# My e-mail is sending mail on it's own **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252 "2004-04-10T00:02:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![greenteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@greenteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenteeth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252/1 "2004-04-10T00:02:04Z")
_The last week I’ve been getting strange e-mails saying that my messages sent to so-and-so were undeliverable. The thing is, I’m not sending anyone any e-mail. Is someone using my account to send out messages withou t my knowlege? Here is an example of the response I’m getting_ \*\*- These recipients of your message have been processed by the mail server: [atbond@ivillage.com](mailto:atbond@ivillage.com); Failed; 5.1.1 (bad destination mailbox address) ``` Remote MTA 66.28.189.230: SMTP diagnostic: 550 5.1.1 <atbond@ivillage.com> is not a valid mailbox ``` [atbmcb@ivillage.com](mailto:atbmcb@ivillage.com); Failed; 5.1.1 (bad destination mailbox address) ``` Remote MTA 66.28.189.230: SMTP diagnostic: 550 5.1.1 <atbmcb@ivillage.com> is not a valid mailbox** ``` _Has someone gotten into my e-mail? I have run virus scans to no avail. I am about to change the password on my account. Can someone help figure out what’s going on? The message I am sending is this:_ \*\*From: Florence Blake [[mailto:Blake786@mindspring.com](mailto:Blake786@mindspring.com)] Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2004 1:19 PM To: Wescott Subject: Fwd: Prompt. No Embarrassments. Val-i-um.V~|cod|n.v!@GRa.\_X\_ANAx.NQUXADOJ He may sell field, garden, and house to a merchant (royal agents) or to any other public official, the buyer holding field, house, and garden for its usufruct. * * * All the prescription drugs we supply are manufactured by leading pharmaceutical companies, are sealed to ensure purity and are despatched under plain cover to protect your confidential medical details. • Phentermine 60 pills - 30 mg Capsules - $179.99 • Phentermine 60 pills - 15 mg Capsules - $149.99 • Levitra 5 pills - 20 mg Tablets - - $129.99 • Vicodine (Hydrocodone (Watson Brand) 10mg/500mg) 60 pills $319.99 We actually stock the drugs. Because you can add more to your life. shop Now… healthyapproach.biz If you are an AOL User, please use Microsoft Internet Explorer when visiting the link. There is a bug on AOL browser that prevents certain features of the website healthyapproach.biz from displaying. * * * No longer yours, than you your self here live, For that deep wound it gives my friend and me; To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side. Ah, if thou issueless shalt hap to die,\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252/2 "2004-04-10T00:04:04Z")
I have the same problem > **[Did spammers take over my email](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=246376)** > > yesterday and today i got about 20 messages with the subject ‘returned mail: user unknown’ example The original message was received at Sun, 21 Mar 2004 12:59:51 -0500 (EST) from pool-151-196-138-112.balt.east.verizon.net \[151.196.138.112\] \*\*\*... However it went away for some reason, and only happened for one day. ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252/3 "2004-04-10T00:14:37Z")
Guys… those aren’t real. Your email server didn’t send any messages. Hell, chances are, if I’m right, those “Undeliverable” messages said that the email is in the attachment, or had one. Those are virii, not real undeliverable messages. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252/4 "2004-04-10T00:15:56Z")
[Xash](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=250041) explains it all. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-e-mail-is-sending-mail-on-its-own/239252/5 "2004-04-10T01:18:13Z")
> [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](#): > > Guys… those aren’t real. Your email server didn’t send any messages. Hell, chances are, if I’m right, those “Undeliverable” messages said that the email is in the attachment, or had one. Those are virii, not real undeliverable messages. The plural of virus is not virii, no matter how you look at it. > [@](#): > > [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mplurals.html) > > That hasn’t stopped English writers from inventing pseudo-Latin plural forms to cover the modern countable senses of the word. Viri is formed on the false assumption that virus is a second-declension noun. (Viri in fact is the plural of Latin vir, “man”.) Virii is an even worse mistake