assorted computer things

I have added a new Contact Page here in the blog. It replaces the form I previously used on my original static site and needlework subdomain.

The story is that I have a domain email address which I use heavily but which I don’t publicize. A couple weeks ago I started getting email messages returned as undeliverable, supposedly which I sent from that account. By judicious use of whois and examining the email headers, it appears that a dating service web site (owner listed as residing in Moskow, Russia) with a domain from a Chinese registrar has been spoofing the From: header with my email address in spam messages directing people to visit their site. Apparently the low life from which they bought their list of addresses to spam included a lot of duds, which is why I was getting all the returns.

I have to admit that using an email address from a domain that is actually owned and run by a woman (even one who is over 60 and celibate) is an improvement over some of the really bungled stuff you see. What I don’t appreciate at all is that this seems to have gotten me blacklisted on several mail services, including AOL where several of my regular correspondents have accounts.

I tried contacting the owner of the domain and the registrar, but email messages to both were returned as undeliverable — even though I was careful to use an alternate email address which should not have been blacklisted — and the contact forms on their web sites didn’t work. Yesterday I registered a complaint with the FTC using their online form here http://www.ftc.gov/spam/.

I had the spoofed email address with “friends of friends” privacy set on Facebook. I also used it in both of the static site forms because using an address from your own domain was one of their security requirements. Not sure exactly how it got out.

Advice from momma Kathy

Fellows, if you are settled in a good relationship, skip this part. If however you still feel that a Russian floozie finds you desirable based on a cleverly worded, unsolicited email message, here is some friendly advice. What your mom, sisters, teachers, and other women in your life have told you will probably work a lot better than sending bunches of money to one of these sites. Attention to personal hygiene really helps. Try talking things through sincerely instead of guessing wrong and then getting huffy. Listen. Listen. Listen. Use your head. For instance, urging your new woman to change her hair style so that she looks more like your ex is NOT COOL. Had you paid more attention to the ex you might still be with her. If you find you need to have an extra chair at meetings to accommodate your “male ego” then work on that. Finally, the people who run these schemes on the internet are often very skilled. Experts have been fooled by supposedly live video. If you are still tempted (and heterosexual) visualize the male geek at the other end of your conversations.

Rant over…

Best wishes for 2011!

About Kathy

Perl, MySQL, CGI scripting, web design, graphics following careers as an analytical chemist and educator, then in IT as a database administrator (DBA), programmer, and server administrator. Diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy in 1997.
This entry was posted in Rants, Technical. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to assorted computer things

  1. This is without a doubt one of the funniest and best things I’ve read in ages!! Rod Thorell sent me a link to you and he was right that you’re good.

Comments are closed.