For the past few days I have been receiving random MSN messages from people who are not on my contact list telling me about their desperate problems trying to upload pictures to their MSN profile!
Hey Cormac%20Moylan …..I cant upload my pics to msn for some reason! Hit me back up on http://**********.blogspot.com I have webcam on there.I will be online for a couple hours.
Nikki
Mmm, okay Nikki. I will help you upload photos by visiting your porn site. I’m on my way…
I deleted the first message and checked my contacts list; nothing was odd in my list so I just ignored the message thinking it was a once off. But then I started getting more and more of these messages. A few were being sent from one of my friend’s MSN account when he went Idle or just after he logged off. I told him about the problem and advised him to do an anti-virus, adware check and to also change his password as it seemed his account had been compromised. I haven’t received any messages from him since.
The messages are still coming through this morning from people who are not on my contacts list though. I have changed my own MSN password but this didn’t resolve the problem. I would have done a spyware, adware, anti-virus check but I’m on a Mac so that option isn’t really available to me. I don’t think the problem is on my end anyway. I then Googled the problem and came across an unresolved thread on a Microsoft Forum. Hopefully someone will post a solution in the next few days.
In the mean time it’s probably best to block messages from people who are not on your contact list. I’m not sure if this is the most up to date guide on do that on Windows but it looks like a good starting point. If you’re using Adium on OS X, you can set your privacy level to ‘Allow only contacts on my contact list’ by clicking on Adium > Privacy Settings > Select Account > Select Option.
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29 responses so far ↓
I keep getting these messages too. Its really annoying. If you find a fix can you email me it? Thanks.
Yeah me too, exact same experience while on Adium X. Friend said he received mail from me so I changed my password.
Thanks for the post.
[...] to Cormac Moylan’s 16 Aug 2008 post of the same [...]
Hey Cormac, I had the same problem a few months ago..and once I changed my msn settings, it went away thank goodness! It as quite a surprise though; it’s one thing getting spam emails but spam msn messages was a new one. Even bebo accounts are receiving comments from porn sites now..is anything safe?!!
Bebo has long been on the spammer list. Getting Skype spam is even more annoying than MSN. A Skype user by ’sexy cindy’ added me to her/his contacts a few months ago.
I deleted or rejected the request but I get an alert every time I login to Skype that Cindy’s birthday is today. The clever bastard spammer logs into the account everyday and changes his/her birthday to tomorrow in order that everyone on their contacts list receives a birthday notification! Grrr.
Oh Lord, that would drive me mad! I only use skype the odd time so I haven’t been spammed there yet..hopefully it won’t happen. I sometimes wonder what kind of person spends time sending spam like that..
Yah, I am getting that too. Except Trillian isn’t using my privacy settings because I always set it to disregard IMs sent from people not on my contact list. Unfortunately, looks like that is broken!
I got them too. Only from unknown crazy adresses.
Point is, they’re making variations:
—- start of message —
Hello *mynickname* …..
I cant get my msn to stay connected for some reason!
I am always online here Thak*deletethispart*sinchaPichitybbv.blogspot.com
—- end of message —
Grtz, Gritzing
Yeah, I have the same problem. It seems 90% of all the spam msgs (with similar if not exact msgs) all come from a blogspot user. Very frustrating!!!! It appears my email address was submitted to a list these spammers access to mass spam. Resolution would be fantastic!!
I got the same problem, some times is a new contact, and some times is only a message like this:
“I cant upload my pics to msn for some reason! But I want to chat with you.
you can find me on my personal page RutanaSanyarmmd.blogspot.com
my name is kelly”
I suffer from the same problem, even when using alternative chat clients such as Trillian or Pidgin. It’s incredibly frustrating.
There’s no proper way to fix this because it’s coming from the outside. If those are real accounts I advice those who’s been sending messages without you wanting it not to enter your username and password anywhere else but at offical websites. For instance, online block checkers. Most of those will use your account to spam your contact list.
