# What's with these emails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474 "2005-11-23T20:34:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/1 "2005-11-23T20:34:10Z")
I’ve received two emails recently that raised my eyebrows. Email 1: was from xxxx.yyyyy@shaw.ca, where xxxx = my real first name and yyyyy = my real last name. Now this is similar in format to my actual email address, although the ending is of course different. The title of the email was “Margaret” and the body was simply an attachment, Rose.zip, with the name “Dorothy” beneath it. Email 2: was from a Delivery Failure notification > [@](#): > > Your message > > Subject: Elizabeth > > was not delivered to: > > xxxx.yyyyy@signet.com.au > > because: > > User xxxx.yyyyy (xxxx.yyyyy@signet.com.au) not listed in public Name & Address Book Again, the x’s and y’s represent my actual name. I never sent an email such as the one mentioned. It does have a details.txt, which I assume is just the body of the message, and an attachment simply called “Elizabeth”, with no file extension. Any ideas on what’s going on here? Is it serious? Will I ever play the piano again? Thx, Shibb ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/2 "2005-11-23T20:38:56Z")
I’ve had similar bounced mails. I’m not sure but I think someone or something has been spoofing your address for whatever purpose and this one happened to get bounced. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/3 "2005-11-23T20:46:54Z")
The attachment contains a virus. Don’t open it. Delete it. It’s a trick email made to look like it was sent from your address, when in fact it wasn’t. The “recipient” that it “bounced back” from is a false address. The point of it is to try to confuse you into wondering when you sent this email, open the attachment, and boof - virus. ---
**Author:** ![Electrical\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac8455/32.png) [@Electrical\_Storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electrical_Storm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/4 "2005-11-23T20:49:27Z")
It’s a spam message with a bonus virus. I’m getting tons of them these days. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/5 "2005-11-23T21:00:00Z")
Can I download it and run my antivirus against it to see what is? I’m morbidly curious. Why yes, I do get shocked/stung/bit a lot, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-these-emails/332474/6 "2005-11-23T21:47:03Z")
Clearly, it’s a coded message from England (Elizabeth) in one of your Diplomacy games. 🙂