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.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
The majority of the emails I receive from the Canadian Pharmacy now come from other sources (apparently) than MSN special offers. One of today’s which I did look at apparently came from Ahamonejvev Inc.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:34 am
The same thing is happening to me. There are spam emails coming in name of “Pfizer Inc.”. They come from Russia, covered under my own email address. The thing I don’t realize is -how the heck- did they get that email address, since I don’t use it in Internet, I never signed in any place with that email.
I sent to Pfizer Spain an email “suggesting” them to remove my email and my personal data if they have.
June 26th, 2009 at 2:31 am
Foward all spam messages and e-mail to spam@uce.gov. They will investigate and prosicute any they find as spam. (As long as they are not sponsered by some Government agency, or getting paid (campaign contributions)by that company.)
June 4th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
You could setup a rule that auto-deletes any messages with “you subscribed to MSN Featured Offers.” Obviously this doesn’t stop the spam from coming to your email, but at least it prevents you from seeing it.
May 31st, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Me again
The admin details for the latest epistle are
Administrative Contact:
Name : ZHOUMEIWEI
Organization : ZHOUMEIWEI
Address : NANMENXILU23
City : xingtaishi
Province/State : hebeisheng
Country : china
Postal Code : 037000
Phone Number : 86-022-25632014
Fax : 86-022-25632014
Email : ZHOUMEIWEI@126.COM
Which seems to me to show the problem. The previous one I looked at was in Russia
May 31st, 2009 at 12:11 am
I have been receiving this spam for years. I can remember signing up for this trash because, even though I do not like Microsoft, I didn’t expect it to be some spammer masquerading as MSN. I thought I would be aable to be removed from the list if I didn’t like what I received. I suppose it serves me right.
I believe many people have tried to shut this scam down. The messages I get are always the same pharmacy which purports to be in Canada but the links now are usually to Russia. Most of the links on today’s offering do not work. (contact us etc). Maybe because I sent a load of polite messages saying “why don’t you go away”.
I am sure Microsoft will claim, rightly or wrongly, that they have made every reasonable effort to shut this operation down without success.
May 30th, 2009 at 2:44 am
I would be willing to join in a class action suit against MSN Microsoft. Their name is being used illegally and they have the legal power to stop it.
March 24th, 2009 at 6:57 am
want to see how fast these companies will find the way to stop those spam text messaging from coming into our cell phones? …if will just tell them we want to cancel our services with them. One person alone won’t work but if lots of Tmobile people raise up and say I cancell my account they will try something. is worth giving it a try….if you have a better idea please let me know..cause I need to stop them from text messaging me.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:38 am
I guess the MSN spam has started to focus on sending spam messages to cellphones but some people still receive this spam message in their emails.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I have been receiving these MSN featured offers for over a year. I just automatically put them in spam. I don’t know why my email service provider has not picked up on that yet. I get 3 or 4 in my inbox every day. I hate spammers, scammers and any type activity that robs and steals a person’s identity, money, and privacy.