# E-mails from strangers, anyone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 3, 2000, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462 "2000-10-03T07:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/21 "2000-10-03T17:44:33Z")
I’ve received one unsolicited email from a person who’s a member here. I don’t know what the person’s handle is, as that person’s email contained only their real name. It was a nice thing to get. I like being noticed. As far as spam, I have 3 different email accounts, and I receive a ton of the stuff. I’ve actually written back a few times, not for whatever was being spammed, but rather to find out how the person feels about sending strangers mail which contains baldface lies. Especially the business ones which use the phrase: “here’s that info you wanted” or “a friend of yours said you may be interested in blah blah blah…”. When it has gotten through, I usually receive back a defensive response from the person. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![BornDodgy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@BornDodgy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornDodgy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/22 "2000-10-03T17:50:55Z")
Dont write back to junk mail addresses. Especially if they have the sentence in them “Email [something@spam.com](mailto:something@spam.com) to be removed from the mailing list” That is a hoax - if you mail them they know for sure that your email addy exists and send you even more spam - and they will sell email address lists to other spamers. loons ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/23 "2000-10-03T19:36:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FairyChatMom \* > \*\*_sudden realization_ dang - nobody luvs me… and no, this isn’t a thinly veiled attempt to get e-mail. Really… it isn’t!! I’d not do that! I’m not _that_ pathetic… > > 🙂 \*\* But it WORKS! I got two very nice emails from people who felt sorry for me. I really should email you and Odieman to spread the cheer. 🙂 (thanks, evilbeth and Dolores Claiborne!) ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/24 "2000-10-03T19:54:52Z")
While I’ve never been lucky enough to get real, honest to goodness hate email, I do get unsolicited email all the time. Usually, it’s fun, sometimes, it’s creepy. If I send unsolicited email, it’s only to people of this board, and I always include “Hey, it’s Homer from the SDMB” or something similar in the header so they know I’m not just a random creep. I’m a specific creep. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/25 "2000-10-03T22:42:25Z")
Please write them and tell them they’re sending to the wrong address… …I say this because my sister had been writing to me for months only using a slightly wrong email address (my hotmail address without the numbers). Finally one day she called me and asked my why I never wrote her back. Well we figured out what happened, and I had been missing all these emails about her family and our family and personal stuff too as well as an e-card and letter for my birthday. I felt so dissapointed because I live so far away from my family and I love to communicate with them and I feel I missed out on a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/26 "2000-10-03T23:04:15Z")
I wish I got vaguely threatening emails. Nothing blatant like “I’ll poke out your eyes.” but stuff like “Do you love your dog? A spatula could fix that.” –Tim ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/27 "2000-10-04T04:53:16Z")
Well, these e-mails are not of a family-type intimate nature. They’re more like, “My husband and I are seriously discussing coming to visit and meet you. Wouldn’t that be fun!” Um…NO!! Because I do not know this woman! She also asked me (in the second e-mail) to let her know what time zone I am in so she would know when to send e-mails or maybe even try to call sometime! WTF? I was asking other Dopers because I figure there is an outside chance that it is some bizarre type of troll activity. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/28 "2000-10-06T18:17:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BornDodgy \* > \*\*Dont write back to junk mail addresses. > Especially if they have the sentence in them > “Email [something@spam.com](mailto:something@spam.com) to be removed from the mailing list” > > That is a hoax - if you mail them they know for sure that your email addy exists and send you even more spam - and they will sell email address lists to other spamers. > \*\* Quite true. The important thing for spammers is: _to get you to reply._ I can’t help thinking that the these strangermails (I’ve gotten one too) are just the next dirty trick to accomplish that. Since nothing shocks me anymore, I wouldn’t be surprised if Drain Bead’s message was for that purpose too. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/29 "2000-10-06T20:07:36Z")
I got emails from the daughter of a doper here whose wife somewhat recently had a baby boy. I can’t remember the doper’s name . . . and the emails have stopped coming. Still, though, it’s nice to know someone thinks I’m cute and sexy:) ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/30 "2000-10-06T21:23:42Z")
Um, nope. No strange e-mail here. However, I am trying to resist the urge to send Odieman some creepy e-mail… I hate to see an e-mail addy used mostly as a spam receptor. ---
**Author:** ![Gr8Kat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gr8kat/32/18668_2.png) [@Gr8Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gr8Kat)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/31 "2000-10-06T23:20:54Z")
I receive tons of e-mail from strangers and spam every day because I’m on way too many mailing lists and/or subscribe to too many services that (I assume) sell or give out my addy. And because my website is about genealogy, I encourage people to e-mail me if they think we may have a link. So, yeah, I have more e-mail from strangers than friends. But today a joke was forwarded to me from an addy that I absolutely don’t recognize. Their address is [ECSchroeder@somethingsomething.com](mailto:ECSchroeder@somethingsomething.com), but I don’t even know anyone named Schroeder. However, I’m fairly sure the person is local because one of the other recipients of the e-mail is Tom Forstrom, a humor columnist for the Salem newspaper, and another is [somethingsomething@oregontrail.com](mailto:somethingsomething@oregontrail.com). So who is this person? Do I know them? Do they know someone I know? I’m not weirded out, just curious. I’m just going to have to ask them. ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/32 "2000-10-07T00:03:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Homer \* > \*\*While I’ve never been lucky enough to get real, honest to goodness hate email, I do get unsolicited email all the time. Usually, it’s fun, sometimes, it’s creepy. > > If I send unsolicited email, it’s only to people of this board, and I always include “Hey, it’s Homer from the SDMB” or something similar in the header so they know I’m not just a random creep. I’m a specific creep. > > –Tim \*\* You mean that card I sent you didn’t scare you with all its hate??? :mad: I’m going to HAVE to brush up on my venom filling, and spewing skills…where’s \*\* waterj2?? \*\* He’d be perfect to practice on!! 😉 There was a spate of this, oh about six months ago, and I don’t have my e mail shown, so it didn’t happen to me. But, \*\* evilbeth, \*\* this is more weird than anything else. Can you put a blacklist on her, to stop the e mails?? Smooth Operator’s e mail service did it accidentally to me, when they believed where I have my service was sending out quantities of spam, and my address got blacklisted along with the spammers. A little disconcerting, but this woman sounds like her elevator isn’t hitting all floors, and while others have said it is funny. I’m sure it isn’t to you. Protect yourself, and your privacy and get her banned, bump this thread up a few times too, maybe she’ll come forward and get that she’s upsetting you. If she likes you, she’ll cut it out. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462/33 "2000-10-07T00:19:45Z")
I get a few non-spam stranger mails at my SDMB address, but it’s usually from someone on the boards or someone wandering through who saw my name and wanted to prove they had also heard of _Red Dwarf_. Nothing like what you’re talking about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-mails-from-strangers-anyone/35462.md?page=1)