Oh, look! Another spammer scam on LJ!
There appears to be a new and quite flagitious spammer scam afoot on LJ. Ahoy, flist! Listen up and monitor your inboxes closely!
So, for the last couple of weeks I've been getting what appear to be e-mails from registered LJ users announcing that I've received an e-mail greeting card.
This is what drops into my inbox:
- In the "From" field, there'll be a person's LJ e-mail address, e.g. "yourusername@livejournal.com."
- In the subject field, something like "You've received a greeting e-card."
If you know how LJ e-mail works, you know that even if you don't display your e-mail address in your user info, savvy people can e-mail you by sending an e-mail to "yourusernamehere@livejournal.com." But when those e-mails appear in people's inboxes, IIRC they usually show up as being from the sender's actual e-mail address, not their LJ-format e-mail address.
So, if someone who is a legitimate LJ user were to send an e-mail to me using the myusername@livejournal.com address, the e-mail that would drop into my inbox would show as being from actualpersonse-mail@theirdomain.com, not theirusername@livejournal.com.
Is that clear? God, I just read that over, and it's garbled.
Possibly clearer example:
Say a registered LJ user uses Yahoo as their e-mail provider and they want to e-mail me, but they do not have my e-mail address. They could e-mail me using LJ's e-mail function by sending an e-mail to kaliblahblah[at]livejournal.com. But when I receive that e-mail, as far as I know it won't show up in my inbox as being from thatregistereduser@livejournal.com, it'll show as being from thatactualperson@yahoo.com.
So, this morning I got an e-mail from "bloodfyr@livejournal.com" with a subject header of "You've received a greeting ecard."
This is about the fourth time I've received these e-mails. bloodfyr is an actual registered LJ account and doesn't appear to be a Russian bot or anything of that nature. I don't know bloodfyr and thus assume that he/she/hir's LJ e-mail address is being spoofed and then used to spam a zillion other LJ users. I don't have any LJ friends in common with bloodfyr and thus have no idea what he/she/hir would be e-mailing me, and it's obvious that his/her/hir's e-mail addy was spoofed.
Has anyone else gotten these e-mails that appear to be from LJ users professing to have ecards inside? If so, comment here, and for the love of fluffy kittens, please open up an LJ support request and/or open a ticket with the LJ Abuse team.
This appears to be the new wave of scam strategy that spammers are using to fill up your inboxes if you're on LJ. Russian bots are so 2008, man.
In other real life news:
- Situation with bank and IRS temporarily sorted. I'll know in five days whether or not the IRS will take mercy on me and deal with me regarding their mistake. Either way, I can look forward to a long dispute process with the IRS and the kind of paperwork that makes trees the world over weep in grief for their soon to be lost brethren.
- Still freaked out about my cousin's passing. Still unable to deal.
- Still trying to keep my head above water. Praying for a month's extension chez Ziggeraut.
- Hives back on neck and chest - this is doubtless due to stress and grief. Oh, greeeeat. Unable to go out in public. Body, I thought I had a better coping strategy in place? Five years ago this wouldn't have happened.
Switching gears now to historical notes: today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.
You can find the raw landing footage on YouTube. It's still incredibly exciting as the lunar module Eagle separates from Columbia - it's all caught in the film footage below - and the palpable, crackling, barely suppressed glee from NASA launch control personnel as they run through a checklist ("Go!" "Go! "GOO!") contrasted with the preternatural calm of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as Aldrin notes velocity and altitude data, the moonscape of the Sea of Tranquility racing by closer and closer, and the touchdown as, of course, Armstrong says what has now permeated the popular lexicon.
It was the culmination of a promise made by President Kennedy.
The Eagle has landed:
I don't know how anyone can watch this and not be floored at the technical achievement, the sheer amount of will, work, sweating of bullets and the absolute preparedness of the flight crew.
Why did we stop going to space? I've been asking that ever since I was a child. Why did we stop exploring?
Reading the inevitable onslaught of commemorations filling my Google newsfeed this morning reminded me that one of my favorite fictional characters asked the very same question.
This is, of course, from Warren Ellis collaboration with Bryan Hitch on The Authority, specifically when the Engineer morphs herself into a one-woman spacecraft and flies to the Moon:
And, a page later, one of my favorite panels ever:
Hitch's rendering of Angie's joy in that panel is a thing of beauty. (Also, note the lulzy use of lens flare.)
See? You can morph yourself into a one-woman spacecraft and rocket to the moon if you replace your blood with liquid nano-tech.
Things that may possibly help me (and perhaps you) get through the day without committing hari kari:
How to succeed as an Ayn Rand character:
Next up, 11Points is my new favorite website. ("Because Top Ten lists are for cowards." RIGHTEOUS.)
Why?
11 Photos where black people were awkwardly Photoshopped in or out. This made my head hurt (the racefail, the racefail - WHY take an Afro-Caribbean guy out of a photo with Prince William? It BURNS us, precious), but it also made me convulse in hysterical laughter at how badly some of these were done.
Not to be outdone: 11 Deep Questions about Judaism From the Geniuses at Yahoo Answers.
Oy gevalt. It's hilarious, but OUCH, the ignorance and racism are about what you'd expect from the Great Unwashed English-speaking Public.
My faves:
Q: Where can I learn Jew Jitsu?
A: At your neighborhood dojew. I recommend training with Cobra L'Kaiim.
And:
Q: What does it mean to be acidic jew?
