RANT: Past advertiser (photog) spamming me with political propaganda (Anyone else??)

[Miss*Bijou]

Sorry - Post is a bit long!


A long time ago, a photographer who was advertising on perb added me to his mailing list. I didn't mind receiving occasional emails about promotions and stuff like that, so I did not object to my email being added to his list. Fastforward to a few months ago: Can't quite remember exactly when but I got a notice from said photographer, advising me of his new blog. I noticed the blog wasn't named after his photog business but since he had used his first name as part of the title, I didn't think much of the email and deleted it without checking out the blog.

Note: I have received nothing about his photog business since then - not sure if it even still exists, though I don't think so as he doesn't seem to be in Canada anymore..but more on that later.


After a few times receiving multiple emails about this blog at a time, wondering what that was about and curious about the weird title of his emails/blog posts, I finally went to his blog. What I found has nothing to do with photography, nothing to do with escorting.. No, what I found is a blog about Tea Party-esque paranoid, racist and violent political "opinions" I would more appropriately call propaganda. Note that the author appears to no longer be in Vancouver, where he ran his photog business, but now returned to the US and his blog is about the US, NOT about Canada.


Not only was I pissed off about the content of the blog and only needed to read a couple entries and check out a couple of websites the author linked to before I was disgusted enough to stop reading, but I was pissed that my email would even be added to such a list when I clearly never subscribed, not even to the list my email was initially added to. Why would someone take a list they've put together for a photography business in one country and then think it's OK to use it to promote their political views about a different country?


Anyway, so I immediately sent a reply, advising that I'd never subscribed to receive this and politely asked to be removed from the list. Even though I never received any reply or confirmation that I would be removed, I thought that would be the end of that. I wondered if anyone else was receiving these emails too but just figured I should drop it and not waste any more time.


Until I received yet another update about the stupid blog yesterday. Sigh. Seriously.... W....T...F....? I've sent ANOTHER request for my contact to be removed and I have to hope this one will be honored but I'm honestly not convinced it will. This one was still polite although more direct as I'm getting really angry about the whole thing, mostly because of the CONTENT of this blog and the way my contact info was taken from a completely unrelated mailing list and used to spam me with this junk. That's not right and it's totally dishonest, unethical, you name it..

I did not subscribe or request to receive emails about this, nor do I wish to receive updates. I'm not American, I don't live in the US and I don't care for your racist, paranoid propaganda!

This is my 2nd request: PLEASE REMOVE ME from your list.

Thank you.

It also leads me to believe I'm probably not the only one who's ended up on both lists without subscribing for it. If you have also been receiving messages/updates from this person, including links to his (NON photography related) WEBSITE and BLOG, I would encourage you to also send a request for removal from his mailist list. That's just wrong!



Here's the info:


Robert Hudson

Emails signed as: Bigreb

bigreb@ix.netcom.com

rlh@glamourphoto.com --> from the original photography "list"

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I guess so.. I don't normally respond or read spam emails but did read this one because I used to consider emails from the sender as relevant. Guess you're right though I still think it's wrong.

And don't talk about malware - I'm currently struggling to get crap off my computer and I think I might have no hair left by the time I manage to do it! Argh. That's when I miss my MAC.... PC's SUCK! lol

Anyway, back to my malware battle now....sigh.

 

[nd1]

Anyway, back to my malware battle now....sigh.

What kind of malware is it? Can I be of help?

Let me know...

 

[Stella_Hardon]

I like AVG free version as my basic virus checker ... It is in the background keeping an eye on things and you can
configure it to update and do complete scans automatically.

I also have Malwarebytes and EMISoft Anti-Malware. These I can call up and do a scan when I'm out for an evening.

Run Crap Cleaner regularly as it removes dead files and cookies and make the virus scanning a bit quicker.

Update checker is a nice program which allows you to update programs as they are released.

Finally ... Belarc Advisor .. This gives you an easy to read report to make sure all your system files are up to date and some other usefull info.

NOTE : These programs are solid and fairly low risk. (Go to filehippo.com to download)

I just finished cleaning a computer (family member) who downloaded a ROGUE Anti-Virus program (Say VISTA 2011 Anti-Spyware)
and it intercepted every google search for anti-virus ... I was lucky to have had MalwareBytes on the machine and was able to purge the program.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

I have Malwarebytes but have been using Spybot Search & Destroy and like it better..

I've used a bunch of different ones in the past but right now I have Panda cloud anti virus.

oh.. and I use Advanced System Care too. I like to check the reviews on cnet.com and it gives me a good idea before I download or use anything. Works for me.

I have no idea how I got stuck with that malware crap but after removing it twice, having it come right back, I went through the whole thing again but I was afraid it wouldn't be too long until it pooped on my head again. BUT I had no idea what to do

Anyway, a friend instructed me to download and run combofix, which I have done and now I'm crossing my fingers hoping that did the trick.

If not, then I'll pull out all my hair and scream.


So let's just hope it worked. lol

 

[dedekind]

And don't talk about malware - I'm currently struggling to get crap off my computer and I think I might have no hair left by the time I manage to do it! Argh. That's when I miss my MAC.... PC's SUCK! lol

Anyway, back to my malware battle now....sigh.

Do a clean install.