# How do I prevent these whores from leaving me messages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2005, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383 "2005-07-27T08:44:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/1 "2005-07-27T08:44:50Z")
On AIM, I’m constantly getting messages that read like this: Lcy88923: Hi, I just saw your profile, My Name is Mariah, 18 from Cali, Just wondering if you might want to chat sometime. I have some pics on my page if you want to check it out, do you have any pics I can see? Here is the page, www~Mariah~us~tf (replace the ~ with a Dot or period so you are able to go to the site, sign my profile please!) First of all, before I even say anything else, what kind of sob-moronic swine would actually fall for that? “Oh, yes, I’ve always had a thing for girls from the French Antarctic Territory. And the tildes in your website address, no, I don’t think there’s anything weird about that. I think I’ll do it!” Secondly, what insidious entity is sending out these messages to me? And thirdly, how in the hell do I stop them from coming forever? Some of them say “to stop, type ‘remove me’” and I do it, but other whores with different names still leave me messages. It’s so annoying. What do I do? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/2 "2005-07-27T08:50:30Z")
Messages _through what medium_? ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/3 "2005-07-27T08:52:24Z")
You could try editing your profile and un-checking the “allow people to search for me” check box. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/4 "2005-07-27T08:53:44Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Messages _through what medium_? AOL Instant Messenger, apparently. > [@](#): > > On AIM . . . ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/5 "2005-07-27T09:07:53Z")
Damn. Missed that. Sorry. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Lizzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@Thin\_Lizzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Lizzy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/6 "2005-07-27T09:11:23Z")
I don’t think you can ever totally escape it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/7 "2005-07-27T09:19:53Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Damn. Missed that. Sorry. Carry on. What, no advice now you’ve ascertained the medium? Did it make that much of a difference?! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/8 "2005-07-27T09:25:38Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > What, no advice now you’ve ascertained the medium? Did it make that much of a difference?! It might have done; having overlooked the mention of AIM, I was unsure whether these were spam emails (in which case a spam filter, locally or at ISP level, would be required), or if they were Windows pop-up messages (in which case turning off the Windows Messaging Component would be the fix), or something else altogether (as it actually turned out to be. Having been pointed out to me that this is an AOL-related issue, I deliberately refrained from offering further advice, but if you really want to know what it would have been, here it is: “Don’t use AOL - this is only one of the good reasons not to use AOL”. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/9 "2005-07-27T10:19:52Z")
Anyone can use AIM, not just those who have AOL as their ISP. It’s just an alternative instant messaging service to MSN Messenger, or ICQ. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/10 "2005-07-27T10:23:23Z")
Oh, and, if it’s anything like MSN Messenger in terms of options, you can switch on a setting that only allows messages from ‘friends’ (i.e. authorised senders) to get through to you. This should prevent the ‘whores’ from getting their messages through. Its a while since I used AIM though so I’m not sure where the option is in the program. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/11 "2005-07-27T10:46:46Z")
I suppose you’re right - although I’m not sure what the statistics look like as regards people who have installed AIM standalone and those who got it along with the whole AOL package. I may be guilty of over-reacting here, but having attempted to repair quite a number of computers after the user had inserted an AOL CD and ultimately screwed everything up, I have a somewhat visceral negative reaction to AOL in general. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/12 "2005-07-27T10:55:17Z")
I have a shared broadband connection, but installed it because I needed to chat with the support of a particular software package, and they were on AIM as opposed to MSN. In general I prefer MSN though. ---
**Author:** ![dlack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@dlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlack)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/13 "2005-07-27T12:27:01Z")
The AIM network is used by many many people who don’t use AOL as their ISP. In my experience most college students use AIM (or other clients to access the AIM network, such as GAIM or Trillian). If you don’t want messages from random people, you should be able to go into preferences and only allow messages from Buddies. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/14 "2005-07-27T13:41:17Z")
Go into preferances, and somewhere undier security, or privacy, there is an option about who can/can’t talk to you. There are three options. One, is everyone can talk to you unless they are on a blocked list, the secodn is no matter what only people on your buddy list can talk to you, and the third is like an anti-blocked list, only the people on a new list, seperate from your buddy list, can talk to you. As a side not, don’t use AIM. Go download [Gaim.](http://gaim.sourceforge.net/) From their FAQ: > [@](#): > > Gaim is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM and ICQ (Oscar protocol), MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, SILC, GroupWise Messenger, and Zephyr networks. > > Gaim users can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AOL Instant Messenger, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time. And I find it’s much better than Trillian, even though Trillian might be more popular. (For one thing, Gaim recognizwes links in away mesasges and profilse, I don’t know if Trillian does that now, but it didn’t last time I used it and that as enough to put me off of it.) ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/15 "2005-07-27T15:02:51Z")
Thanks, that sounds like it might be useful next time I need to IM with someone who’s not on MSN. AIM got annoying quickly because of the stupid box it flashed up every time I started my computer. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/16 "2005-07-27T15:09:14Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > Secondly, what insidious entity is sending out these messages to me? Hmmmm… > [@Argent Towers](#): > > How do I prevent these whores from leaving me messages? insidious entity = whores ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/17 "2005-07-27T15:10:48Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > And thirdly, how in the hell do I stop them from coming forever? Clitoridectomy? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/18 "2005-07-27T15:13:57Z")
Try going into “Options” and checking the box marked “No Messages From Whores.” ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/19 "2005-07-27T15:16:34Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > Try going into “Options” and checking the box marked “No Messages From Whores.” Note, however, that messages from harlots will bypass this attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383/20 "2005-07-27T16:09:25Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > Note, however, that messages from harlots will bypass this attempt. How about those from slatterns? They tend to be rather wily… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-prevent-these-whores-from-leaving-me-messages/314383.md?page=2)