I had been getting spam msgs like this maybe once a week, but in the last 24 hours i’ve had probably 50-100 - it’s getting to the point where I’m about to ditch my ancient account and start a new one
Tal, just block MSN’s from people who are not on your buddie’s list.
It doesn’t work - already tried that, they still come through. (I use Trillian). It’s something weird that must bypass something somehow, the messages always pop up in an away box too, even when I’m not in away mode - so there’s definitely something weird about it .
Here’s what I did before which is pretty much the same as suggested above! Cept I do remember that blocking people wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be..
1. In Windows Messenger, on the Tools menu, click Options.
2.Click the Privacy tab.
3. Click the Block button to move All Other Users to your Block List , and click OK.
Swiped this from an msn site..but I think that’s where I looked before for advice and it worked anyway..
Hopefully I’ve found the solution for Trillian MSN spam.
Go to Connection Preferences for MSN
Select Privacy Tab
Check your “Allow List”
Find “All other Users”in that list and move it to “My Block List”
This is in addition to ticking the box that only allow people on my contact list to send me messages .
Hope this helps someone else
Tal - I never noticed that entry in the past. I’ve had the same issue, getting worse every day… we’ll see if this fixes it… using Trillian.
Thanks for the info!
There is no “Connection Preferences for MSN” in Trillian. ???
I don’t have MSN chat installed, just Trillian Pro.
Where are you seeing this connection preferences for msn??
I’m not sure how different Pro is - but I just right click on the MSN “Dot” at the top of trillian, you’ll see the option in the list
Right… up where you have the little icons that say your status for individual protocols… right click the MSN one and click “Connection Preferences”. And yeah, that fixed the problem… haven’t received an unsolicited MSN message since. Thanks Tal!
OK. Found it.. thanks. I have multiple MSN accounts so i had to go to each one and then to “connection preferences” to get to the privacy tabs..
Thanks again
And i’m also victim of this spam :’(
some people are tracing the source back to facebook (or one of it’s apps) , anyone knows anything about that?
Allowing only people on my allow list to send me messages surely solves the problem, but this is equivalent to allow only people on my allow list to send me emails for stopping email spam. Would you accept that? I wouldn’t. Anyhow, I’m using the far speedier and more robust Google chat or Skype; never got a single unsolicited message.
I used to get the same messages as the rest of you and I have no idea who the starting culprit is, as the e-mail address is different every time and not even remotely close to any of my current contacts. I have not found a way to resolve the problem and I even considered using a different e-mail address on MSN to get away from it all but then I realised, “Who do I not re-add?”
I use Trillian as my universal Instant Messenger program. I have given in and just opted to block all messages from those who are not on my contacts list. We’ll see how that goes.
@Vittra: It’s quite annoying alright. I noticed that when I recently upgraded Adium that the upgrade turned off my settings to block people who aren’t on my buddies list. So if you do upgrade your client, make sure your settings are carried over.
Thanks for posting this article!!! I am harassed DAILY by these stupid IMs and had no clue how to block them in Adium. YAY!
I am getting there constantly in TRillian, there is no way to block them at the moment. What a headwreck.
Well, I selected the option to block messages from people who are NOT on my contact list and that has completely failed to stop the messages entirely. I’m still receiving just as many today as i was several weeks ago - it is almost as though that MSN feature doesn’t actually work, it’s just a comfort tick box to make us FEEL protected.
I’m still very frustrated that I am getting these messages and I know that it definite is not me causing the problem. After I purchased a brand new laptop for unrelated reasons and immediately got one of those messages after installing MSN Messenger and logging in for the first time, I knew it couldn’t have been me.
I get the same results whether I use the MSN Messenger privacy settings in Trillian or MSN.
I just want it to end.
@ Michael: In Trillian, right click on the MSN connection blue orb, select Connection Preferences, choose the Privacy tab and select the option “Only people on my allow list can see my status and send me messages.”
…Not that it does what it says it should anyway…
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