I’ve been getting a slow but consistent trickle of these. Tried Googling to see if it is a generalized phenomenon (i.e., spammer / scammer / hacker, and other people are getting similarly formatted emails) , or something aimed more specifically at me (for example, a misfiring “contact me” script on one of my web pages or whatever) –
From Header: usually a person’s name formatted for either yahoo or email, the equivalent of JoeSchmoe@gmail.com or JohnJones@yahoo.com, typically formatted with the intercaps like that, as opposed to joe.schmoe@gmail.com or john_jones@yahoo.com or jjones@yahoo.com or whatever. Never someone I’ve corresponded with previously.
Subject Line: always someone ELSE’S full name. Never a person I have heard of. “Jack Thompson”. “Theo Farmer”. etc
Body: the literal string “No message”. not empty. No link. No signature line. Capital “N”. Lack of period or other punctuation following the sentence.
Attachments: never
Body showing all code and details:
<x-charset utf-8>No message
</x-charset>
a) Anyone else get these specific things on occasion?
b) Or more successful than I am at Googling the phenomenon to find out if anyone else is getting these things on occasion?
I know there’s a lot of weird spam and scam emails that leave folks scratching their heads trying to figure out the angle. It’s the repeated pattern of these things that has me wondering if it could be a legitimate but misfiring thingamabobbie instead.
I have not gotten one of these. I was going to guess there is a tracking pixel in the body to determine if you open the email, but if you looked at the code and that’s all there is, that’s the wrong explanation.
I have gotten many other weird emails, but not this one.
Bump.
These weird emails continue to trickle in. Got another one this morning. Entire message (full headers and raw source) below. (And no, in case anyone asks, I am not concerned that my own email address is showing. It’s very public and posted all over the place already).
Return-Path: www@web73c38.carrierzone.com
Received: from noehlo.host ([10.149.109.182])
by mdl-prod11.sys.elnk.net (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1NWauG20Sc12Mh0; Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:42 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from nmtai104.earthlink-vadesecure.net ([147.135.98.120])
by mx-prod6.sys.elnk.net (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1NWauFPfc12No0
for ahunter3@earthlink.net; Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:41 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from mailrelay3c38.carrierzone.com ([66.175.56.223])
by mx04.earthlink-vadesecure.net ESMTP vsel2nmtai04p with ngmta
id b1bcd0ea-16f45194590a1695; Tue, 31 May 2022 22:37:41 +0000
Received: from web73c38.carrierzone.com (web73c38.carrierzone.com [66.175.56.73])
by mailrelay3c38.carrierzone.com (8.14.9/8.13.1) with ESMTP id 24VMbdGj002416
for ahunter3@earthlink.net; Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:39 -0400
Received: (from Unknown UID 10682@localhost)
by web73c38.carrierzone.com (8.14.7/8.12.2/Submit) id 24VMbd0Z2772008;
Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:39 -0400
Date: Tue, 31 May 2022 18:37:39 -0400
Message-Id: 202205312237.24VMbd0Z2772008@web73c38.carrierzone.com
X-IDENT-AUTH: Unknown UID 10682@localhost
To: ahunter3@earthlink.net
Subject: Paulina Sly
From: DarellMilkovich@gmail.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
X-CTCH-RefID: str=0001.0A742F24.629698B3.000A:SCFSTAT95289756,ss=1,re=-4.000,recu=0.000,reip=0.000,cl=1,cld=1,fgs=0
X-CTCH-VOD: Unknown
X-CTCH-Spam: Unknown
X-CTCH-Score: -4.000
X-CTCH-Rules:
X-CTCH-Flags: 0
X-CTCH-ScoreCust: 0.000
X-VadeSecure-SID: b1bcd0ea-16f451940429beca
X-VadeSecure-Score: 0
X-VadeSecure-Cause: gggruggvucftvghtrhhoucdtuddrgedvfedrkeelgdduudcutefuodetgg
dotefrodftvfcurfhrohhfihhlvgemucfgteftvffjnffkpffmpdggtfgfnhhsuhgsshgtrhhisgg
vnecuuegrihhlohhuthemuceftddunecunecujfgurhepvffuhfggtgesthdttddttddtjeenucfh
rhhomhepffgrrhgvlhhlofhilhhkohhvihgthhesghhmrghilhdrtghomhenucggtffrrghtthgvr
hhnpeevgeefudehkeevhfeljedviedvgfeuleeikeehhfeffefgleeigeekheetteeffeenucfkph
epieeirddujeehrdehiedrvddvfedpieeirddujeehrdehiedrjeefnecuvehluhhsthgvrhfuihi
ivgeptdenucfrrghrrghmpehinhgvthepieeirddujeehrdehiedrvddvfedphhgvlhhopehmrghi
lhhrvghlrgihfegtfeekrdgtrghrrhhivghriihonhgvrdgtohhmpdhmrghilhhfrhhomhepfiiff
iesfigvsgejfegtfeekrdgtrghrrhhivghriihonhgvrdgtohhmpdhnsggprhgtphhtthhopedupd
hrtghpthhtoheprghhuhhnthgvrhefsegvrghrthhhlhhinhhkrdhnvghtpdhmohguvgepshhmthh
ppdhgvghtqdfurghfvggfnhhsuhgsshgtrhhisggvpdhrvghvkffrpehmrghilhhrvghlrgihfegt
feekrdgtrghrrhhivghriihonhgvrdgtohhmrddpghgvohfkrfepfgfupdhsphhfpefpohhnvgdpu
ghkihhmpehnohhnvg
X-VadeSecure-Status: clean
X-VadeSecure-Verdict: clean
X-VadeSecure-Malware: Clean
X-VadeSecure-Originating-IP: 66.175.56.223
Received-SPF: none
Received-DKIM: none
Authentication-Results: earthlink-vadesecure.net; iprev=[mailrelay3c38.carrier
zone.com.]; ip=66.175.56.223; spf=none; client-ip=66.175.56.223; smtp.mailfro
m=www@web73c38.carrierzone.com; dkim=none
X-ELNK-Received-Info: spv=0;
X-ELNK-AV: 0
X-ELNK-Info: sbv=0; sbrc=.0; sbf=bb0; sbw=000;
No message