Help me outta E-mail purgatory

[Richard]

This is beginning to drive me nuts. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

My email/internet account is with Bellsouth. They give me 5 email addresses, though I only use 2. One is my "real" email, the other one "junk" for some places that must have one and I don't want their stuff.

Ok.. Given above, know that my "real" email works absolutely fine and I get the periodic junk as anyone might.

My "trash" email however (and I'd prefer to keep it if I can) has been hit with the email copier from somewhere "deep in the earth" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Just today from say 11:00 til 1:30, I probably received 200 emails saying the following:


This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. (with an email address recipient there)

or

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at mx0.grebe-korbach.de. I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.


(this one has a whole page of other stuff)

There is more, but you get the gist. It seems as though these are being "returned" to me and I sent them, though I have not.

My brain started working, VIRUS!!?? and my Norton (which is installed) is up todate... so I went to their website and did an online check... all checked out fine.

Might be worth knowing I use Outlook Express (might not! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif)

Anyway, is receiving this many "returned" emails part of some virus/worm going around, has my "junk" account been taken over?

If I change up the password on my junk account, will it help?

I appreciate any thoughts. I never got this kind of stuff until just a week or so ago.

Richard

 

[Richard]

Ohhh... I forgot to add, almost ALL of these emails have attachments. Many of the attachments are "ATT00141.dat" or something like that.

It's the consistent attachment that makes me think this is virus related.

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[pruntyc]

You can do a search and find any number of free virus scans on google, to find out if you have a virus. But you may not as a family member has went through the same thing. He just went up to tools and block sender in Outlook Express and say that took care of it, it was all coming from the same place. I would try that first to see if that doesn't do it. Let us know what you find out.

 

[DocHeb]

I don't think your computer has a virus - I believe that somebody that has your email address in their Outlook Express Address Book has the virus.

Make an email rule from one of the messages and block the sender.

Of course, I am neither a computer expert, nor did I sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

[Richard]

seems the sender is a PLETHORA of different people, example "postmaster@(fill in blank) I'm looking at one that is "postmaster@municipaltool.com"

I have NO idea who that is, but the message bounced back from there is "Delivery to the following recipients failed"

and then after that is "punkerxxl@yahoo.com"

I dont know that address either, although the "junk" email I'm talking about is titled similar (defining similar in a geneous way)

I've "blocked sender" and I've also created message rules to delete these people, but it honestly seems as though some machine is generating a bazillion emails and mass sending them to automated addresses, and those that bounce, come back to me.

I have NO idea if I'm on target, but that is the only thing that makes sense to me.

I DID do a virus check and my pc's come up squeeky clean /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[pruntyc]

If it is coming from the same@whatever, go to the block sender list and click modify and then take off the first name, and just leave the @whatever and click OK and that should take care of it.

 

[jhburke]

THis sounds like someone has picked your email address from someone's address book. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif If it is it is called the (sobig virus). You are ok as long as you don't open any of the attachments.

 

[Richard]

If it is coming from the same@whatever, go to the block sender list

Would that I could... I just now got 3 more

postmaster(at)themmi.com
postmaster(at)china-netcom.com
postmaster(at)infotech.com.tw

Just in time to write this, I got another one from

postmaster(at)cscim.com

I tried to make a rule to delete "posmaster(at)*.com

evidently with receiving the last one...it didn't work, or I did something wrong.

(entirely possible since I only DROVE past a Holiday Inn Express last night)

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I've added till blue in face, but they are from dozens and dozens and dozens of different people.

hmm... can I block "posmaster@*.com"
??

think I'll try that

Richard

 

[DavidJ]

You could try changing that e-mail address to something else and that may help. If you're not allowed to change it you will probably have to use another one and just let that one fill up. I'd talk to Bellsouth and see if there's anything they can do.

 

[bigpete]

Best to contact your service propvider at this point. Don't open any attachments and don't reply to any of them. we had a single email address in our office "attacked" in a similar fashion. The IT propeller-heads tracked down the source and blocked it somehow. I think you ISP/mailserver provider needs to know.

Good luck

 

[Richard]

now Pete...

That is an EXCELLENT idea!!

Tomorrows project

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Alan L.]

I suspect you have a virus. Everytime something like that has happened to me its been a virus. Anti-virus has to be absolutely up to date to catch it, and if its McAfee it might not catch it anyway.

I would download the latest definitions and do a full system scan. You can also use one of the freebee internet scans such as House Call, as it should already be up to date.

 

[Richard]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I suspect you have a virus. Everytime something like that has happened to me its been a virus. Anti-virus has to be absolutely up to date to catch it, and if its McAfee it might not catch it anyway.

I would download the latest definitions and do a full system scan. You can also use one of the freebee internet scans such as House Call, as it should already be up to date. )</font>


Been there, done that. In addition, went to their (Symantic) website and did an online scan...(figureing that to be the MOST up to date).

All came back clean. I talked to bellsouth this morning and he gave me their "spam site" to forward this to and their people there woudl look into it.

Im not getting any hopes up and if this my "trash" email, I dont mind it TOO much other than it's annoyances. But I must admit that I'm enjoying sending them all on to bellsouth. (I've had issues with them and had to finally fire them as carrier of my local land lines to finally fix that which they were inept to fix).

