I'm having some daily spam. . . . . and my ISP just suggested I open one and ask them to stop - now that sounds pretty dumb to me! - In IE5, I thought I'd stopped downloading emails until I click on them (so I look at the sender and subject before opening), but my ISP tells me the email must already have reached my PC....does that mean it has free-run of the computer? This is an e-mail issue IMHO - not a virus on the PC I've not noticed any slowing down. Over the last three days I've received 250, 250 and 350 emails mostly telling me someone is hacked-off about a keyboard or could I re-send a message, or my email was not delivered and sometimes the message is in German?, or plain rude, - or- advertising some exciting pills, or cheap softare etc. -In other words they are SPAM - (er, IMHO) and pretty obvious to an old sceptic, as anyone replying to my msg will give their name which I recognise and the subject is something we've been discussing. I read the sticky notes about Firewalls (here and elsewhere) ...but I don't think a firewall is the issue....is it? [[My ISP collects emails that are sent to valud addresses and some get shoved into "my section"....so when I enter my password all the junk comes through, with the good stuff....it's a bit like the Public Mail - they deliver good and bad so long as it's correctly addressed.]] SO - could I have some suggestions, please? My ISP suggests I shut down my email accounts and start again....but whoever is sending this will soon find me again...presumably having a connection into a site I visit....although it is possible it's my pc doing it. . . . . however, I use ZoneAlarm firewall and only "I" can send-out emails and when I do they are very quick, so if my PC was sending out loads of stuff, it would take far longer, I suppose. It takes several minutes to load the incoming junk and my "Up-speed" is far slower even though I'm on broadband. I ask here first as this issue must be a regular problem. Strangely I've been free of it for ten years! It was just a half-dozen until three days ago and I know one of my fav sites (not PC related) was hacked and got many email addresses, & mine too. I guess. Bye. GEAR: Win98SE...IE5...Zone ALarm - yep it's not the best system but "most viruses" are written for later OS since there are very few Win98SE-users. Also I distrust any notion of virus protection since it's only as good as the weakest link and that will happen soon enough. The PC is switched off when not in use.Broadband connection is about 2MB down, 400k up.
Sounds like either -your email account is compromised and someone is using it to send out spam -you have a virus or trojan that is sending out spam directly from your computer -someone is spoofing your email address to send out spam Change your email account password Do a full virus scan Check the recipient is actually you and you aren't getting these spams from a catch all setting Hope one of these helps in some way
Thanks ferg, I suspect your right, but I don't understand yr suggestion that I'm sending out the spam - it would take at least four times as long ( 8 minutes?), as when I receive it(2 minutes)....and I've noticed nothing. If someone is "spoofing my email address" then I can understand getting the rejection notices, - but the other junk has increased massivly also.....and changing my email account won't stop the spoofing since an email is "free to roam" whatever its source addresss. ((indeed this is a fundamental flaw, as I understand it, since anyone can send an email purporting to be me provided they know who to send it to... but only I get the message back)) Very odd and I wonder that it isn't a massive problem that cannot be addressed....ah but that's what I'm asking, I suppose. Thanks for yr prompt reply.
Wow, that really sucks. Well, some spam emails do come from companies that allow you to unsubscribe. I recently waded through a bunch of spam in my aol mail acct and went through like a dozen unsubscribe processes. They've stopped. Until new spammers find me, anyway.
