"Dear Beloved in Christ" - my foot! SPAM in PMs??

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1Athena1
1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
edited June 2014 in Comments, Suggestions, Feature Requests

I'm an atheist so I find this a bit offensive, but more to the point, it was a PM I received that is clearly spam, and I, like other sisters here, wonder what one can do about it. I think new people should not be allowed to PM until they have posted a few times in the community and been found decent. Just IMO. Here's the solicitation (my italics). I have deleted identifying information:

Dear Beloved In Christ,

With Due Respect and Humanity, I was compelled to write to you under a humanitarian ground. My name is Mrs, xxxx xxxxxxx. I was born in xxxxx, xxxxxx , I am married to Mr. xxxxx xxxxx director xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx (Country).We were married for 36 years without a child. He died after a Cadiac Arteries Operation.

And Recently, My Doctor told me that I would not last for the next six months due to my cancer problem (cancer of the lever and stroke). Before my husband died last year there is sum of $4,000,000.0 Million Dollars that he deposited in a Bank here In xxxxx xxxxxx . Presently this money is still in the Bank,

Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to any good God fearing brother or sister that will utilize this fund the way I am going to instruct herein. I want somebody that will use this fund according to the desire of my late. Husband to help less privileged people, orphanages, widows and propagating the word of God.

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this fund, And I don't want in away where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision to hand you over this Fund. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I want you to always remember me in your daily prayers because of my up coming Cancer Surgery. Write back as soon as possible any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another person for this same purpose, hoping to read from you ASAP.

God bless you as you listing to the voice of reasoning,

Yours in Christ

Mrs xxxxx xxxxxxx,

Please it is important and urgent for you to contact me immediately on my private e-mail address(xxxxxxxxxxxx)for further inf

This spamming has got to stop. Did anyone else get this?

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Comments

  • mradf
    mradf Member Posts: 398
    edited August 2013

    Athena:

    I hope you can report it if it's a PM and not a post.  I'm sure there's a way.  I've gotten similar spam to my regular home email.  It's disappointing that someone could "break through" our threads and send it as a PM, trying to use cancer as a come on.  Shame on them!

    Be well,

    Maria 

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  • lago
    lago Member Posts: 17,186
    edited October 2010

    Just block them. It's just like getting spam in your regular email account. Granted that spam is usually about enlarging body parts that you never had. ;-)

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  • sheila888
    sheila888 Member Posts: 25,634
    edited October 2010

    lago.....Ive been getting those emails too. Its coming from a Canadian pharmaceutical right?

    Athena....One time I actually clicked on information and a post came up that I read it recently here. With the persons name and avatar.

    I guess its not hard to get in the system.

    Like FB.

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited October 2010

    Hard to know where it's coming from...the e-mail address has a "cantv" ending - Canadian TV station?? Anything's possible.

    Unfortunately bco is getting so big that it's almost like having a regular e-mail account. The moderators are going to have to build some anti-spam features. It seems to me that we have been getting more and more spam lately - am I wrong?

    I don't really MIND getting this silly PM - I just made this public because I think spam is getting out of control here. 

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  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited October 2010

    I got this same crap im my email!...I Do believe in God and this letter to me is clearly blasphemous!....How can people DO this to BC patients????......Ther ought to be a law!.......

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  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited October 2010

    Also if notice a lot of the words are grossly misspelled...This is probably from a person who clearly does not know the English language.......

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited October 2010

    ((((hollyann)))) - such a long time since I've had the honor of sharing a thread with you. And I'm sure it WAS blasphemous. I don't think anyone can have been pleased.

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  • pickle
    pickle Member Posts: 1,409
    edited October 2010

    Email addresses ending in cantv are apparently from Venezuela and they are asssociated with scam/spam.

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  • 1marmalade1
    1marmalade1 Member Posts: 308
    edited October 2010

    Why the heck are these people even ON this site??????   This is total B.S. 

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  • Beesie
    Beesie Member Posts: 12,240
    edited October 2010

    Please don't blame Canada!  We're quiet unassuming sorts (well, most of us), and generally don't wear our religion (or lack of same) on our sleeves.  cantv is Venezuelan, as Pickle mentions, although who knows if this particular email is from Venezuela.

    Oh, about those spam emails selling products to enlarge body parts that we don't have, some might be from Canadian companies but be assured that if those products are made here in Canada, it's purely for export.  Our men have no need of those types of products!  Wink

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  • CoolBreeze
    CoolBreeze Member Posts: 4,668
    edited October 2010

    This is a new twist on the 419 scam.  The PMs/emails originate from Nigeria.  You can read more about it here.

    http://www.419scam.org/ 

    Because these are monitored spams, people have a lot of fun baiting the scammers.  A few have even gotten the scammers to send THEM money.  :)  

    There isn't anything you can do to stop it but ignore it.  I wouldn't recommend not allowing newbies not to PM.  It's already way to harsh on them to only be allowed to post five times a day until they reach 50 posts.  As we all know, those earliest days are the hardest days when dealing wth cancer.  Cutting off their ability to reach out via PM seems extra cruel and against the idea of the forum, which is to allow people to help each other.

    Just delete the PM and report it to the moderators so they can ban the individual and their IP.

    The internet will never be perfect.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited October 2010

    oh geez. I've deleted this member. I'm so sorry that this happened!! There is craziness on the boards this week, especially in regards to religious differences. 

    Our apologies!

    Melissa 

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited October 2010

    No problem - thank you Melissa!

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  • flash
    flash Member Posts: 1,685
    edited October 2010

    Melissa, you can only do so much at a time.  We are grateful for all that you do.

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