I'm posting to alert others to a possible 'problem' and cc:'ing to my
postmaster, who may be able to trace the true origin of bogus messages
through console logs...  This particular user seems to be forging mail
and subscribing people to lists with wild abandon.  Has anyone else out
there noticed?  Just wondering...
 
On 11/7, I received a subscription request from: Mike Hissey <hissey@
austin.ibm.com>.  After adding the address to the subscriber list, I noted
that every piece of mail bounced with the explanation:  "User unknown:
No such file or directory."  I set the address to NOMAIL (and later
deleted because of further developments).  Since I figured direct mail
would bounce, I did not attempt to write to the ibm.com address.
 
On 11/8, I received a subscription request for:  Mike Hissey <al175974@
academ01.mty.itesm.mx>.  On 11/9, I received a SUB request from:  Mike
Hissey <[log in to unmask]>.  By this time, it should have
registered (especially since I *knew* that outgoing mail from Columbia
is in the [log in to unmask] format and no longer includes the host name)
that the requests were bogus, but I added them anyway, thinking this was
just some twit... and that he'd unsub the duplicate accounts on his own...
 
I then received frantic mail from Thomas at Columbia, who couldn't UNSUB
on his own for the reason noted above:  Listserv didn't recognize tjb3@
columbia.edu.  He noted that Mr. Hissey (assuming that's really his name)
had signed him up to about 30 mailing lists, and he was frantically trying
to get unsubscribed from all of them...  So, I deleted the Mexico and
Columbia addresses.
 
But, today, here are two more SUB requests:  Mike Hissey <freyes@miamiu>,
and Mike Hissey <[log in to unmask]>.
 
I've ignored these most recent requests, assuming they are bogus, but am
assuming that 20-30 of you with 'Subscription= Open' settings can count
these addresses among your recent subscribers.
 
Has anyone else out there noted a problem with this guy?  Or is it just me?
Suggestions on how to track him down and put a stop to the games?
 
Thanks,
kt