# Dodgy email from 'Straight Dope'? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 26, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422 "2013-05-26T19:41:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/1 "2013-05-26T19:41:19Z")
Just got an email claiming to be from [webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com). Given that 90% of my spam comes through that particular email account I am suspicious. > [@](#): > > Dear casdave, > > Your access to the paid subscription “Straight Dope Board Membership” is about to expire. > > To renew this subscription you must visit [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/payment](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/payment)\*\*\*\*\* > (link deliberately broken) > > If you do not extend your subscription you will revert to Guest status. As a Guest you’ll be shown banner advertising and will lose some of the privileges of your current membership status. > > All the best, > Straight Dope Message Board This looks well iffy to me ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/2 "2013-05-26T19:44:33Z")
I can’t tell if you are joking but that is a real message. I got one too. If you want to continue with your paid membership, it is time to renew it. You can click the link provided or just go to Paid Subscriptions in your User Control Panel straight from this site. You can pay for one or two years at a time. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/3 "2013-05-26T19:49:25Z")
People are so suspicious these days. It possibly would have been more effective/less alarming had the email recommended opening the recipient’s User CP and proceeding to the paid subscriptions link, instead of providing a link in the email. Also, since this whole thing appears legit, what say we ask to have this moved to ATMB? ---
**Author:** ![ptr2void](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ptr2void/32/3406_2.png) [@ptr2void](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptr2void)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/4 "2013-05-26T19:58:40Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > People are so suspicious these days. Rightly so, I think. In fact I think the vast majority of people aren’t suspicious enough. Many people will see an email that looks legit and follow any links unknowingly without verifying they’re actually going to a domain that corresponds to the entity emailing them. I get tons of LinkedIn, Facebook (not even a member) and PayPal (again, not a member) phishing attempts that look legitimate, but if you check the link, they’re most definitely not. It’s very depressing how many shitty people are out there looking to steal from you. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/5 "2013-05-26T21:55:23Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Also, since this whole thing appears legit, what say we ask to have this moved to ATMB? [/QUOTE] Or just close/delete it. Now that the OP has their answer, they can go about their business of renewing/not renewing. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/6 "2013-05-27T03:34:20Z")
Also a valid option, but there _could_ be others who received the same email, and wonder about it. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/7 "2013-05-27T04:44:44Z")
Hilarious! I love this pitting. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/8 "2013-05-27T08:20:13Z")
Moved to ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/9 "2013-05-27T08:24:38Z")
[quote=“ptr2void, post:4, topic:659422”] Rightly so, I think. In fact I think the vast majority of people aren’t suspicious enough. Many people will see an email that looks legit and follow any links unknowingly without verifying they’re actually going to a domain that corresponds to the entity emailing them. It only appears illegitimate if you don’t know how URLs work. It’s also trivial to go to the proper section of the site manually and see if it is accurate. Just because some people aren’t suspicious enough doesn’t mean too much suspicion is a good thing, either. > [@](#): > > I get tons of LinkedIn, Facebook (not even a member) and PayPal (again, not a member) phishing attempts that look legitimate, but if you check the link, they’re most definitely not. It’s very depressing how many shitty people are out there looking to steal from you. See, Gmail puts those in spam for me, knowing they aren’t from the legitimate providers. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/10 "2013-05-28T03:29:57Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Just got an email claiming to be from [webmaster@straightdope.com](mailto:webmaster@straightdope.com). > > Given that 90% of my spam comes through that particular email account I am suspicious. > > This looks well iffy to me I’m sure if you give this another day or so it won’t be a problem for you any more. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/11 "2013-05-28T06:14:26Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Also a valid option, but there _could_ be others who received the same email, and wonder about it. Sure. In the ridiculously unlikely event that _another_ person is so freaked out about an email from Straight Dope, that they forgo contacting its administration and instead head immediately to ATMB desperately hoping that someone else, suffering such agony, happened to start on thread, then, yes, it might be useful. More likely, IMHO, is that this thread will serve no purpose at all beyond answering the OP’s concern, which happened long ago. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/12 "2013-05-28T14:10:43Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > I’m sure if you give this another day or so it won’t be a problem for you any more. What does this even mean? It reads like some kind of veiled threat. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/13 "2013-05-28T14:16:33Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > What does this even mean? It reads like some kind of veiled threat. It means that his membership will expire. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/14 "2013-05-28T14:40:54Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > What does this even mean? It reads like some kind of veiled threat. What, like a burqa with a pointed stick? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/15 "2013-05-28T14:42:01Z")
Test post. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dodgy-email-from-straight-dope/659422/16 "2013-05-28T23:18:27Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > > [@TubaDiva](#): > > > > I’m sure if you give this another day or so it won’t be a problem for you any more. > > What does this even mean? It reads like some kind of veiled threat. I’m just a poster here, not at all speaking for the board moderators or administrators but I distinctly remember complaints from paid members that they were not warned about the expiration date for their subscriptions. This was particularly true for charter members, since once that status is lost, it’s pretty much gone forever. So the board administration sends out reminder emails to the email addresses with which people subscribed to the the board. Now, I can imagine it must be a little frustrating for them to hear that someone finds that reminder email suspicious. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Again, I’m not speaking on behalf of the moderators or administrators, but I can guess that may be how they feel.