# Suspicious E-Mails



## amelia (May 3, 2003)

Beginning about six weeks ago, I began getting e-mails wth different names and titles--usually exactly one per day. They are obviously not from anyone I know, and in contrast to the run-of-the-mill weight loss/Viagra-type spam, they use various deceptive titles intended to cause me to believe that they involve personal or business matters in an obvious attempt to induce me to open them. I am very protective of my e-mail address and ordinarily get no spam at all. So this is very unusual. The persistence is strange.

So far, I have not opened any of these e-mails, but have simply used the "left click" button to delete them. One of these days I am going to open one by mistake.

Is there any way of creating a permanent block of the source of these e-mails without opening them? I am using Windows XP.

Thanks so much!


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

amelia said:


> So far, I have not opened any of these e-mails, but have simply used the "left click" button to delete them. One of these days I am going to open one by mistake.


Why don't you open the messages and see what it's about? I wouldn't open an attached binary file (exe, pdf, zip, etc.) until I knew if it was from a trusted source, but as long as you have reasonable virus protection I would certainly see what it was about. From what you've said you seem very sure that it's some kind of dangerous spam, but you didn't say what led you to that conclusion.

As for blocking the email messages, that depends on whether the email messages have something in common with the return address, the sender, or the title. If course how you block the message depends on your email software, which you didn't mention for some reason.


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## amelia (May 3, 2003)

I am using Outlook Express.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

amelia said:


> I am using Outlook Express.


With Outlook Express you create "message rules" and can also maintain a block sender list. Those features are both available by clicking Tools-->Message Rules.


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

Personally I think you are smart to delete them with out opening them to see what is in there, curiosity killed the cat remember that.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Rockytopsis said:


> Personally I think you are smart to delete them with out opening them to see what is in there, curiosity killed the cat remember that.


What are you concerned will happen?


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Rockytopsis said:


> Personally I think you are smart to delete them with out opening them to see what is in there, curiosity killed the cat remember that.


 As long as you don't open any attachments.
And Besides Just Highlighting the E Mail IS opening the dern then up in case anybody wants to know. UNLESS you have it set NOT to show "read" for an extended period of time.
Because IF You Move the Pane at the Bottom Upwards You can Read the dern thing if it is highlighted~! So whether or not you Click to "open" OR just move the viewing pane Upwards is the Same thing~!


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Opening an email is not going to give you a virus, opening an attachment certainly can, and as Arabian Knight said, just highliting an email in Outlook/Outlook express IS opening it whether you view it or not.
If they share something in common, you can make up a rule. I created rules about various words in subject titles - for example I set up a rule for emails with subject lines with the following words (and others) are automatically deleted : 'loans', 'weight', 'male', 'Oprah', etc I'm up to about 20 words in the subject lines now that I cause the email to be deleted. Sure has cut my spam down.


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## amelia (May 3, 2003)

I'm wondering whether there is a way that you can actually block a particular sender?


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

amelia said:


> I'm wondering whether there is a way that you can actually block a particular sender?


Sure. Put him in your block sender list, as I described above.


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

amelia said:


> I'm wondering whether there is a way that you can actually block a particular sender?


Yes, rules can be made for senders, subject, etc.


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## amelia (May 3, 2003)

Okay, I opened one up, then left-clicked on the sender's name to reveal his e-mail address so that I could block it. Strangely, it showed him as having MY e-mail address. I clicked on "block," and indeed it blocked me from sending e-mails to myself. This makes no sense.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

amelia said:


> Okay, I opened one up, then left-clicked on the sender's name to reveal his e-mail address so that I could block it. Strangely, it showed him as having MY e-mail address. I clicked on "block," and indeed it blocked me from sending e-mails to myself. This makes no sense.


You can specify any email address as the return address, even the address you're sending it to. Not an uncommon spamming ploy.


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## Birchbark (Apr 3, 2008)

> You can specify any email address as the return address, even the address you're sending it to. Not an uncommon spamming ploy.


 
I didnt know that Nevada. How do you do that? I just looked at a message in Outlook Express and cant see how to do that. I would just like to know how, just to try it.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Birchbark said:


> I didnt know that Nevada. How do you do that? I just looked at a message in Outlook Express and cant see how to do that. I would just like to know how, just to try it.


Tools-->Message Rules-->Blocked Senders List

You can block either individual email addresses or email from entire domains in there. When a message arrives that's in your blocked list Outlook Express automatically moves it into the Deleted Items folder.


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## Birchbark (Apr 3, 2008)

> You can specify any email address as the return address


I want to specify a different return address instead of having my good address shown as the return address sometimes. How do you do that?

Never mind i will just start a diffeerent thread.


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## amelia (May 3, 2003)

I must be as dumb as a door nail, but if the sender is using a fictitious e-mail address, how do you identify the source of the e-mails for purposes of using the "block" function?


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

By examining the headers to find out exactly where it comes from.


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## Southpaw (Jan 2, 2003)

They started a few weeks ago. Mostly from a Canadian on-line pharmacyfor Viagra. When I try to unsubscribe, I have no luck. Very frustrating and offensive to me. This is after I had my puter in to the repair shop and they switched my virus protection program from what I had back to Norton. (with my permission) now I am sorry I did this.

I don't think I will be able to block sender. This is time consuming. Any ideas?


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Learn how to use mail rules. its really easy and used properly will drastically cut your junk mail down to size.You can block subject lines with certain words or emails from entire domains -- Heck I blocked everything from a .info address which by itself cut my emails by about 60%. No legit email uses .info


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## Birchbark (Apr 3, 2008)

It is my understanding that in most cases trying to unsubscribe isn't a good idea either. That just tells the spammer it is a good email address. I never unsubscribe, just block it. MTC


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## katwhisperer (Dec 9, 2006)

I recently found a worm on my computer that worked thru emails, I had to reboot my operating system to get rid of it. Perhaps if you use your security software to scan your harddrive, you will locate the culprit, which possibly could be worm.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Birchbark said:


> It is my understanding that in most cases trying to unsubscribe isn't a good idea either. That just tells the spammer it is a good email address. I never unsubscribe, just block it. MTC


That's true. Guaranteed live email addresses sell for a premium. If you confirm that your email address is live you can bet the farm they'll sell it to someone else.


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