Warning emails. Are they true?

Texas


Joined: 22/09/2009
Posts: 634

Message Posted:
17/01/2010 10:14

Please check the following site BEFORE sending a warning email on to all your contacts.



These emails are designed to "harvest" live email addresses to be sold to spammers.



http://www.hoax-slayer.com/

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
17/01/2010 10:16

I had one from Yahoo yesterday Texas that wanted all my details and said it would close my Yahoo account if I didnt send it back. But I asked forum members and they said delete it so I did

Harold2555



Joined: 19/04/2008
Posts: 1139

Message Posted:
17/01/2010 12:33

Most Unsolicited Emails are Scams of some sort, either after your money or your details for some purpose or other.



Watch out for messages supposedly coming from Windows Live saying that there is a private message. These are suspect in the extreme!





Harold

YeniTom


Joined: 29/12/2009
Posts: 198

Message Posted:
17/01/2010 12:53

99.9% of warning Emails are scams of one form or another. Many have been in circulation for years. Pranksters sometimes alter the Email address - ones where it says 'If you receive an email from tomdickharry @.... and then they carry on the forwarding.

Some are designed to harvest email addresses, some designed for you to click a link and then give information, some to just load up mail servers.

Basic Rules:

If you receive a;

1. warning email chain mail - delete it. Don't forward it. You are wasting everyones time and playing into their hands.

If the mail automatically puts the sender into your contacts don't worry - just delete it.

2. mail looking like it is from your bank / E Bay / Paypal / Yahoo or any other financial places you use - delete it

If you feel that it may be real - delete the mail and go through your normal logon procedure.

3. mail from anyone you don't know - delete it

NEVER click on a link contained in a mail that is from somewhere you don't know!

cyprusishome


Joined: 31/03/2007
Posts: 2381

Message Posted:
17/01/2010 13:08

One thing that bugs me is forwarded e-mails where the sender has not deleted the addresses of previous senders.



This is one way where by spammers, hoaxers and abusers pick up addresses.



I always send on msgs as blind copies (bcc) that way the other addressees are not picked up.



I ask everyone that before you BCC you delete the previous senders address.