[Dixonary] OT (not really): I think this game should notbesounfriendly to new and prospective players

[Judy Madnick]

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Hugo Kornelis" <hugo (AT) perFact (DOT) info>

<< The spam harvester will first have to
<< convince a
<< moderator that he is an actual potential player before his/her
<< membershhip
<< is approved.

For sure. I just wanted to be clear on this since I don't know how many players download their Dixonary email messages to their own email program and might not realize how this works.

Thanks for clarifying.

Judy Madnick
Jacksonville, FL

[Tim B]

> For sure. I just wanted to be clear on this since I don't know how
> many players download their Dixonary email messages to their own
> email program and might not realize how this works.


I'm not sure I'm totally clear myself, but having just received a couple
of spams to this address, I looked at them in more detail.

Both messages are trying to direct me to a web site, and contain no
meaningful text. In the To field one of them lists four of my email
addresses; the other lists five. In each case the above address, which
as I said I have never used anywhere but here, is one of the list.

I can think of only two ways this address could get on a spammer's list:
either it was harvested directly from either the Google or Yahoo group
or the Tapcis forum, or it was licked up from someone's address book,
which would require that someone here has had their computer compromised.

Best wishes,
TimB.

[Paul Keating]

If the _same_ spam message has four or five of your addresses on it, I would
say that it's virtually certain they were picked up from an address book or
other organized list. Neither Yahoo nor Google knows all your addresses, I
am sure, and spammers don't unify stolen addresses before spamming them (no
need, and anyway it's not doable).

I'm glad to say that my address book has only 3 of your addresses, split
between two contacts.

Is your name on the spam messages, or only the addresses?

--
Paul Keating
The Hague


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim B" <dixonary (AT) siam (DOT) co.uk>
To: <Dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com>
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 7:53 PM


> Both messages are trying to direct me to a web site, and contain no
> meaningful text. In the To field one of them lists four of my email
> addresses; the other lists five. In each case the above address, which
> as I said I have never used anywhere but here, is one of the list.

> I can think of only two ways this address could get on a spammer's list:
> either it was harvested directly from either the Google or Yahoo group
> or the Tapcis forum, or it was licked up from someone's address book

[Tim B]

> If the _same_ spam message has four or five of your addresses on it, I would
> say that it's virtually certain they were picked up from an address book or
> other organized list.
>
True, but they had to get onto that list somehow; that's what concerns
me. None of my contacts would have all of those addresses.

> Is your name on the spam messages, or only the addresses?

Just the addresses, as far as I can remember. I'll look next time one
arrives.

Best wishes,
Tim B.

[Toni Savage]

If only your OWN computer would have all 5, then I would suspect that you have a Trojan.

They are difficult for virus/spyware program to detect.



-- Toni Savage


--- On Mon, 1/7/08, Tim B <dixonary (AT) siam (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

> From: Tim B <dixonary (AT) siam (DOT) co.uk>
> Subject: [Dixonary] Re: OT (not really): I think this game should not besounfriendly to new and prospective players
> To: Dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com
> Date: Monday, January 7, 2008, 1:53 PM
> > For sure. I just wanted to be clear on this since I
> don't know how
> > many players download their Dixonary email messages to
> their own
> > email program and might not realize how this works.
>
>
> I'm not sure I'm totally clear myself, but having
> just received a couple
> of spams to this address, I looked at them in more detail.
>
> Both messages are trying to direct me to a web site, and
> contain no
> meaningful text. In the To field one of them lists four of
> my email
> addresses; the other lists five. In each case the above
> address, which
> as I said I have never used anywhere but here, is one of
> the list.
>
> I can think of only two ways this address could get on a
> spammer's list:
> either it was harvested directly from either the Google or
> Yahoo group
> or the Tapcis forum, or it was licked up from someone's
> address book,
> which would require that someone here has had their
> computer compromised.
>
> Best wishes,
> TimB.

[Tim B]

> If only your OWN computer would have all 5, then I would suspect that you have a Trojan.
>
> They are difficult for virus/spyware program to detect.

I think that's very unlikely, Toni; all my machines have a pretty full
complement of virus checkers and anti-spyware software, also active
firewalls, and I'm very wary about doing anything I'm not sure about.

Also, since I have a lot more than 5 possible addresses, why pick on
that group. With the exception of this one, they are the ones that
appear on web sites I run.

Best wishes,
Tim B.

[Tim Lodge]

Tim B

On Jan 8, 10:10*am, Tim B <dixon... (AT) siam (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

> Also, since I have a lot more than 5 possible addresses, why pick on
> that group. With the exception of this one, they are the ones that
> appear on web sites I run.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that any address that appears on an
open website is absolutely certain to get spam! However, I do think
that both Google and Yahoo Groups' address protection measures are
pretty effective. To the best of my knowledge I've never had any spam
to the address that I use for both.

-- Tim L

[JohnnyB]

Tim

Looks like you need to find someone who has all *those* 4 of your email addresses in their inbook. Or on their machine

I have *none* of your addresses in my Outlook Contacts list - however, I do have 4 different of your addresses in my outlook
autocomplete list (with which one can do nothing except use or delete) I have no addressbooks online, although both gmail and yahoo
keep 'used lists' but I rarely use them online and should therefore not have your address in them [[just checked, pure gmail (not
the group) has your ntlworld one - yahoo.co.uk has no one at all - I have never ever sent to anyone from there]]

With respect to the security of my machine: I use zonealarm pro, avg pro, adaware pro and spybot and am absolutely convinced of its
integrity.

I notice that you do not receive Dodi's "players address" list - which has your siam address


JohnnyB

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com
> [mailto:Dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com] On Behalf Of Tim B
> Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 6:54 PM
> To: Dixonary (AT) googlegroups (DOT) com
> Subject: [Dixonary] Re: OT (not really): I think this game
> should not besounfriendly to new and prospective players
>
>
> > For sure. I just wanted to be clear on this since I don't know how
> > many players download their Dixonary email messages to
> their own email
> > program and might not realize how this works.
>
>
> I'm not sure I'm totally clear myself, but having just
> received a couple of spams to this address, I looked at them
> in more detail.
>
> Both messages are trying to direct me to a web site, and
> contain no meaningful text. In the To field one of them lists
> four of my email addresses; the other lists five. In each
> case the above address, which as I said I have never used
> anywhere but here, is one of the list.
>
> I can think of only two ways this address could get on a
> spammer's list:
> either it was harvested directly from either the Google or
> Yahoo group or the Tapcis forum, or it was licked up from
> someone's address book, which would require that someone here
> has had their computer compromised.
>
> Best wishes,
> TimB.

[Tim Bourne]

> Is your name on the spam messages, or only the addresses?


Just the address; I checked on another that just arrived.

Best wishes,
Tim.