Attention AIM Users...

[Smith6612]

I'm just letting you guys know about some AIM spam that has been going around lately. I have yet to get hit with any of these yet, but there has been some excessive spam heading around the AIM network originating from dozens of screen names consisting of messages such as "Someone has an AIM Crush on you. Click "here" to see who it is " or things about sleep over parties and such. If you get a message like this, do not click on any links, as these will take you to a random site which may be a phishing site, or even worse. Instead, mark the account as a spam account or in other words, give the account sending you the spam a warning (set as report AIM Spam), and then block the screen name. Also, as a security precaution, I suggest disabling things such as file transfers and Direct Connections (and SecureIM for those Trillian users like me) to anyone who is not on your contact list, and to prompt when someone on your list does try to do any of these things, as there's been word of some bad things happening to people on the AIM forums because of random Direct Connect requests.

Just giving you guys a heads up for those of you here who use the AIM service. I do not work for AOL in any way.

 

[Conmiro]

My friend said he was having stuff like that happen to him. Glad I dont have AIM.

 

[Jarryd]

Thanks for letting us know, i know i use aim occasionally, but haven't had any problems lately. Although it is good to know that this is going around.

 

[Smith6612]

I only see AIM spam coming around really. MSN oddly enough, despite it's file transfers literally going at dial-up speeds on a DSL line with more throughput than a T1 line and most cable connections, actually has never given me spam problems. Yahoo has only given me some slight ones, but that was a while ago. AIM, however, I get spam coming in probably once every 2 weeks at the minimum, in which case I can simply block it. I've since applied an ability in which I am not appearing to people not on my list as online, which has stopped all of that spam. So far, all of my IM accounts and my Steam account have been signed on for an entire year solid and I've gotten my spam problems fixed with some simple settings.

 

[Conmiro]

I use Yahoo messenger. It seems to be the most popular and offers me the most features.

 

[darkX3536]

I think this warning should apply to MSN users too! I kept receiving spam mails which smell of scams to me...

 

[tcmstr134]

Really? I havent been on AIM for awhile, but last I logged in, i wasnt reciving any spam. May I ask when you began to recive these messages?

 

[Spartan Erik]

Does this apply to all AIM users or just users of newer versions of AIM?

I'm still running a modded 5.2.3292 as it's memory usage is low and serves its purpose as an IM client.

 

[Smith6612]

All AIM users. I have never in my 3 years of having DSL here (my first and only high speed connection to date) used AIM because of how bloated it is. Heck, I don't even use it on my fastest computers here. I use Trillian instead.

 

[Spartan Erik]

4,000K isn't too bloated IMO. How much memory does Trillian use?

 

[Smith6612]

~2,000k, and it's been open continuously for abut 2 months (which was when I last needed to reboot for updates to Vista). You're also I believe forgetting to total in the AOL Software/connectivity process as well. Also, notice those ads on AIM? Trillian, even the free version has no ads what so ever. Believe me, AIM is a bit bloated. Uses more memory than it should (until you open the contact list where the GUI starts to fill stuff up, along with the ad), while I have Steam open, along with Trillian keeping me logged on to 3 different services with all of the plugins loaded, and it keep the memory usage the same as AIM in the long run. With the AIM client, WLM, Yahoo IM, and Steam, I'd be using close to 20MB of memory. With Steam and Trillian, I'm sitting at 4,500k of memory. It's nothing really, but I don't like stuff using extra memory than it should.

 

[kkenny]

Eh, I use Trillian too, and this is probably just a little scare. Me myself, I have approximately now 1.5k people across my aim accounts and I have only blocked about 50 for spam in the last 5 years of using aim. I guess if you have common usernames or you give out your aim username to alot of people (I do) you have a higher chance of getting spam then people who keep their aim usernames more secret.

 

[Smith6612]

I have very few people on my screen name, but these people who used to use the AIM client before I got them to Trillian, had gotten some viruses and other crap via AIM, which I had to clean out.

 

[Brandon]

I use AIM, one of my screennames has that spam problem (not sure why but it does), btw I use AIM 6.5 I have 13 IMs open and the buddy list it's using 77,460 K and has used a max of 145,496 k.

 

[Smith6612]

Exactly! Bloated! When I open up that much even when I have a very good GUI on Trillian open, it sits will below 30,000 K of memory usage.

 

[Spartan Erik]

~2,000k, and it's been open continuously for abut 2 months (which was when I last needed to reboot for updates to Vista). You're also I believe forgetting to total in the AOL Software/connectivity process as well. Also, notice those ads on AIM? Trillian, even the free version has no ads what so ever.

Wow I just might consider Trillian. However, my AIM 5.2.3292 ad-free and provides tab support thanks to AIMutation

And from what Brandon is saying about the latest AIM, all I can say is yikes.

 

[Smith6612]

There's tabs on Trillian as well. If you want, you can even undock the window to make it separate in Trillian as well. Also, one thing AIM doesn't do which Trillian does is 128-bit encryption of your chat messages to another Trillian user.

 

[Brandon]

=P http://www.brandonsgames.com/aimwow.PNG