New Spam marked as "Read"

[Lking]

No to spread spammer tricks, but how do they do this?

The following two similar spam are marked as "Read" when they are first downloaded into my mail app. Have noted this before and some times it makes the spam hard to find if the spam has an old date. I use the Netscape 7.2 to deal with my mail/spam.

http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z791090399z79...0f0e86bca1c57dz

http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z791090405zbc...f1022c814579e1z

[StevenUnderwood]

No to spread spammer tricks, but how do they do this?

The following two similar spam are marked as "Read" when they are first downloaded into my mail app.  Have noted this before and some times it makes the spam hard to find if the spam has an old date. I use  the Netscape 7.2 to deal with my mail/spam.

30911[/snapback]

How are you accessing the messges? Via IMAp on another server somewhere or via POP on your local machine?

Do you have any filters that might have marked it read?

That function should be the responsibility of the email client you are using. I have never seen the phenomenon you describe. I use Lotus Notes at work, Eudora via POP at home and Spamcop webmail via IMAP while away from home.

[dbiel]

And to add another example to Steven Underwood's list,

I use Outlook Express to POP messages from my SpamCop Account.

Sometimes at work I will use WebMail to read some messages before that are POPed home. Messages (marked read, or unread) are all marked as new (unread) when they are downloaded.

I also use IMAP to access held mail. IMAP will maintain the read/not read status of the messages on the SpamCop server.

Again as Steven Underwood said, it is a function of the mail client that is used and the results will depend on how that client is setup.

[Lking]

How are you accessing the messges?  Via IMAp on another server somewhere or via POP on your local machine?

Do you have any filters that might have marked it read?

30912[/snapback]

Right, I skipped over the obvious (from this end). I read the mail straight from my ISP POP3. Well DSL to local LAN straight. Norton Internet Security checks everything coming in to the CPU from the LAN. The Norton app checks all incoming mail for Viruses and looks for spam. Viruses are deleted and spam is marked, ("[Norton AntiSpam]" added to the subject). I then use the Netscape Message Filter to put all spam in a separate folder. Only these two of the 30 some spam a day get marked as read.

[Jeff G.]

AFAICT, both of those messages have dates an hour into the future.

What I'm reading is that, of all the spam email messages you've received recently and that has been tagged by Norton Internet Security and filtered to a separate folder by your Netscape Message Filter, only two have been marked as read. Are you sure that this didn't happen by accident, by action of a forgotten Netscape Message Filter, or by action of an inquisitive, mischievous, or malicious pet, family member, friend, or co-worker?

[Wazoo]

At the top of this page, enter the following (including the quote marks)

"marked as read"

use the drop down arrow to select "newsgroup discussion archive"

click on the "Search for ->" box

There was a bit of this situation discussed in a couple of newsgroups, one of the threads in fact mentioned a Netscape issue specifically, something about codes within the headers as I recall .. not sure if it was classified as a bug, but .....

[Lking]

Following Wazoo's always good advice,

Google in summary:

Reported on IE as well as Mozilla.

One has "X-Account-Key:" one doesn't

Both have "Status: U" in the header

I use POP and only one computer to read mail (I don't leave message on server).

The Pump-and-Dump spammers have figured it out as well as the websexers

AFAICT Netscape keeps track of what has been read (X-Mozilla-Status: 0001) and not read (X-Mozilla-Status: 0000) in the header of each message. This can be toggled <Message><Mark><as Read>. So they have figured out how to toggle this in Mozilla when the new message is loaded into Mozilla (and however IE does it).

Jeff G. Good points but:

Date/times are before I read them this a.m.

What you read is correct. Checked both Netscape Message Filters just move to a folder. As for "inquisitive mischievous, or malicious pet, family member, friend, or co-worker" kids lived long enough to move out, wife left, friend touched my computer before he died, got fired and my dog died (joke). Under a normal situation these would be options.

I will try to contact Netscape but with a new version out and having been bough by AOL I don't hold out much hope.

[Jeff G.]

If the same thing happens in Mozilla Thunderbird, you could report it in Bugzilla.

[Lking]

I'm on their list - I got two more copies this am. No news from Netscape.

[Jeff G.]

As a workaround, can you use another filter to either put those messages in a special folder or mark them as unread?

[Lking]

As a workaround ...

30975[/snapback]

A good thought. Norton now IDs them as spam so they go to the spam folder. As soon as I report them to SC and others I delete them so there is no real problem. Its the first time I get a new spam when its not IDed as such that cause any trouble. If its not IDed as spam it goes in the general folder. Depending on the date/time stamp it may "hide" amoung other older read messages.

I realy don't understand the advantage of marking them "read". If you don't read it you can't follow the links, etc. Most spam links have a short valid life so a delayed read results in a broken link. It may be a "I do it because I can" thing for the spamhead.

[Jeff G.]

Perhaps they don't care, or they don't know that those wacky headers they copied from their test spams in their Netscape inboxes are causing problems for you.

You might also want to consider moving read messages out of your inbox to some sort of archive. Mine are generally archived by month.