Non-motoring > What happens if you reply to junk mail? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Iffy Replies: 15
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New Tue 24 May 11 11:49 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Iffy
Here's the text of an email which landed this morning:

An ATM MASTER CARD has been accredited to you worth $USD6,000,000.00 contact:Dr.James Brown Email:(atmcarddept121@w.cn<atmcarddept121@w.cn>) for more details.(Dr. James Brown) My Direct E-mail: {atmcarddept121@w.cn<{atmcarddept121@w.cn>}

What would happen if I replied?

Can anyone give any clues to the sender from his email address?

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New Tue 24 May 11 12:02 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - DP
Some great tips (and amusing stories) here:

www.419eater.com/index.php

As to what will happen, the scammer is almost certainly guaranteed to ask you for your credit card details / money of some description in order to claim your free gift.

Last edited by: DP on Tue 24 May 11 at 12:03
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New Tue 24 May 11 14:14 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - -
Oddly enough had a text through today informing me i could claim £4k ish for an accident i don't recall having, texted back inviting them to go away.

As for the scam emails, you'd think there was no one daft enough to take any of them seriously.
Someone must do otherwise they'd have to get a job, or go back to the dangers of street mugging or whatever their trade might be.
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New Tue 24 May 11 14:38 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Armel Coussine
I get those accident-alleging text messages sometimes gb. But I don't answer them. Silence is the best policy if you're a bit paranoid.

Can't help wondering how the scam works though. Are the texts from shysters looking for crooks capable of saying anything to fake an accident? Or will they, if replied to, ask for some modest affordable sum, say 200 quid, to do some 'research' for you?

That will perhaps remain a mystery to me. But there are two things that these texts reek with: shameless effrontery and sordid dishonesty.

Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Tue 24 May 11 at 14:40
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New Tue 24 May 11 14:45 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - -
But there are two things that these
>> texts reek with: shameless effrontery and sordid dishonesty.

Agreed; now you've said that i almost wish i'd replied positively if only to string them along and waste some of their time, drat.
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New Tue 24 May 11 14:56 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - CGNorwich
"Someone must do "

Send a million emails and find ten idiots is a sound business plan
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New Tue 24 May 11 16:18 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Fursty Ferret
I don't get as much junk mail as I did, but I found that inserting the promotion material from one credit card company into the freepost return envelope of the other (along with about 10p in 2p pieces to ensure they got stung for the postage) quite effective.
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New Tue 24 May 11 16:57 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Runfer D'Hills
Quite probably an urban myth but I remember it being postulated down the Dog and Duck that if you take a freepost envelope, cross out the return address and write on any address you want your item of mail contained therein to go to that the postage will be billed to, or covered by the freepost envelope provider. If you see what I mean?

I'd not have the cheek but I suppose it might work.
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New Tue 24 May 11 18:34 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Stuartli
Don't reply to scam e-mails. It indicates a response from a genuine e-mail address and you'll regret it...:-)

Just delete them.
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New Tue 24 May 11 18:36 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Iffy
...Just delete them...

Thanks, that's what I do.

I was even a bit wary of copying the text to post it on here.

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New Tue 24 May 11 18:57 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - bathtub tom
>>Just delete them.

I understood you shouldn't even do that. It can be detected that it's a genuine account.

I just ignore them.
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New Tue 24 May 11 19:29 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Clk Sec
>>I just ignore them.

You'll build up quite a collection.
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New Tue 24 May 11 20:04 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Zero
they cant tell you deleted them, but may be able to tell you opened them. So delete them without opening them.
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New Tue 24 May 11 20:06 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - -
>> but may be able to tell you opened them.
>> So delete them without opening them.
>>

For some reason i understood that to be the case, thanks for confirming.

Does anyone bother to forward obvious phising emails to their bank if it seems necessary, i have done now and again, am i wasting my time?
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New Tue 24 May 11 20:10 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Clk Sec
>> Does anyone bother to forward obvious phising emails to their bank

I did this on just one occasion, but they didn't really seem that interested. Seen it a thousand times before, I guess.
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New Tue 24 May 11 20:31 
 What happens if you reply to junk mail? - Stuartli
What could happen...

tinyurl.com/3fs2eh7
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