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Across the Fence:  Unusual Emails  |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 13 2006 : 10:23:28 AM
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Today I received an email that came through maryjanesfarm from an address at myfamily.com. It said they were doing ancestry research and wanted to know more about my maiden name, which they had seen posted on MJF website. The member is new on January 12, and has not made any posts here.
I know what we share here goes out onto the world wide web, and we do share a lot of details about our lives. Usually it is very safe. But I just wanted to give you a heads up about getting emails from possible spam sites that somehow come through maryjanesfarm. At least, the ones I received seemed as if they were junk mail, and my hotmail address identified it as so. I could be wrong!
Hope you are all having a great day! And remember, as we chat here, that what we say is open for many eyes to read.
"Sell cleverness and buy wonder" |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jan 13 2006 10:28:03 AM |
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kydeere40744
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
Jessica
Kentucky
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2006 : 7:34:27 PM
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I never posted on that portion of the site due to 2 reason...Security and Security. #1: Never ever reveal your full name on the internet for all to see, along with your birthday. It is an easy way for someone to make a fake identity even with that little bit of information. #2: Never post up your email address in a forum...you are just asking for spam. Instead, give the option to send emails via your profile here on MJF Forum. That person never knows what your email is unless you reply back to them.
Hope this helps out for ya'll.
Jessica~Miss Wilma's Niece
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westernhorse51
True Blue Farmgirl
1681 Posts
michele
farmingdale
n.j.
USA
1681 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2006 : 8:27:58 PM
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good advice. sometimes creepy things happen online but on this site, the good always out weighs the bad. We all just need to be careful. Michele
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2006 : 9:01:23 PM
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Oh WOW, how many of you posted just that, your name and birthdate's on that thread where you were waiting for Patricia Utah farm girl for a reading .....DUH.. I should have thought to tell you about that. My husband deals with a lot of internet fraud in his job!!
Thanks for the big smack upside the head JP!! |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2006 : 05:25:41 AM
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Oh my....all the things I warn my girls against and here I've made the same mistakes! I guess I feel so safe here with all you gals that I never thought anyone else would be hangin' here or looking for info.
Thanks for the advice!!
Blessings
Catherine
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2006 : 06:44:16 AM
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I have taken the advice on both sites and deleted either the year I was born or the complete date all together. Yes, we all can get a bit comfortable on this site, so we just have to be more aware. Thank God it wasn't more information that was posted. At least we have been e-mailing privately for addresses, etc. Probably good to keep that practice going if we want to share details.
Anne
"Second star to the right, straight on till morning" Peter Pan
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greyghost
True Blue Farmgirl
650 Posts
Lynn
Summerville
Georgia
USA
650 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2006 : 08:06:27 AM
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What does a scammer do with your name and birthdate? I was thinking that same information is on the Garden Club's little booklet that each member has, both here and my old one in FL, with hundreds of members with hundreds of kids and grandkids and people visiting their homes. And in several little club booklets - people like to have each other's birthdays as something fun to do, and so many people know my full name - so I really thought nothing of it.
I thought the big no-no was you SS#, which I often refuse to give out even with companies that often require them.
If they can do something with that - how do we get put on a watch credit list with Experian/Equifax/TransUnion to red-flag any odd activity on our credit? |
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kydeere40744
True Blue Farmgirl
1132 Posts
Jessica
Kentucky
USA
1132 Posts |
Posted - Jan 16 2006 : 7:54:51 PM
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With a name and birthdate, it is easy to crack into emails since most logins if you forget your password will ask either birthdate, a question, or something different. With a full name, someone can get your phone nubmer after they see that you are from a certain city and town. With technology you can trace it to a particular household with directions from one house to another. It is sad to say that this can happen. Not only with the email address, people wanting to spam will get it to aggravate the tailfeathers outta you! With a phone number, they can also ask for donations for fake charities, etc. Also, folks can sign up for an email quickly using your name and send emails out to other folks acting like you or sign up for stuff acting like you. Also, posting up your full name and birthdate, you can easily obtain a birth certificate in some states that we all know contains different stuff about our families (mom's maiden name, etc).
This site is very much public. Just go to www.google.com and type in your screenname...a couple posts will pop up in that Google search. I always learned that nothing is private on the internet that's for sure.
I wanted to put up that little warning about posting full names, etc.
Greyghost (Lynn)-The best thing is to look on those particular websites you mentioned and you should be able to view your credit report. You are allowed one credit report free per year thanks to the new law. :) Definitely not good to give SS# to anyone and thank goodness no one has done that here.
With the mailart/signups, etc...it is each individuals decision to decide whether or not they would like to participate. The best thing about it is that Kate sends out the emails with the contact person and it isn't published on here. It is probably easy to see who is active on the board that is on that list and who isn't. You can always use an alternate address (work, PO Box, etc) or a different name.
I hope that I didn't scare the daylights outta everyone, but I wanted folks to be aware of what can happen with posting your full name, etc. Thank you jpbluesky for posting up the warning. :)
Jessica~Miss Wilma's Niece
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Across the Fence: Unusual Emails |
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Unusual Emails
