# Blank E-Mails

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 11, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653 "2005-11-11T23:10:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/1 "2005-11-11T23:10:26Z")

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What are these totally blank e-mails I keep getting? No title, no message. What is the sender trying to do?

Should I send them into my Norton Anti-spam folder, (“This is spam”) or should I just delete them?

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**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/2 "2005-11-12T00:07:41Z")

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No answer for you, just wanted to say I’d like an explanation as well.

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**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/3 "2005-11-12T00:11:19Z")

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They are test emails to see if you are there!!

GHOSTS!!

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**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/4 "2005-11-12T00:19:58Z")

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I don’t think they are test emails. I think that spammers don’t spend much time making sure that their software works correctly.

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**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/5 "2005-11-12T00:22:27Z")

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I ran into this problem last week. I was getting about 10-15 blanks every day. Turns out others on my ISP (Comcast) were having the same problem. I don’t know why it started, but it finally stopped.

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/6 "2005-11-12T01:29:27Z")

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Maybe a bad Zombie computer, or a a spammer putting nothing in it to get back at the ISPs using antispam filters. It contains no text so they can get through and overload the system. Microsoft just got done tracing a bunch of Spamer sites, using Zombie computers.  
[http://www.aunty-spam.com/microsoft-tracks-zombies-to-the-source-sues-zombie-seeders-and-spammers/](http://www.aunty-spam.com/microsoft-tracks-zombies-to-the-source-sues-zombie-seeders-and-spammers/)

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blank-e-mails/330653/7 "2005-11-12T01:31:21Z")

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I started getting them a couple of weeks ago as well. I had receieved a few before but this was many a day. I have Comcast cable access as well.