Bounced Emails I didn't send.......

[None of the above]

Twice recently, I have received Emails purportedly sent by me and which have proved impossible to deliver. I do not recognise either the messages or the addresses to which they were sent.
Each message quotes a Hotmail account which I use regularly. I deleted the first missive without giving too much thought to it but this morning the second one arrived and I am concerned that there may be some sinister overtones. Part of the message is reproduced here:

Your file is attached.

------=_NextPart_000_0000_00003DCC.000029DB
Content-Type: application/octet-stream;
name="application.pif"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="application.pif"

There then follows a substantial quantity of code.

I have run Norton Anti-virus, Ad-aware and Spybot (all up to date)
but found nothing "nasty in the woodshed".

If it is just "one of those things" I'll quite happily delete and forget, but I am worried that there may be more to it than meets the eye.

Any ideas ladies and gents?

Thanks in anticipation.

[BEagle]

DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT!!

It sounds like a classic attempt to send you a virus. If the accompanying e-mail isn't from anyone you recognise, $hitcan the whole message. If the accompanying e-mail is from someone you do know, don't open the attachment, just e-mail them to ask whether they've sent you any attachments...

I really wish that someone would catch one of these Spam-sending $hits and then boil them alive in their own excrement.....

[jimgriff]

MMMMM!
Me getting this too!

Dont know what is causing it.

[BOAC]

NOTA - there are numerous threads on this forum about forged email origins and addresses. Have a look back (search?).

In a nutshell, the 'nasty people' put a virus into someone's machine, which trawls for ALL the email addresses on that machine and then sends to and 'from' each of them trying to lodge its sad package there.

If it is not coming from your's for sure, then one of your acquaintances with your address in his address book has it or it has found your address somewhere on the web.

DO HEED BEAGLE! Do not open any strange attachments.

[ratsarrse]

Probably one of the variants of the Netsky worm. Info on one of them here: http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/[email protected]

Lots of machines out there infected...

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

None of the above,

If you expand the email header, you will see where the email actually came from. You will find that the email came some place other than what it says.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. If you want a second opinion on whether or not your computer is clean, give Trend Micro's HouseCall (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/) a run.

[mazzy1026]

Yes I agree with NAC - it is simply another way of distributing the virus but without actually being in the address book in the first place. They SPAM email addresses with the attatchment and make it look like you have sent it yourself to someone which you dont even know anyway.

Just delete it - theres practically no way of stopping them (evil little f****s)

Regards

Maz

[None of the above]

Thanks for the information and assistance, Gentlemen.

BEagle....

There wasn't an attachment but the code was contained within the body of the message. Can it do any damage from that location? Anyway, as you suggested I consigned the message to the great beyond.
Thanks again.


Richard.....

I ran Trend House Call as you suggested but no evidence of the 'forces of darkness' being at work was revealed.
I seem to have escaped this time! Many thanks.

[Lost_luggage34]

I spend half my time clearing this crap up and only as as a hobby - alledgely.

FFS when is someone going to stop spam ?

It's spam with a virus/worm.

As has previously been said, don't open it, delete it.

There are many mail cleaners - you can use Mailwasher which will allow you to see your mail and chose what to accept before actually downloading it from your mail server.

Other than that live with it sadly, as we all do.

Mailwasher is a freeware product u can download.

[mazzy1026]

Yes and if you use outlook express you can set it so that it will only download the headers into the preview pane - that way you can download the email simply by clicking on it to preview it. Obviously not as good a way as mailwasher but it helps eh !

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

None of the above,

Glad your computer was not invaded the 'forces of darkness'. ;)

Think of this as a good lesson and you are now a more Savvy Computer User. :ok:

Take Care,

Richard

[Bomber Harris]

i had this too. agree with all that was said but have a bit of info to add.

I am a yahoo paying customer. i recieved the same returned e-mails. i sent them to the yahoo abuse department. they said exactly what was said above...that spammers are searching for e-mails to use as reply to addresses to lend validity to them....and the sad thing is there is nothing they can do about it because the e-mail never touches their server until it hits it's destination.....my inbox. unless of course it is not returned tome...then yahoo never have any contact with it whatsoever.