Messenger Spam?

[Sparky]

Anyone here been getting any spam messages on messenger?

I seem to be experiencing a growing trend of receiving some spam message from some random email address – or even worse, being added too a multi window conversation, with everyone getting the spam message, and then the spammer leaving straight after (not allowing you too block their address).

Anyone else been getting this? Any ideas as too how to solve it?

[BloodXero]

for email spam i suggest MailWasher. it automatically monitors your mail and it marks out potential spam and viruses. then if you know that it is actually spam you can add it to a list of spam senders called the blacklist and every time that address sends an email it is deleted at the mail server and it sends one of those "email address not found" emails from the MAILERDEMON so that it is thought that email is gone.

as for the thing on messenger what messenger are you using? AIM, ICQ, MSN, YAHOO??? you gotta let us know that before we can help. although what you might try depending on the messenger you have is to just copy down the name of the spammer and add it to your buddy list. then just select to block them from your buddy list if you cant do it directly from the conversation. i have trillian so i dont know how it would exactly be for you.

[scroots]

do you have messenger plus? (the stupid add on for msn)

scroots

[brothercake]

You can set MSN to ask you when someone adds you to their contact list - I always say no unless I know who it is.

[Spudhead]

being added too a multi window conversation, with everyone getting the spam message, and then the spammer leaving straight after

- but look on the bright side, it's a great way of meeting new people, and you've got a ready-made conversation topic to kick you off :)

[BloodXero]

sounds like it would start more of a flaming fight to me. something over who gets to beat the living crap out of him first if they ever find him in real life. you never know.

[draconis]

Don't you just hate spammers? They are the 'cholesterol' that clogs up the 'arteries' of the net. I wish that there was some way that they could be:

A. tracked down,
B. their ISP accounts revoked,
C. they themselves signed up for god-knows how many dirty mags, that they can't get rid of.

[BloodXero]

well first off i bet they'd love you for signing them up for all that. also how would they receieve them if they lost their ISP account.

[whackaxe]

whats wrong with messenger plus?

[scroots]

nothing really but on hte plus website under FAQ it said about getting loads of spam, due to you downloading a fake version.

also i think its a bit stupid.

scroots

[whackaxe]

i really like it. its got all the options that all the other ave added up

[draconis]

BloodXero, i meant actual 'physical' mags: like playboy, etc, etc, etc.

[BloodXero]

well how would you get their mailing address. and they'd still probably love you for it.

[AnarchyBoy]

I Had some of that a week or 2 ago, I'd just switched computers and had forgotten to change my setting in MSN. If You want to avoid spam through MSN Messenger you should move 'AllOtherUsers' to the blocked collumn under your privacy tab for Messenger. I don't know how effective this is if u get invited into a joint conversation but if you are useing msn plus then you can find out the email adress the spamer is useing via the logs.

[webmarkart]

I've gotten 2 random ims from msn messenger to look at "Jenny's slumber party" pics. I have no idea how they even got my name. It's a little annoying when crap like that pops up when I'm at work!

[KidKoala]

Originally posted by webmarkart
I've gotten 2 random ims from msn messenger to look at "Jenny's slumber party" pics. I have no idea how they even got my name. It's a little annoying when crap like that pops up when I'm at work!

What you are receiving here is nothing to do with MSN Messenger at all. From what you are saying you are recieving a popup box, with an OK button, with some text on it, with "Messenger Service" as the title.

This is NET SEND spam, basically under Windows NT you have a service running called "Messenger Service", this is useful if you want to send local messages across your private network. However if you are receiving external messages you can simply disable the service, go into control panel then into administrative tools, then services, in the list is a service called Messenger Service, right click this service and go to properties, then on the first tab (I think it is called general from memory) you need to select the startup type to disabled (it is set to automatic by default). then OK to the property page, right click the service again and select "Stop".

Hope this helps.

If you need to use this service for your local network however, you can get a firewall to drop the incoming netsend packets.

KidKoala

[webmarkart]

I'm not getting a popup, my msn im window opens with random text from randow people (and it's usually porn related). It does not give me an option to "click ok" to view the message, it just opens. Ironically, I got another one this morning...

[KidKoala]

Sorry it was early:p got my wires twisted. I've never heard of this stuff before!! I used to get it on ICQ...

Kid K

[Jeewhizz]

Unsolicited messages in pop-up dialogs from Messenger Service

Microsoft has investigated reports that individuals are using the Messenger Service in Windows to send unsolicited messages in pop-up dialog boxes to customers. While the messages can be annoying, they do not pose a security risk. The Messenger service that is being used to send these messages is a simple text-only broadcast service that is typically used by network administrators to send alerts to users notifying them of pending service outages, server maintenance, etc. The Messenger Service is not an instant message service like MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger.

You can close the dialog box by clicking OK or the Close button in upper-right corner of the dialog box. Virtually any home internet firewall product will block the messages. Windows XP customers can enable Internet Connection Firewall to block them.



From http://messenger.microsoft.com/support/knownissues.asp

Jee