Unknown People Requesting To Be Put Om My Msn Messenger Contact List

[keestha]

My main e-mail account is at hotmail, and it is convenient for me to have msn messenger running the whole day, so that I can easily check if any mail came in, and I know instantly about new mail when I am working behind the computer.

Since about a month or so, pop ups are appearing constantly that so and so almost surely unknown person requests to be put on my contact list. Of course I always decline. The names often make clear right away it cannot be an acquaintance: who would call herself Cathy444xz?

Wondering now what these people want. A newspaper article I read recently, suggested their aim could be identity theft: getting hold of someone's password, and then mailing everybody in the contact list with a story of having ended up penniless in Wladiwostok, asking for money to be sent by Western Union immediately.

[neverdie]

sex or money, everything is about sex or money

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

Sex AND money. I, too, have experienced that recently. Seems to be some kind of spam bot. Once you approve them you'll get a message asking something like "Hey, you're male, right? I'm 31/f". You can answer whatever you want, next is something like "hey wanna cam? I have found a way to cam without anyone able to record, it's free too" (the "sex" part) followed by a link to a webcam site (the "spam" bit).

"Free" it might be but of course there is an "age check" which, no surprise, requires your credit card number (the "money" part).

All scam/spam. Just decline the "new contact" request.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[metisdead]

I hadn't signed into messenger for about a week now, just did it, and had 7 "people" wanting to be invited to my contact list. Simple, decline and block.

[featography]

I hadn't signed into messenger for about a week now, just did it, and had 7 "people" wanting to be invited to my contact list. Simple, decline and block.

They're called BOTs and if you're looking at porn sites, thats how they find your messenger, or email id, whether you are signed in or not. They attach themselves to porn sites and other not so reputable types of sites and then get your isp address that way.

Also chat rooms are notorious for BOTs.

[neverdie]

I hadn't signed into messenger for about a week now, just did it, and had 7 "people" wanting to be invited to my contact list. Simple, decline and block.

Great, I was one of them, guess im never going to meet the great ^_metisdead

[Thanh-BKK]

I hadn't signed into messenger for about a week now, just did it, and had 7 "people" wanting to be invited to my contact list. Simple, decline and block.

They're called BOTs and if you're looking at porn sites, thats how they find your messenger, or email id, whether you are signed in or not. They attach themselves to porn sites and other not so reputable types of sites and then get your isp address that way.

Also chat rooms are notorious for BOTs.

Hi.

Agreed they are bots however they must have other modes as well.... because i am using my Hotmail address (that one where it happened) exclusively (!) for MSN messenger chatting - i have never signed up to any website (porn or otherwise) with it and i don't even send e-mail with it.

Most likely someone among my MSN chat friends has a virus/trojan that harvests their MSN messenger contact list and transmits that data to the programmer of that virus/trojan. Can't be myself as i'm running Linux and using aMSN.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[JUDAS]

sex or money, everything is about sex or money

I have it on good authority that the two are quite often combined

[Jimmyd]

I have it on good authority that the two are quite often combined

Now, now, you know we're not supposed to talk about that on Thai Visa!

[britmaveric]

webcam birds most likely.

[katana]

...Most likely someone among my MSN chat friends has a virus/trojan that harvests their MSN messenger contact list and transmits that data to the programmer of that virus/trojan...

I get quite a few of these requests as well in MSN Messenger and that was my feeling as well as to their origin.

[Tanaka]

sex or money, everything is about sex or money

I have it on good authority that the two are quite often combined

Is your good authority called Howard?