This is strange...

[laurellanestudios]

Can anyone shed light on this?

Someone emailed me through the "contact" button on my web site. Her (assuming it's a woman) comments were sort of strange...very off topic...she wanted me to post her favorite dinner recipe on my site.

When I replied to the email it was kicked back as "undeliverable."

Well, it happened again. I'm quite certain it's the same person because she asked when I'm going to start posting my favorite recipes. This comment was from a different email address.

Again, I replied and the email was kicked back as undeliverable.

The first email address was Yahoo, the second was AOL.

Is it possible to create and use an email address that you can SEND email with but not RECEIVE email with?

It's getting sort of creepy. This person can contact me but I can't respond.

[born2snooze]

Hi Kathie, did you get my email? Thank you for the generous beads! Will make something of them soon! :waving: ((hugs))

I think its her security thingy, its set to receive emails from certain people only (like only from whoever listed in her address book), something like that?

You know, you can put a message to her in your website, telling her that you cant reply to her. Just a thought! :love:

.

[laurellanestudios]

Yes, I did get your message and I was happy to donate the beads. Hope you can use them.

Good point about the email...I didn't think of that. You're right, I should post something on my site addressed to her.

I have a 12-year-old daughter and have become really suspicious about cyberspace...maybe I'm just being paranoid!

Thanks!

[Juln]

I checked out your contact form.... the sender can type it whatever they want as their email. It's not validated in any way, so they might just be making up an address. They are not 'sending' this via their email address, but rather, through your site. They don't need a valid email address at all; I could type in 'cheney@whitehouse.gov' or your email address, my email address, Ringo Starr's email address, or whatever into that box and it would get sent to you. Then you'd send email back Dick Cheney's secretary, see what I mean??

As far as "Is it possible to create and use an email address that you can SEND email with but not RECEIVE email with?" yes, I can set the 'from' email address to whatever I want in my email client. Similarly to the above issue, I could easily send out messages saying that they came from Dick Cheney. Email is not a secure or validated protocol, in a computer sense.

I would just ignore it (which is what you should be doing with those weird Paypal emails you mention on your site, also! If it's not on your paypal statement, it is some hokum attempt to get your password!! It doesn't matter how real it looks!!)
... if it's some psycho recipe stalker, don't encourage the person by posting stuff about them on your site. They sounds weird anyway and it seems ripe for ignoring.
What's their favorite recipe though? Is it good?

[ChaoticGlass]

Kathy,
I have a form on my website also, and I've had a lot of bogus email addresses submitted too. I agree with Julian, don't encourage the sender by acknowledging them. If it becomes more frequent, you can always remove the form for a while and just list your email address.

I get about 3 or 4 a month now, used to get at least 12 a week, I removed my form for a few months so I don't get as many now. Being paranoid is not a bad thing, it's better than being myopic...Good Luck!

[laurellanestudios]

Great info...thanks. Now that I think of it, when my web site was new it included a button for comments. I received so many strange comments with even stranger email address the first week that I deleted the button.

Here's the pathetic thing about the "recipe stalker" as she is now known in my house...I don't even remember saying that I'd post recipes! If my family eats chicken one more night, they're going to sprout feathers. I am by no stretch of the imagination an authority on great cooking tips!

You've convinced me not to mention the post on my site.

Now if only someone would "stalk" me because they like my work!!

Thanks again.

[sislonski]

I've had this happen to me, basically, if I can't send them a reply, I just keep deleting their emails. It's not my problem if they've got some sort of block on.