This past weekend, I apparently sent myself an email about a great deal on Rolex watches.
Imagine my surprise!!!
When I’ve gotten this sort of junk mail from a real friend’s email address, I’ve always told them that their email has been hacked. Well, this week I learned that’s not necessarily so.
According to my internet provider, since the email didn’t come from my computer. I don’t have a virus.
I’ve been spoofed.
Now, here’s the scary part. If someone gets such an email from me and blocks the sender because it’s clearly spam…they could be blocking me from ever being able to email them from that address again!
These guys are deviously clever.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Well, first of all, I thought it was intriguing. Something one of my characters should have to deal with at some point. Don’t you think?
Good fiction is all about conflict. Imagine the conflict if the heroine is sending the most important email of her life to her editor or agent or future hero, and doesn’t realize they’ve blocked her address because some creep is tarnishing her good name selling watches or pharmaceuticals or who knows what else?!
Second, I wanted to warn you to be careful about blocking senders when you get spam. If someone you know is listed as the sender, even if you know he or she didn’t really send it, s/he will be the one cut out of your email box, not the real sender.
Third, to protect yourself, discourage your friends from “forwarding” you jokes etc. Or urge them to use BCC, i.e. blind carbon copy so that your email address doesn’t wind up on a bunch of computers of people you don’t know. Eventually, the forwarded email will return to the originator, who is likely a spammer farming email addresses.
Oh, there is definitely a story in this…next book 🙂
Your Turn: What is the most bizarre or irritating or scary email, social media, or computer-related situation you’ve had to deal with?
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I’m sorry you got spoofed.
I’ve had this happen to a couple of friends. It’s amazing the lengths that people will go to…or some people have way too much time on their hands…I don’t know which.
We move on…
This happened to one of my e-mail addys and I never knew what it meant. Thanks for the heads up, and yes, that would be a really cool part of a story.
That is an intriguing idea! Nothing real scary, mostly just spam stuff – like saying I sent a package through the postal service that I didn’t.
Yep, gotta be careful. Few minutes ago, a friend got spammed…too soon to know what will happen next. Last week, an E went out from person (supposedly) asking for money cause she was robbed in Spain….Not true.
Be careful, all!!
Oh, yes, I’ve gotten a few of those, too, Stacie. And what about your friend is in England and all her money and passport has been stolen, please wire money ASAP. If the heroine fell for that one, I dare say, readers would throw the book against the wall. 🙂
Thanks Loree, and your welcome, Jessica 🙂
Ah, Jackie, you must have been typing in about the “person in Spain” the same time as I was writing about the one from England. Boy, these spammers get around. You have to laugh or it would drive you crazy.
Thanks for warning us-this is news to me!
My husband sent me an email at work. The subject line was “LOST!” I thought my new kitten had escaped from the house and was lost. I panicked and called home-turned out my husband had misplaced his coffee cup and wanted to know if I’d seen it!
LOL, Jeanette, my daughter did one worse than that. She posted a pic on FB of our dog playing dead, complete with an arrow under its armpit and ketchup for blood…only she didn’t mention she was “playing.” My niece read it and texted my sister who got soooo upset, only to find out later it was a joke. Oh, boy, did my daughter ever feel bad after that.
LOL — Sandra, you’re lucky no one reported your daughter to the Humane Society!
I have to say I get a kick out of reading the emails in my spam folder before deleting them. I can’t believe anyone would fall for those money scams! I guess some do, because they keep re-inventing them.
I like your point about not sharing email addresses in bulk email sends. That drives me crazy. I have a couple of friends (older ladies) who just won’t stop doing that and I’m close to blocking them!
The emails I HATE to get are the chain letter ones threatening me doom and gloom if I fail to send them on to ten more people. Aaargh! Delete, delete, delete.
Great ideas for a novel though. Get writing!