Help me outta E-mail purgatory

Richard · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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 · Aug 26, 2003

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