I was checking my email’s Spam folder today and one message that really caught my attention is the spam email with the subject “Angelina Jolie’s Free Video”. No, I was not intrigued by the subject but I saw my very own email address as the sender of the message. I opened the message and it says I receive the email because I am subscribed to MSN featured offers.
Content of the MSN Featured Offers Spam
Here is the edited content of the email:
Click Here! (I removed the link but it leads to http://195.190.13.98/video-nude-anjelina.avi.exe. please do not open the link in your browser, it might contain viruses or spywares!)
About this mailing:
You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to MSN Featured Offers. Microsoft respects your privacy. If you do not wish to receive this MSN Featured Offers e-mail, please click the “Unsubscribe” link below. This will not unsubscribe you from e-mail communications from third-party advertisers that may appear in MSN Feature Offers. This shall not constitute an offer by MSN. MSN shall not be responsible or liable for the advertisers’ content nor any of the goods or service advertised. Prices and item availability subject to change without notice.©2008 Microsoft | Unsubscribe | More Newsletters | Privacy
Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052
Now, I do not remember subscribing to MSN featured offers so I decided to google for some information. It appeared that the MSN Featured Offers is really a spam message and it is becoming a culprit to many email users.
Is the email really from MSN?
A respectable company such as Microsoft would not be sending nude videos of the “Wanted” star even to their subscribers. I honestly believe the message comes from spammers, not from MSN. It appears that the MSN featured spam actually uses the recipient’s address as the sender.
How I got the MSN featured Offers Spam
Honestly, I do not know how I started receiving this type of spam but I remembered doing something before spam messages started flooding in my spam folder. Last month, I signed up to a site that allows people to use their free vectors but only upon sign up. I signed up using my major email and was advised I can only start using their vectors upon confirmation of my email address. The confirmation never arrived but I have been receiving more spam messages ever since. I still consider some carelessness on my part though as potential reason why I receive this spam.
How to stop receiving the MSN featured Offers spam
This is the hard part. It is difficult to stop receiving or remove this MSN featured offers spam messages once they get into your mailbox. I still have to figure out how I can really get rid of receiving this message. Nevertheless, here are some things that you might find helpful:
1. Mark the MSN featured offers message as Spam. If you receive the mail in your inbox and not in your spam folder, mark it as spam, this will help your email service provider identify these messages as spam and will likely filter them out in the future.
2. Do not click the unsubscribe link. Clicking unsubscribe links and buttons coming from spam messages, will just confirm your email is working and ready to receive more spam messages.
3. Do not open or click on any link that comes along with the email. You may be likely getting Trojan or TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen file.
If you have any advice how to stop this MSN featured offers spam, please leave a comment, your advice is greatly appreciated (and needed).
Spam solution
One of the ways to eliminate spam is to use spam blocking software in your computer. There are several anti spam solution available that you can take advantage of. The Barracuda anti spam filtering solutions company, for example, which specializes in anti spam service, offers a number of spam filtering solutions including barracuda spam products that block spyware, viruses and spam from getting through a computer system.
February 7th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
I am getting the “MSN featured offers” and not only is it annoying, I pay for each one of them. I have a pay as you go phone from Tmobile and use it for emergencies and when I am traveling. Between this one and various others, I am receiving 8 to 10 a day and am sick of paying for this garbage. The cell phone industry needs to figure out a way to stop this spam. They need a feature whether or not you will accept calls and/or texts from anyone not in your cell phone directory (sim).
January 26th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I agree with Gretchie that getting the spam text messages from “MSN featured offers” is very annoying especially when the cell phone company can’t stop it. I’m assuming the only thing we can do is change our phone number but we shouldn’t have to do that. I don’t want a new #. I am soooooooo thankful I have a texting plan with my cell phone service but I feel sorry for people who don’t especially when they receive unwanted spam text messages.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I get these “MSN featured offers” text messages on my cell phone. I am now getting about ten a day!! It shows my phone number as the sender. I’m sick of this!!!
January 20th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
What about when is been sent to the cell phone? how do I delete it and stop if from textmessaging me?
January 20th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I received email form MSN ( ext, ext), spam and also I received it email form my own website and own email, somebody can help me with this stuff, I’m really dont know what to do?
MCM
January 18th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I use Mailwasher which shows me a list of what it would like to delete. I am quite happy to put “from me” in its black list because I don’t write to myself. In any case I can look down the list of headers quite quickly and rescue those messages that I think it has got wrong. It deletes the messages from the mail server without downloading them.
I can also send sham “not known” messages but they don’t seem to do any good.
I think Mailwasher is still free to download if you only use one address.
I saw some news that two spammers had been caught in the US and fined more money than I can imagine. The problem is that that is not where or how most of the spam originates and some countries don’t care.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I also have been receiving these messages on my phone and unfortunately its harder to deal with on a cell phone. They come as picture messages and well on my phone i cant block a number. I have unlimited messaging so it doesnt bother me other than its frikin annoying!!
January 14th, 2009 at 1:28 am
I just saw Keith’s message and had to post my own comment. My cell phone has been receiving these spam text messages for a while now and my cell phone company doesn’t know how to stop them. They are very annoying. Getting charged for them doesn’t help the situation either. I’m almost ready to change my cell phone number.
January 11th, 2009 at 4:34 am
I get these messages on my phone for some reason. I have no idea what to do about it.
January 7th, 2009 at 1:25 am
My suggestion to stop getting these in your regular email would be to set up a rule in your email program. In Outlook Rules can be found under tools. Say for example the “MSN Featured Offers” have the rule set to look for the text in the body of the email. If the email contains the text have it automatically handle it by sending it to a spam folder or deleting it. Here is a link to help with setting up an outlook rule:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/it/support/office2007/rules.htm