Pwned or Bot

Folio · 19 Jan 2023, 10:05 PM

"We're all so comprehensively pwned that if an email address isn't pwned, there's a good chance it doesn't belong to a real human."

https://www.troyhunt.com/pwned-or-bot/

TenFour · 19 Jan 2023, 11:24 PM

Interesting article and worth reading. I work in a business where I get a lot of emails every day, and the majority of the people who contact us are using Gmail or other popular providers and their email address contains their name in some way. I do find myself looking suspiciously at communications if the name of the person in the message does not match a name shown in the email address, or if the address is obviously a throwaway address. Just yesterday I had a problem where someone showed up to enter a Zoom meeting, but their Zoom name did not match their actual name--we didn't let the person in, but it turns out it was someone who was supposed to be in the meeting just using a "clever" Zoom name. They missed a good chunk of the meeting. This has happened to me multiple times. Similarly, I have been contacted via other means by people who knew me when I have used a generic email address that was not obviously me. More than once I have been contacted by some scammer who has stolen the address of someone I know, but they didn't pretend to be the person I know--in other words, I got an email from a known address, but it was someone I instantly identified as a stranger.

chrisretusn · 22 Jan 2023, 02:41 PM

Agree, Interesting article. I don't get a whole lot of email, 38 of them today.

I get emails from the director an organization I belong to, from "first last" correct address. I also get from "First Last" bogus email, normally easy to tell. Subject on the last one I received. "Fw: Note from First Last"

in the comments with a link (leaving that out of course):

"-----Original Message-----

I assume you recognize photograph #2"

19 Jan 2023, 10:05 PM	#1
Folio Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 77	Pwned or Bot "We're all so comprehensively pwned that if an email address isn't pwned, there's a good chance it doesn't belong to a real human." https://www.troyhunt.com/pwned-or-bot/

19 Jan 2023, 11:24 PM	#2
TenFour Master of the @ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: USA Posts: 1,749	Interesting article and worth reading. I work in a business where I get a lot of emails every day, and the majority of the people who contact us are using Gmail or other popular providers and their email address contains their name in some way. I do find myself looking suspiciously at communications if the name of the person in the message does not match a name shown in the email address, or if the address is obviously a throwaway address. Just yesterday I had a problem where someone showed up to enter a Zoom meeting, but their Zoom name did not match their actual name--we didn't let the person in, but it turns out it was someone who was supposed to be in the meeting just using a "clever" Zoom name. They missed a good chunk of the meeting. This has happened to me multiple times. Similarly, I have been contacted via other means by people who knew me when I have used a generic email address that was not obviously me. More than once I have been contacted by some scammer who has stolen the address of someone I know, but they didn't pretend to be the person I know--in other words, I got an email from a known address, but it was someone I instantly identified as a stranger.

22 Jan 2023, 02:41 PM	#3
chrisretusn Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Philippines Posts: 846	Agree, Interesting article. I don't get a whole lot of email, 38 of them today. I get emails from the director an organization I belong to, from "first last" correct address. I also get from "First Last" bogus email, normally easy to tell. Subject on the last one I received. "Fw: Note from First Last" in the comments with a link (leaving that out of course): "-----Original Message----- I assume you recognize photograph #2"