mrsmiley

Can anyone explain to me how the mrsmiley web site works? I got 2 emails "from" my sis saying she wanted me to sign up for the free t-shirt so we could both get one. When I contacted her and told her it probably wasn't a good idea and that I wouldn't be doing it, I found out she didn't send the emails and had never been to the web site. Not only did she not send them but she got one from a friend and one from a daughter but they hadn't sent them or been to the web site either. So now we have 3 people that we know of that have never been to the web site that are "sending out emails to join ". Another situation is that the email address for the daughter was an old inactive address that hasn't been used in 2 or more years. My address that they were sent to is one I now use only when asked for an email address by a web site and my sis doesn't even have it in her address book.

My question...could the mrsmiley web page be collecting email addresses from someone's address book without them knowing it and then use those addresses to generate more emails? And if so isn't that, or at least shouldn't, that be illegal?

Thanks, in advance.

 

More likely that web site has bought an email address list from somebody or other. It's the same as businesses who sell their customer list and magazine sell their subscriber lists to whoever is willing to pay.

It's legal to buy and sell address lists. It's not legal to send unsolicited email (spam) without a way to allow the recipient to remove their address from the list. However, that law is hard to enforce and clicking on a "un-subscribe" link really only lets the sender know it's a working address.

In addition, spam can contain a hidden "phone home" feature. You don't see it but when the message is opened, it lets the sender know it was opened ...verifying it arrived at a working address.

Lists of verified addresses are worth more money on the list-trading market.

So, as with all spam, just delete the messages before opening. Eventually, the address will disappear from the lists. "Eventually" can be a long, long time, though...like years.

 

Brenda J

I suggest that you get a program called MAILWASHER.

Use it first to check your mail and then DELETE all that you so not know where it came from. It deletes the mail right off of the server.

It also has a Blacklist box. That works OK for a VERY short time.

And as MIZ mentioned, UNSUBSCRIBE does nothing more than verify your address. I did that ONCE and started getting more than twice as much TRASH mail.

BillyBob

 

It seems unlikely that 4 people that know each other would all get the same spam from the same web site on the same day saying it's from someone they know because the addresses were bought. Not to mention that one of the addresses is no longer valid and hasn't been for a couple of years. And a mail washer won't help in this case because the email says it's from my sis, her daughter and a friend and when replied to the reply does go to them in spite of the fact that they didn't send it. That's how the 2 I got ended up in my inbox {hotmail.com} instead of the junk mail box...they were "from" people in my contact list. There is more going on than just simple selling/buying of emails or friends signing up friends without their knowledge. I just wish I knew what it was!

Thanks for trying to help though!