# Warning: veeeery dodgy ICQ email

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 17, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168 "2002-04-17T16:45:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168/1 "2002-04-17T16:45:33Z")

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I just received this in my Hotmail account.

> [@](#):
>
> Dear ICQ user,
> 
> The ICQ Inc. is refreshing its databases to delete the inactive accounts. Please fill in your ICQ# and your Password and then submit this form by clicking the Send button. This is everything that you have to do to keep your account active. Don’t reply to this mail. After your submission you will be forwarded to our homepage and will be able to read the latest news about ICQ Inc. Unless you confirm us that you are using your ICQ legally by filling the empty spaces, you won’t be able to use your ICQ account after our refreshing is over.
> 
> With best regards ICQ Inc.
> 
> ICQ# :
> 
> Password :

It’s an HTML mail, and there are form text boxes to fill in the ICQ details. The mail originated in Turkey. There may of course be an ICQ subsidiary there (haven’t had time to check) but I find this extremely dubious. If you get the same mail, don’t be a mug.

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**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168/2 "2002-04-17T17:01:21Z")

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and just why would someone want your ICQ number and password?? It’s not like a credit card number that’s worth something. Very weird.

Guess I’ll hafta check my account tonight and see if I got one too…

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**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168/3 "2002-04-17T18:05:08Z")

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I got something like this from someone that apparently just adapted this one to try to get your hotmail account instead. The subject was still “ICQ” something or other (actually, it had a weird accented “Y” instead of an “I”, but that’s how the Turkish keyboards are).  
Anyway. I looked at the source, figured out that duh, it was a scam (I don’t even HAVE a hotmail account to steal), then cleaned up the mangled code and created a page using the same form to send fake username/passwords (or anything else) back. The first thing I sent back was a critique of his code.

If you feel like annoying the hell out of one of the lowlifes who try this crap, you can use my page too. here’s a link.  
[http://home.austin.rr.com/sshipman/SA/fanmail.html](http://home.austin.rr.com/sshipman/SA/fanmail.html)

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**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\
**Post date:** [April 17, 2002, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-veeeery-dodgy-icq-email/104168/4 "2002-04-17T19:11:55Z")

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That’s hilarious. **TheNerd** , you rule.