I have been receiving emails with various headings including mailer-daemon saying that emails have failed to be delivered to recipients. Emails that I havn't sent. I'm getting 40-50 per day. Anyone else getting these?
 I've checked through all updates for viruses in this thread for the past 2 months (thanks Clive and Simon) but have been unable to find any worm or virus that describes this- unless I'm missing the plot!- so I'm clueless as to how I can stop them. Any help appreciated, even from the blondes

Example of content of these emails:-

Hi. This is the qmail-send program at mira.eclipse.net.uk.
I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
 
 
 
<xxxxxxx@eclipse.co.uk>:
The users mailfolder is over the allowed quota (size).
 
--- Below this line is a copy of the message.
 
Return-Path: <xxxx@xxxxxxxx.co.uk>
Received: (qmail 18104 invoked from network); 18 Nov 2003 11:47:41 -0000
Received: from hyperion.eclipse.net.uk ([212.104.131.206]) (envelope-sender <xxx@xxxxx.co.uk>)
           by mira.eclipse.net.uk (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
           for <xxxxxxx@eclipse.co.uk>; 18 Nov 2003 11:47:41 -0000
Received: from h34.zynet2.co.uk (h34.zynet2.co.uk [212.24.80.34])
  by hyperion.eclipse.net.uk (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA30685
  for <xxxxxx@eclipse.co.uk>; Tue, 18 Nov 2003 11:52:13 GMT
Received: from cache.zyris.net (xaracom01.he.gxn.net [195.224.53.28])
  by h34.zynet2.co.uk (8.11.6/8.9.3) with ESMTP id hAIBpfG27575
  for <xxxxxxxx@cornwall-online.co.uk>; Tue, 18 Nov 2003 11:51:51 GMT
Received: from 62.121.115.86 (86-tor-8.acn.waw.pl [62.121.115.86])
  by cache.zyris.net (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id hAIBpDW18781
  for <xxxxxxxx@cornwall-online.co.uk>; Tue, 18 Nov 2003 11:51:22 GMT
To: <xxxxxxx@cornwall-online.co.uk>
From: "natalie" <xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Re: my collection to trade iqtfzufwrcnjzxtctgklkwovhhumdbjwfnitnadennuzgmbvjeqnmrta
X-Priority: 3
Reply-To: xxxxx@xxxxxxxx.co.uk
Message-ID: <4.QTZxIeX@A8CpZN>
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 19:51:26 +0700
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
  boundary="----=_NextPart_006_0031_UBNTVJTN.EDUDRRZF"
 
------=_NextPart_006_0031_UBNTVJTN.EDUDRRZF
Content-Type: text/plain;
  charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8 bit
 
------=_NextPart_006_0031_UBNTVJTN.EDUDRRZF
Content-Type: text/html;
  charset="ISO-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8 bit


I have blanked out part of email addresses to protect other users with xxxxxxxxx

I regularly get those too Barra, although not anywhere near as many as yourself.  If I know that they are not genuine bounces, I have always assumed they must be a form of spam.  40-50 a day certainly seems as if a spammer has spoofed your address doesn't it?  To be on the safe side, I would inform your ISP in case they accuse you of being a spammer and throw you off.  I know that it's happened to other people in the past although I'm sure they are more aware of how spammers operate these days.

 so I'm clueless as to how I can stop them. Any help appreciated, even from the blondes

Charming!    - I've had lots of these too but same as clive no where near as many as you. The one's I get never seem like they are from any same organisation which is odd. I don't get the point in them myself.  Its not like you are going to try and resend it?

well I was thinking barra, at least it means you do at least get some emails    

 

"Geddit?" By the bucket load. Would people suggest I get rid of this particular email address- which is my favorite personal address by the way- or will these spammers leave it alone after a while and pick on someone else?

I believe the traffic will drop to zero once the offending machine is sorted out.  I certainly wouldn't get shot of your favourite address on account of this, Barra.

I've had these 'bounce' messages too.  It's usually a short-lived phenomenon.  Just zap them in Mailwasher and forget about it.  Your ISP won't kill your account over such traffic.  Hang in there mate.  

Clear as mud  :blonde:

Just wondering - you don't use mailwashers bounce feature do you?

Allegedly this can cause an increase in problems as you can tell a real bounce from a mailwasher generated one (due to the fact you usually won't be checking/bouncing your email at the same time as it's delivered - if delivery time != bounce time then probable mailwasher bounce)

However it does just sound as if your email address has appeared as the return in a junk email - this will pass after a few days.

The attachments you are getting wouldn't be a virus would they? In which case it may be worthwhile downloading one and checking the headers of the message to see the path it took before it was bounced to you. As this may give an indication of who has you in their address book and who also has an email virus on their system.