2003 that doesn't download the image automatically).

Hope this helps.

Trix · 22 September 2004 at 3:00AM

I'll give it a try but I'm puzzled because in the three years I've been online I've NEVER had spam and have spam filters or whatever they are so I don't know why the sudden change.

And I still don't get the bit where it says 'to' which usually has my email address but in this case has a different email address ???

vulcanbomber · 25 September 2004 at 10:58AM

I was also getting lots of these mail messages and other spam, I have now started using mailwasher where by I can view all my messages on the web before actually downloading them into Outlook Express, been using it for just over a week now and have reduced the ammount of downloaded messages to my pc by about 90%.

receiving emails but not to my address

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