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Big Brother is Watching

ClairefromClare

ClairefromClare

Give 'em Helen!
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
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I'm getting slightly creeped out about some stuff happening online--are others getting this? Is there a benign explanation?

First, I belong to a professional networking site, under my business email address. So I get frequent emails from the site, telling me what's up with contacts and such. I recently got an email informing me someone I know only from online joined the site. This person doesn't have my work email address, only a web-based one I use strictly for message boards. So the site has to be rummaging around not just my computer, but around my web browsing?

Second, I've been getting occasional emails from Twitter, telling me people I've never heard of are following my tweets. I've never been to Twitter in my life, and I don't tweet. My real-life name isn't unique, but my email address should be. How on earth did Twitter get it?

I'd always taken some comfort in thinking that the Internet was like Stasi--they may have all kinds of information about me, but there's so much info out there on everyone that I'm unlikely to be stumbled over by accident. Now I'm beginning to wonder.
 
Welcome to the wonderful world of Spambots.

They troll forums and 'networking' sites, and target you with advertising and such. Sometimes, it's a little creepy.

I got an email from myself a few months ago. It seems as though I could have larger breasts if I took this pill, and I never knew.
 
Gummi Bear said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Spambots.

They troll forums and 'networking' sites, and target you with advertising and such. Sometimes, it's a little creepy.

I got an email from myself a few months ago. It seems as though I could have larger breasts if I took this pill, and I never knew.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if that's better or worse than the e-mails I get about getting other things bigger.
 
My wife tells me I should go for it, then I'll leave her alone...
 
A lot of possible explanations. The professional site you belong to could have gotten hacked or given out your email address. Someone who has your email address could have used it in one of those "send this to a friend!" options on a news or entertainment site. Your computer could have a virus or trojan horse. If your business has a website and the email address is listed there, an automaic email farming program may have found it and you are now listed with spammers (that's inevitable - just hope that you have good spam filters). But the bottom line is that, sooner or later, your email will get out there and you will get these emails. They could be real, or they could be spoofs designed to get personal information from you. If you suspect they may be spoofs or spam, don't use the "opt out" option - that just lets the spammers know the email address is active and real.

In any event, you can only worry about the things you can control. Namely, your own computer. Run an anti-virus program. I prefer AVG. It's free, it works, and it doesn't bog down your computer like Norton or McAfee. Also get an anti-spyware program like Windows Defender, Spybot, etc. Finally, use a cleaner program like Advanced Windows System Care 3, or CC Cleaner.
 
Gummi Bear said:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Spambots.

They troll forums and 'networking' sites, and target you with advertising and such. Sometimes, it's a little creepy.

I got an email from myself a few months ago. It seems as though I could have larger breasts if I took this pill, and I never knew.
Click to expand...

Spambots must be very stupid. I've never been offered larger breasts, just promises that I'll be able to satisfy her more quickly.

Harry Longshanks said:
In any event, you can only worry about the things you can control. Namely, your own computer. Run an anti-virus program. I prefer AVG. It's free, it works, and it doesn't bog down your computer like Norton or McAfee. Also get an anti-spyware program like Windows Defender, Spybot, etc. Finally, use a cleaner program like Advanced Windows System Care 3, or CC Cleaner.
Click to expand...

I use a fair amount of stuff, but not avg. I'll have to try it. Thanks. I"m pretty good about keeping the system clean, but you never know.
 
I use PC Tools Antivirus, Spyware Blaster, Super AntiSpyware and Spyware Terminator at work and on our two home computers and the one she uses for work. Blaster runs in the background and the other two I will run once a week or so. My antivirus runs at startup. You gotta use more than one spyware program because none of them get them all.
 
That always happens, I wouldn't worry about it. Somehow Eharmony has my email address.
 
Dent said:
That always happens, I wouldn't worry about it. Somehow Eharmony has my email address.
Click to expand...

Don't say "Somehow" you know you're out there looking for that perfect someone. :laugh:
 
Oh OK, I thought when you said never, you meant never, ever, not just now.
 
Dent said:
I'm only 16, there are still kidnappers everywhere.
Click to expand...

Is there a market for Canadian boys?

I'm guessing that the :clown: mafia may be targeting you... *cue dark music*

See you under the big top!
 
I got an email just now from that Twitte site too Claire. That is messed. The Send is MAILER-DAEMON

Pure virus.
 
Dent said:
I got an email just now from that Twitte site too Claire. That is messed. The Send is MAILER-DAEMON

Pure virus.
Click to expand...

From PC Magazine:

Definition of: mailer-daemon

Software in a mail server that delivers messages to recipients. When you get a MAILER-DAEMON@whatevercompany.com message in your inbox, the server at that company is informing you that it is returning your message because of some failure. The "to" e-mail address may no longer be valid, or there may be a problem routing the message to the appropriate mail server. Your domain name may be on a blacklist, and the server is refusing all incoming messages from it.

Chances are also good that you never sent the message in the first place. Your e-mail address could have easily been copied by a worm from someone else's address book and used as a "from" address without your knowledge.
 
I can't tell you how many times in a day I have won the lottery in Nigeria, all I have to do is give them my social, bank account number, and my mothers maiden name and then I am a millionaire!
 
GolferGal22 said:
I can't tell you how many times in a day I have won the lottery in Nigeria, all I have to do is give them my social, bank account number, and my mothers maiden name and then I am a millionaire!
Click to expand...

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
 
I solved the Twitter mystery. As best I can figure, I signed up at the LPGA site to receive tweets (though I've never gotten one--must not have said where to send them), and that made me a Twitter member, even though I'd never been on the site.

Still can't figure out why people are following me if I've never tweeted. I should tweet about this place.
 
We do like Tweets!
 
Can I ask a stupid question?:

What exactly is the point of Twitter?
 
Harry,
That is not a stupid question. I have never gone there.
 
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