# computer virus problems!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-virus-problems/203397>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 23, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-virus-problems/203397 "2003-09-23T21:06:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-virus-problems/203397/1 "2003-09-23T21:06:03Z")

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For the past few days, my earthlink account has been mercilessly flooded with “return to sender” emails. The problem started after I picked up a virus from an email impersonating itself as a security patch from microsoft. So I downloaded a virus remover that diagnosed the “swen” virus on my harddrive, and I thought my sorrows would be over after running the program. Well, it’s not. My email account is still being bombarded with these damn MAILER-DAEMON messages, so much so that normal email can not get through.

I don’t know what to do. Someone know what I should do?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-virus-problems/203397/2 "2003-09-23T22:03:32Z")

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There isn’t much you _can_ do, short of changing your email address. The virus got your email address put out there, and now other copies of it are running on other user’s machines, and spoofing your email address as a return. contact every single person on your email contacts list and tell them to scan for this virus. That should cut down some on the number of bounceback mails you get.