Fleas - we need more fleas....
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85137)
Shingle Springs, California
January 24, 2011 2:22pm CST
Well kind of. We don't need more fleas to attack us or our pets. We don't need more fleas to spread tapeworms. But I do have a use for them, yes I do.
No, not flea circuses...
Not only was my Hotmail account hacked several months ago (I was able to go in and change the password, which got rid of the problem), but a number of people's e-mail accounts have been hacked. This has happened mostly to Hotmail and Yahoo accounts, but there have been a few Gmail accounts as well.
What does this have to do with fleas, you ask yourself?
Well, I just think that if we have to have fleas on this planet, we ought to be able to send them off to infest the armpits of all those hackers and spammers that seem to be out there.
Meanwhile, since we don't have fleas that are programmed to attack hackers and spammers, I would suggest this. When you set up a new e-mail account, please, please set it up with a backup e-mail address. That way, when you get hacked, and if the hacker changes your password, you can send your password to your other e-mail account so that you can change it.
This public service announcement has been brought to you by Dawn's flea market. My fleas want to retire, you see.
PS Does anybody know if a person who had had their account hijacked like that has any recourse if they can't get in and change their password? ie Will Yahoo or MSN or Google or whoever disable the account if the account holder asks them to? Is there even some way to contact those companies to let them know that an account has been hijacked? Some of these spam e-mails from the accounts of friends get pretty annoying indeed!
2 people like this
15 responses
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
24 Jan 11
I think the flea in the armpit sounds like a very good idea. I remember back when I had AOL and my one favorite username was hacked into. Then the next day I go to check my emails on it and get this obnoxious email from AOL telling me I had been shut down because I had too many emails going out and they could be spam. I contacted them back to tell them I knew nothing of this. I was shocked. It was my first experience with spammers. It happened several times on AOL. Then I started using Yahoo more and I now have a spammer that is sending all my address book spam. Some are okay about and afew are really nasty with me. I have contacted Yahoo two or three times with no reply. I just ignore it. The one place I have never been hacked into is MSN. I never have had a problem getting into my accounts even after they are hacked. I don't use gmail so I don't know how they act after a spam incident.
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
25 Jan 11
Most of the ones I have known that have gotten hacked have been on AOL. Even my semi ex daughter in law.
2 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Jan 11
I had the same thing happen with AOL, and I had to contact them to change my password. It hasn't ever happened with any of my Yahoo accounts, but it happened to my Hotmail account.
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
25 Jan 11
Well, something needs to be done with AOL. I am glad I am not with them anymore.
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
24 Jan 11
Ha! And I thought you were going to say you wanted fleas for R - ha ha! Stupid hackers. It hasn't happened to me, but I hope it never does - that totally sucks. I know people who've had their Facebook account hacked, but I don't know about their email. Good idea about getting that back up email . . . I always ignore those notices - I really should do it. Just their armpits? How about their private parts - ha ha.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
24 Jan 11
Oh, Oh, I want to set up a flea mail account. Your idea of retribution sounds very much to my liking. I do not know anything about what recourse others have in this case. I have received some of the end result. Lots of e mails about viagra and cialis, and also some promoting websites that sell electronics. I actually have a few other people I would like to put on my flea mail list.
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
24 Jan 11
I totally agree...that would be the least we could do to them...why not just get a real job..is the question I would like an answer to...why make others miserable when it would be easier to find something to make their own....like a living..and not off the backs of someone else....
2 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Jan 11
Yes but then what would my poor, unemployed fleas do?
@cynthiann (18612)
• Jamaica
24 Jan 11
But Dawn, fleas are so small and they only cause the person to scratch. How about sending rats instead? Yes, I have received emails from friends that were not friends if you get what I mean.How would you set up a back up email?
2 people like this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
24 Jan 11
When you set up the e-mail account, they usually ask you for an alternate e-mail address. Once you've set up the account, there's probably a settings panel where you can do it. Of course, once it's been hacked and the password is changed, you are in trouble...
1 person likes this
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
24 Jan 11
lol, love the public service flea market. My understanding is for instance my comcast I pay for that so I can get them to immediately reset it. As for free accounts I believe it will not be instant by providing verification it can be done.
By the way Me does not want any fleas so I will not be acquainting your market. 
2 people like this
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
24 Jan 11
If you can't get the free account email addresses to verify you then they will not help with disabling account is my guess.
2 people like this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
24 Jan 11
Knock on wood, I haven't seem to run into that problem. When I first set up my computer the computer guy I talked to told me to add AAAAA@AAA.AAA to my contact list and told me it would deter hackers. They can no longer get in there to hijack my contacts emails. Since it starts with an A it is the first thing they run into, and it is not deliverable, it won't let them go any further. I don't know if it helped or not, but that is what he told me. So far so good.
2 people like this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
25 Jan 11
GOod idea if you could get then to do that and just hackers lololol
Ya I get tired of the spam that says they are from my friends then I find out they are from friends makes me so maddddd.
but thenI can read them like on IM and know it isnt the person I realy talk too
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
It's annoying. You know the person's account is hacked, but you don't want to block them because they're a friend. 
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Jan 11
I agree with the use of fleas... in fact, didn't I suggest it a while back?
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Jan 11
That's where I got it from, too...
Insults were big in the early 60s, along with elephant jokes.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
Why do elephants paint their toenails red?
To hide in cherry trees.
Have you ever seen an elephant in a cherry tree?
See how well it works?
:D
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
Oh probably... But it originally came from a curse I saw somewhere back when I was in school:
"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits"
@ersmommy1 (12587)
• United States
25 Jan 11
lol! Love this PSA. Makes you wonder though. What kind of lives do these people lead? They have nothing better pr more useful to do with their time.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Jan 11
Unfortunately, a lot of my friends have had their email addresses hijacked in this way and it has really been quite a pain for them. That said, I don't use one of the free email providers for my email service and thus I don't think that something like this is as likely to happen to me as it is to people that are using free email accounts. However, I do know that it is always a possibility that you could have your email account hacked.
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
26 Jan 11
Ahh! So, is that it's use?
Everytime I open up my gmail account, I always get this message that says, "Hey, this is serious, you have to set up a back up email account". I keep ignoring it!
Maybe the next time I open it, and see that message again, I'll finally set it up with my other nine email address as back up!
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
26 Jan 11
Hm, not sure if I have one for my gmail acct, must go check...
@dawnald (85137)
• Shingle Springs, California
25 Jan 11
Horseflies, hmmmm....
A bit noisy, aren't they?
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
27 Jan 11
I just wish my Facebook password would not be hacked! I was getting scam mails from people under a few of my friends names! I changed my password in November I think it was. Now I need to do it again! In the past few days I am getting scams posted under a few of my friends,again! GR! I guess I will change it again! I wish there was no such things as hackers!