A: A Jew with a pH less than seven. Duh.
*DEAD*
So, for the last couple of weeks I've been getting what appear to be e-mails from registered LJ users announcing that I've received an e-mail greeting card.
This is what drops into my inbox:
- In the "From" field, there'll be a person's LJ e-mail address, e.g. "yourusername@livejournal.com."
- In the subject field, something like "You've received a greeting e-card."
If you know how LJ e-mail works, you know that even if you don't display your e-mail address in your user info, savvy people can e-mail you by sending an e-mail to "yourusernamehere@livejournal.com." But when those e-mails appear in people's inboxes, IIRC they usually show up as being from the sender's actual e-mail address, not their LJ-format e-mail address.
So, if someone who is a legitimate LJ user were to send an e-mail to me using the myusername@livejournal.com address, the e-mail that would drop into my inbox would show as being from actualpersonse-mail@theirdomain.com, not theirusername@livejournal.com.
Is that clear? God, I just read that over, and it's garbled.
Possibly clearer example:
Say a registered LJ user uses Yahoo as their e-mail provider and they want to e-mail me, but they do not have my e-mail address. They could e-mail me using LJ's e-mail function by sending an e-mail to kaliblahblah[at]livejournal.com. But when I receive that e-mail, as far as I know it won't show up in my inbox as being from thatregistereduser@livejournal.com, it'll show as being from thatactualperson@yahoo.com.
So, this morning I got an e-mail from "bloodfyr@livejournal.com" with a subject header of "You've received a greeting ecard."
This is about the fourth time I've received these e-mails. bloodfyr is an actual registered LJ account and doesn't appear to be a Russian bot or anything of that nature. I don't know bloodfyr and thus assume that he/she/hir's LJ e-mail address is being spoofed and then used to spam a zillion other LJ users. I don't have any LJ friends in common with bloodfyr and thus have no idea what he/she/hir would be e-mailing me, and it's obvious that his/her/hir's e-mail addy was spoofed.
Has anyone else gotten these e-mails that appear to be from LJ users professing to have ecards inside? If so, comment here, and for the love of fluffy kittens, please open up an LJ support request and/or open a ticket with the LJ Abuse team.
This appears to be the new wave of scam strategy that spammers are using to fill up your inboxes if you're on LJ. Russian bots are so 2008, man.
In other real life news:
- Situation with bank and IRS temporarily sorted. I'll know in five days whether or not the IRS will take mercy on me and deal with me regarding their mistake. Either way, I can look forward to a long dispute process with the IRS and the kind of paperwork that makes trees the world over weep in grief for their soon to be lost brethren.
- Still freaked out about my cousin's passing. Still unable to deal.
- Still trying to keep my head above water. Praying for a month's extension chez Ziggeraut.
- Hives back on neck and chest - this is doubtless due to stress and grief. Oh, greeeeat. Unable to go out in public. Body, I thought I had a better coping strategy in place? Five years ago this wouldn't have happened.
Switching gears now to historical notes: today is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing.
You can find the raw landing footage on YouTube. It's still incredibly exciting as the lunar module Eagle separates from Columbia - it's all caught in the film footage below - and the palpable, crackling, barely suppressed glee from NASA launch control personnel as they run through a checklist ("Go!" "Go! "GOO!") contrasted with the preternatural calm of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as Aldrin notes velocity and altitude data, the moonscape of the Sea of Tranquility racing by closer and closer, and the touchdown as, of course, Armstrong says what has now permeated the popular lexicon.
It was the culmination of a promise made by President Kennedy.
The Eagle has landed:
Click to viewI don't know how anyone can watch this and not be floored at the technical achievement, the sheer amount of will, work, sweating of bullets and the absolute preparedness of the flight crew.
Why did we stop going to space? I've been asking that ever since I was a child. Why did we stop exploring?
Reading the inevitable onslaught of commemorations filling my Google newsfeed this morning reminded me that one of my favorite fictional characters asked the very same question.
This is, of course, from Warren Ellis collaboration with Bryan Hitch on The Authority, specifically when the Engineer morphs herself into a one-woman spacecraft and flies to the Moon:
And, a page later, one of my favorite panels ever:
Hitch's rendering of Angie's joy in that panel is a thing of beauty. (Also, note the lulzy use of lens flare.)
See? You can morph yourself into a one-woman spacecraft and rocket to the moon if you replace your blood with liquid nano-tech.
Things that may possibly help me (and perhaps you) get through the day without committing hari kari:
How to succeed as an Ayn Rand character:
Next up, 11Points is my new favorite website. ("Because Top Ten lists are for cowards." RIGHTEOUS.)
Why?
11 Photos where black people were awkwardly Photoshopped in or out. This made my head hurt (the racefail, the racefail - WHY take an Afro-Caribbean guy out of a photo with Prince William? It BURNS us, precious), but it also made me convulse in hysterical laughter at how badly some of these were done.
Not to be outdone: 11 Deep Questions about Judaism From the Geniuses at Yahoo Answers.
Oy gevalt. It's hilarious, but OUCH, the ignorance and racism are about what you'd expect from the Great Unwashed English-speaking Public.
My faves:
Q: Where can I learn Jew Jitsu?
A: At your neighborhood dojew. I recommend training with Cobra L'Kaiim.
And:
Q: What does it mean to be acidic jew?
A: A Jew with a pH less than seven. Duh.
*DEAD*