Hi, everyone in my addressbook,
I send my incoming e-mail through "Mailwasher" so I can see what is coming in before it loads on my computer, and can delete there, or even "bounce" it back as if my e-mail address was inoperative, in the hope that they will remove it from their list. http://www.mailwasher.net/ My spam list is still growing, like everyone else's.
But occasionally something gets through without my seeing it first, and Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus is supposed to take care of that. I just delete those. But on October 26, some time after I deleted one of those extras, a file appeared on my desktop named " ~ " I didn't have time to check it out until this morning (November 4) - sorry. It contained a copy of my addressbook. I have since noticed an increase in the number of spam e-mails I get with my own return address. From " Other name < my@address > " .
Apparently this virus, which Norton did not detect, executed upon "delete" and made two copies of my addressbook to send out. Check your desktop. If an icon named " ~ " has appeared, drag it to your "Recycle Bin" and then delete it from there. Then search for the other copy (you may want to search anyway). My Windows XP had it at "C:\Documents and Settings\My Name" If you don't have "XP" then "Start, Search, Files and Folders," type in to search for ~ . There will be a long list of files that contain the tilde. Most are fine. The one in question is named with just that symbol. Delete to your Recycle Bin, then delete from there.
I am sorry about this, and hope it hasn't spread too far.
Jim Liptrap