Strange, cryptic e-mail

[Brad Johnson]

Just a few minutes ago I received a strange, cryptic e-mail. I wanted to see if any of you received it as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sender - [email protected]

Subject Line - ABOUT MY SON WHO HAD TWO GUNS LOCKED IN HIS TRUNK

Message - HE WAS SCARED FOR HIS LIFE, BUT HE WOULD NOT HAVE USED THEM.CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone else get this?

Brad

 

[standingbear]

I didnt download what you got but can tell you this.my computer is configured to allow only those names i specify in my address book.what may appear as a strange email could in fact be a virus or some other program and once you download it...its there on your harddrive.better safe than sorry.

 

[GigaBuist]

Never trust the "From" field of an email message. They're easily faked.

If you can get the full SMTP headers (View -> Options in Outlook) send 'em on over... I can try and figure out where it came from.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Virus?

 

[Balog]

Don't you have to do more than simply view an e-mail to infect your system? I thought you had to open an attachment or some such?

 

[glocksman]

It depends upon your email program.

If you use Microsoft Virus and Trojan Magnet..er, I mean Outlook Express or any other mail program with HTML preview enabled, harmful HTML or script code can execute in your preview pane without you doing anything other than viewing it.

I use Calypso for email and disable HTML.
If someone sends me an HTML email without the message also being repeated in simple text, then it's spam 99.9% of the time.

 

[Brad Johnson]

GigaBuist - I highlighted the email then right-clicked on it. From the drop down box I selected "Properties". On the next screen I selected the "Details" tab, then clicked on the "Message Source" button.

Here's all the text from the screen that popped up.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Return-Path: <[email protected]>
X-Original-To: [email protected]
Delivered-To: [email protected]
Received: from smtp.coldwellbanker.com (smtp.coldwellbanker.com [198.151.39.37])
by mail.door.net (Postfix) with SMTP id EB2EE3FD9
for <[email protected]>; Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:37:00 -0600 (CST)
Received: (qmail 2732 invoked by uid 89); 31 Jan 2004 16:26:44 -0000
Delivered-To: [email protected]
Received: (qmail 2294 invoked from network); 31 Jan 2004 16:26:38 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO mailroute1.usinternet.com) (192.168.205.142)
by smtp.coldwellbanker.com with SMTP; 31 Jan 2004 16:26:38 -0000
Received: from ([mailroute1.usinternet.com (216.17.3.198)]) by smtp.coldwellbanker.com
(InterScan E-Mail VirusWall Unix); Sat, 31 Jan 2004 11:26:38 -0500 (EST)
Received: from smtpin2.usinternet.com (msx111.usinternet.com [216.17.3.111])
by mailroute1.usinternet.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id AA3BB5E8060
for <[email protected]>; Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:23:47 -0600 (CST)
Received: from imo-r07.mx.aol.com [152.163.225.103] by smtpin2.usinternet.com
(SMTPD32-7.15) id A6939697007A; Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:23:47 -0600
Received: from [email protected]
by imo-r07.mx.aol.com (mail_out_v36_r4.12.) id n.18.3ad030e3 (17377)
for <[email protected]>; Sat, 31 Jan 2004 11:23:39 -0500 (EST)
From: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2004 11:23:39 EST
Subject: ABOUT MY SON WHO HAD TWO GUNS LOCKED IN HIS TRUNK
To: [email protected]
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_18.3ad030e3.2d4d308b_boundary"
X-Mailer: 8.0 for Windows sub 913
MSX-To: [email protected]
MSX-Sender: [email protected]
X-Note: This E-mail was scanned by US Internet MessageXchange (www.usinternet.com) for spam.


--part1_18.3ad030e3.2d4d308b_boundary
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

HE WAS SCARED FOR HIS LIFE, BUT HE WOULD NOT HAVE USED THEM.CAN YOU PLEASE
HELP ME

--part1_18.3ad030e3.2d4d308b_boundary
Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><HTML><FONT SIZE=3D2 PTSIZE=3D10 FAMILY=
=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE=3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">HE WAS SCARED FOR HIS LIFE, BUT HE=20=
WOULD NOT HAVE USED THEM.CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME</FONT></HTML>

--part1_18.3ad030e3.2d4d308b_boundary--

 

[GigaBuist]

Huh....

It looks like it's actually an honest message from an illiterate AOL user. It's very very strange but it was probably actually typed by a human being and sent directly to you on purpose... unless they just nabbed the wrong email address.