Tech: EMail Query

Subject: Tech: EMail Query
From: Hillheader
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 05:11 AM

Recenty I've had two Emails into my inbox that confused me. The first one says the I sent an Email to someone which contained a virus and ended with "if you did not send the Email please ignore this communication" and yesterday one tells me that an Email I did not send has not been delivered and asks me to get respond so the problem can be resolved.

Has my email address being cloned or stolen or is this just another fishing exercise by spammers?

I am using Outlook 2003 on XP if that helps/make a difference.

Any advice would be appreciated

Subject: RE: Tech: EMail Query
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 05:59 AM

Ignore - delete them. Do NOT respond in any way. They are the result of someone else's PC having been infected by a virus that captures their Outlook Contacts or Address list and then sends messages "spoofing" (imitating) the sender's name using names within your lists.

It is not a sign that you are infected, but that someone else (with your email address in their Outlook directories) is.

Subject: RE: Tech: EMail Query
From: Hillheader
Date: 04 Apr 04 - 06:38 AM

Thanks El Greco.

Much appreciation ... and great relief!!!!

Subject: RE: Tech: EMail Query
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 05:11 AM

This is also sometimes a Spammer trying to confirm your address - I have seen obvious fakes of a "bounce" message like this - I just delete them in Mailwasher...

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: EMail Query
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:36 AM

Sorry, didn't send it all...

This one has a message that says your message has been 'quarrintined' somewhere because it may have a virus, and they give you a link to go to check it out - ....

Bit of a giveaway if you don't send any mail for a week cause your machine is down...

Another good one just turning up

from some bank - I got some from several banks - and half a dozen from some banks... (a bit of a giveaway if you don't have an account with the bank!)

it says "$710.00 has been withdrawn from you account - please vist this site to confirm" or whatever... which I found pretty funny - cause that bank account hasn't has $700.00 in it for quite a whiel now ...

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech: EMail Query
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 11:52 AM

One of the recently active Worms commonly uses an "undelivered mail" message as its means of transmitting itself. There have been more than a dozen "variants" on this one - apparently some sort of "war of the crackers," since some variants try to disable previous variants in order to put themselves on your machine and remove the prior versions.

A "click here" link in any suspect email can also be used to "install" malware. AV software generally looks for things that install themselves or run automatically, so an attachment that "just sits there" may be missed. When you "click," the link is to a (usually) .dll that actually puts the bad stuff in place. AV can't do much about it if you tell it to install a "program" by clicking the phony link, just as it can't do anything about the spyware embedded in most "file sharing" programs if you tell it to install the program (no matter how inadvertent the instruction is).

John