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Why are random people sending me instant messages?

FiziksFiziks Registered User regular
edited July 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
Over the past week I've gotten two random instant messages, in which both claim I had messaged them first. Weird part is their names just show up as numbers.

Any idea whats going on?

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Fiziks on

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    Hey AshtrayHey Ashtray Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Spam? Maybe you get charged texting back. If it shows up as a number for me it means it's not in your contact list. I wouldn't reply.

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    ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited July 2010
    What client? I used to get these on AIM a lot, not in years though.

    ceres on
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    Page-Page- Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Possible that someone just misspelled an email address.

    I know I did that with my sister once. I was messaging some random person for nearly a month before I realized that the reason they never responded was because they had no idea who I was and why I was claiming to be their brother. That was awkward.

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    Mike DangerMike Danger "Diane..." a place both wonderful and strangeRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Fiziks wrote: »
    Over the past week I've gotten two random instant messages, in which both claim I had messaged them first. Weird part is their names just show up as numbers.

    Any idea whats going on?

    There are actually a few social experiment type things on AIM where people are randomly paired. Search around for "Coho" or "TheGreatHatsby" for examples of this.

    Edit: Er, assuming you're on AIM, that is. (Ceres' post made me think you were on AIM when this was happening but now I realize that's not the case.)

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    DrFrylockDrFrylock Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Probably spam? ICQ used all-number IDs. AIM and ICQ are/were somehow related since AOL acquired ICQ a long, long time ago (1). ICQ spam is pretty rampant.

    DrFrylock on
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    Seattle ThreadSeattle Thread Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    It's spam. Ignore it.

    Seattle Thread on
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    FiziksFiziks Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Mike Danger wrote: »
    Fiziks wrote: »
    Over the past week I've gotten two random instant messages, in which both claim I had messaged them first. Weird part is their names just show up as numbers.

    Any idea whats going on?

    There are actually a few social experiment type things on AIM where people are randomly paired. Search around for "Coho" or "TheGreatHatsby" for examples of this.

    Edit: Er, assuming you're on AIM, that is. (Ceres' post made me think you were on AIM when this was happening but now I realize that's not the case.)

    No I am on AIM. What I should have said is that the random people's screen names who IM me only show up as numbers, as well as mine to them.

    Fiziks on
    Cvcwu.jpg
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    eternalbleternalbl Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Have you checked to make sure you don't have a virus and aren't actually sending them the first message?

    eternalbl on
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    JaysonFourJaysonFour Classy Monster Kitteh Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Your computer could be a bot working for some spammer. When was the last time you scanned your computer?

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    GrimmGrimm Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I've been getting messages he past two weeks from random people claiming that i met them before from a craigslist personal ad and they wanted someone to have sex with someone and i think and they decided to try me again. Just as everyone is saying, its spam. Click block and go on with your day.

    Grimm on
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    SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Once, someone put my AIM name in an IRC channel claiming I was a "17/F from Cali LF someone to cyber with"

    I got over 100 AIM messages in like 10 minutes from different people. One guy even opened with "Can I have your phone number so we can have phone sex?"

    SniperGuy on
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    FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    It is spam messages from ICQ, since the ICQ and AIM systems are interlinked, you'll get hit with ICQ spam.

    Also if you have a Livejournal account, remove your AIM account name from that, they seem to enjoy scraping it from there. I was getting hit by that damn Coho bot every time I posted to LJ at one point.

    FyreWulff on
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