You might want to look at the source code. Spammers will sometimes send lots of seemingly blank messages, but instead of being truly blank, they'll contain an html code snipit that one would normally expect to display a graphic.
For example, it might read: HREF="http://www.spammersdomain.com/D845TF5O0.jpg"; which is actually a link to nothing. However, when your email program attempts to fetch and render the picture that's expected, the spammer's server log records an error and the name of the file that was sought. The reason the spammer does this is that he's assigned a unique code to each email address in his list (in the above that name is "D845TF5O0") so that when your email program attempts to render the non-existent image, he receives positive confirmation that your email address is valid and active. Then, of course, he sells your address along with the others that he's tested as a list of confirmed addresses to other spammers. That's one reason that spam control at the isp level is more effective than spam control on your computer ... it often prevents these address validations. Bill Holt > From: "George H. Yankey" <jeffco13 at bellsouth.net> > Reply-To: macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu > Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 13:59:53 -0400 > To: macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu > Subject: Re: MacGroup: Fwd: > > Hen, That is what happens to me also. No sender and no address. > George > On Saturday, July 31, 2004, at 01:02 PM, Henri Yandell wrote: > >> >> I've received a few of these at work, though oddly not on my noisier >> spampot of a personal email. >> >> They appear to be completely empty to MS Outlook, no subject, no sender >> etc. >> >> Hen >> >> On Sat, 31 Jul 2004, Mike Watkins wrote: >> >>> George, >>> What Message? This is all I got in your E-mail. >>> Mike >>> >>> >>> On Saturday, July 31, 2004, at 08:19 AM, George H. Yankey wrote: >>> >>>> I keep getting the following message in my E-mail. What does it >>>> mean? Why does it show up two or three times a week? >>>> >>>> George Yankey >>>> >>>> Begin forwarded message: >>>> >>>>> Date: Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:15:10 AM US/Eastern >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will >>>> | be July 27. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. >>>> | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> >>>> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup> >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will >>> | be July 27. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. >>> | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> >>> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup> >>> >> >> >> >> | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will >> | be July 27. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. >> | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> >> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup> >> > > > > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will > | be July 27. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. > | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> > | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup> > | The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will | be July 27. The LCS Web page is <http://www.kymac.org>. | List posting address: <mailto:macgroup at erdos.math.louisville.edu> | List Web page: <http://erdos.math.louisville.edu/macgroup>
![http://www.spammersdomain.com/D845TF5O0.jpg"](http://www.spammersdomain.com/D845TF5O0.jpg"){kind=link}