Richard

 

[SteveZ]

Richard -

If you have scanned your computer with an updated anti-virus program and it didn't find anything, your machine should be clean.

What you are seeing is the backlash of the latest viruses that are spreading. Most recent viruses use a technique known as "spoofing". When a virus infects a computer, it locates all e-mail addresses it can find on the computer. This includes addressbooks and even web pages the person has visited that are stored in the browser's cache.

When the virus tries to spread by sending out e-mail messages, it inserts one of the e-mail addresses it found as a false sender address. This makes it harder to find where the messages are coming from. Somewhere, someone's computer is infected with a virus. The virus found your e-mail address on their computer and is inserting it as the false sender's address. When an e-mail system receives one of those e-mail messages and it finds a virus, or the message can't be delivered for one reason or another, the system automatically sends a notice to the sender address. Since your e-mail address has been inserted (spoofed) you get the error messages instead of the actual sender.

I maintain part of the website at our university and have a link to my e-mail on all pages I handle. As a result, I am receiving several hundred messages with viruses and about one hundred bogus error messages each day.

Delete the error messages, and DO NOT open any attachments they may have. Make sure your anti-virus software is updated. If you use Windows XP, NT or 2000, make sure you have all the current updates installed. There is a recent update specifically for protecting computers from the recent viruses that spread without using e-mail..................Steve

 

[fenneran]

This has happened to me a couple of times (an I am an IT geek too!).

Most likely, some spammer is using your address as the "sender". He doesn't have to log in as you, have your password or anything like that, just use your address as the "return" address. Just like I could mail a letter an put your address in the corner instead of mine. So when the receiving post office, just like the USPS, can't deliver it, it send it back to the "sender". In this case, it's you. Not much you can do but delete them as they come in. If it is a "junk" address, set up a rule to delete everything that comes in unless the sender is on your address list. That should cut most of them out.

Hope that helps.

-Frank

 

[Richard]

Steve..

Thank you so much for the explanation. I think what you described EXACTLY fits my experience.

I called bellsouth today and they gave me their website to forward these to, something like "spam(at) bellsouth" or similar.

Anyway, I've enjoyed sending them all these today, though I wonder if when they show up on someone's desk, that person is kicked back reading things on the internet like TBN? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Thanks again

Richard

 

[Richard]

Frank..

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( set up a rule to delete everything that comes in unless the sender is on your address list )</font>

Tidbits like that are priceless. NEVER would have crossed my mind.

Thank you

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif <-- you "IT type"

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif <--my type

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif <--me now

 

[frank_f15]

i don't beleive You have the virus , i think someone that has u in their address book has the virus. think it is thr sobig virus. it randomly selects an e mail address from somes address book(you) and send a plethoa of emails to all kinds of people, and they come back as undeliverable to you, just as if u sent them. same thing happened to me last week, only not so many. stopped after a few days. ikeep norton running all the time, and did a scan and my computer was ok. check nortons web site for a better explaination of that virus.

 

[rozett]

Richard, I might be considered one of those 'propeller heads' after 30 years as an engineer and manager in the computer industry. So here is my take...

Once you have scanned your machine and found no virus, there are two other possibilities....

either another computer that IS infected has your email in their address book (as previously mentioned) or your email has been 'stolen' by a spammer (more likely). Actually, this recently happend to my daughter.

Spammers constantly troll the internet for valid email addresses. That is one way that they build their mail lists. Spammers also always forge the FROM: and TO: addresses that you see when you open one of their emails. Often, they will use one of the addresses from their list as the FROM: address. The email servers at ISPs will then bounce emails back to your account for accounts that are closed, expired, mailbox full, etc. Those are the messgaes that you are seeing.

The best advice that you've gotten so far is to contact your ISP. Make sure they know what is going on with your account. That may prevent your email from being 'blacklisted' as a spammer. One of my ISPs provides spam filters using the blacklists. Normally, this flood of messages will stop as the spammers change their forged addresses regularly.... in an effort to foil spam filters. If your ISP porvides spam filters, use them. Anything that gets thropugh their filters can be filtered by setting 'rules' in your email program.

 

[Richard]

Hi Propeller head and thank you for the thoughs/comments.
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

What I did was call Bellsouth. Long story made longer, /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif, he told me to forward them to their "anti spam desk" and they'd do what ever they do.

I gleefully started to forward them and as I did so, continued to put them on my block sender list.

They seem to be dramatically subsiding. I am NOT having a bunch of them land in my delete box, so their subsiding is a function of me NOT receiving them.

I'm intrigued to know if Bellsouth is ACTUALLY slowing them down for me /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

After some of the junk I've had to put up with them for simple stuff (like a double billing and spending probably 10 HOURS over course of a week on phone with them , only to be "disconnected", or told after 3 hours on SINGULAR phone call "sorry, I can't help you"...)

My opinion of them is not very high.

BUT, be that as it may, the facts remain, the flood of these has greatly subsided.

Probably the spammers moving on (as opposed to Bellsouth getting their act together) /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif


/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif