Comcast Email Changeover Goes A Bit Too Far

from the wait-a-second... dept

For months now, I’ve been receiving emails telling me that I need to download some special software that will let me change my attbi.com email address over to a comcast.net email address. Why this changeover is occurring has been covered a few times before. I ignored the messages for a two big reasons: (1) I don’t trust anyone telling me I need to download software to change my email address. That can be easily done within my email client. (2) I don’t use an attbi.com email address. I have a work email address and a personal email address, both of which are on domains that I control. Why should I bother changing anything? As it stands, my current attbi.com email address was just set to forward to my personal email address – and, so far, had only been used to send me messages about downloading this useless software. Now that I’m reading the details about the software, I’m glad I stayed away. First of all, it would have been useless for me, since I don’t use their email. Second, I don’t use the email client they would be adjusting anyway – so their configuration changes would be useless (though, thankfully, wouldn’t screw up my main email account). The most surprising thing, though, is that this software also changes your browser’s homepage. This has absolutely nothing to do with what email account you’re using, and seems pretty damn intrusive. In the meantime, there appears to be no (obvious) documentation on how to set up the new comcast.net email address to forward to your other email addresses – so I’m not setting it up, and I’m assuming I’m not missing anything.


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Comments on “Comcast Email Changeover Goes A Bit Too Far”

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20 Comments
John Bartley (user link) says:

Re: don't worry about it

Yes, do worry…

A poster in a USENET forum I frequent found that Comcast sends notices to customers by that e-mail address…. and he was disconnected because he did not respond.

Now, I don’t have an easily guessable account name at Comcast, so I’m relatively spamfree there, but just the same it’s a good idea to check that Comcast addresss because the customer disservice droids expect you to read that account’s mail.

Bryan Price says:

"It's in there!"

You go to the page to download the software, then you click on the link for the Linux guys, and then you can either figure it out yourself from the following information, or you can choose a listed software package and they’ll tell you how to do it. Since I already know how to fix Eudora and Mailwasher, I just grabbed the info off the front and did it myself

Comcast crap

POP3: mail.comcast.net
SMTP: smtp.comcast.net
Usenet: netnews.comcast.net

So there you have it.

And I’ve done the same thing, grabbed a domain, and setup my own email address.

aNonMooseCowherd says:

No Subject Given

> this software also changes your browser’s homepage

Doesn’t that violate anti-cracking laws? Even if you willingly load and run the program, if it modifies your system in a way that is unrelated to its stated purpose, I would think that might be grounds for civil or criminal action.

Bryan Price says:

Re: No Subject Given

I was very suspect of this “connection wizard” to start with when the first e-mail didn’t say anything about what it actually did. Then I find out that it’s for Outlook Express (Gee, I don’t run that). And then it was, “you have to wail till June 30th!”, and I’m like, what’s the big deal? We can’t have it already configured before the switch over?

I new something up when I found out that our local Comcast phone # (COM-CAST) is actually only local to about half their subscriber area here. Of course, it’s not local from where I’m at.

former comcast worker says:

some help from a former comcast drone

i used to do e-mail support for comcast during the transition period. the reason they wanted people to download the transition wizard was because not many of our customers were computer savy enough to know how to change their e-mail clients using outlook, and if their passwords with attbi weren’t long enough, they would be locked out of their accounts unless they went through the transition wizard and updated. the funniest thing is that i didn’t work directly for comcast. they actually contracted the customer service company i worked for to do it for them. comcast didn’t sign my check. but i have access to all of your comcast bills, e-mail addresses, you name it. great company huh?

williams dowo says:

Re: comcast email

CHALLENGE SECURITIES LTD.
LAGOS, NIGERIA

ATTENTION:SIR/MADAM

I am MR.williams dowo, the Director of Operations
CHALLENGE SECURITIES LTD,LAGOS NIGERIA. Here in
NIGERIA Our firm is a security company of high repute
with years of outstanding service to the people of
Africa.

I have resolved to contact you through this medium
based on business proposal that will be of mutual
benefit to both of us. I got your particulars through
a consultant company base on my research for a
trustworthy and established person that understands
investment ethic for entering into a life time
profitable joint partnership investment and also
co-operation with confidence and trust that you will
keep the contents secret and divulged to any third
party.

To be explicit and straight to the point. Some time
early 1997, a reputable client of ours deposited a
consignment in our company’s vault for safe keeping.
And since then our client has failed to come forward
to claim his consignment, which has accumulated a
considerable amount of money in demurrage.

Consequently, in our bid to contact this client to
redeem the demurrage which his consignment had
accumulated we discovered that our client was the
former president of the Federal Republic of Zaire, who
died of illness after he was de-throwed in the same
year the consignment was entrusted into our care.

Since the death of our client President Mobutou
Seseseko, none of his benefactors has come forward to
claim the consignment with us, which means that non of
his relatives or aids had any knowledge of this
consignment. Hence out of curiosity I decided to
secretly open the two boxes that our client deposited
in our vault. And to my surprise I discovered that the
two boxes that were registered as treasure! r by our
client actually contained a considerable amount of
money in United States Dollars amounting to about
US$30 million Dollar. Since this development I have
been nursing plans secretly. I also found out from
enquiries and the foreign media that our late client
siphoned a lot of money from his country while he was
in office as head of state.

It is my conviction that the consignment in our vault
was part of the money that our client siphoned and now
that he is dead there is no trace to this money in our
care.

I am now soliciting your noble assistance to assist me
in transferring this money out of nigeria to your
country for immediate investment with your assistance.
I have also decided that you will generously be
entitled to 30% of the total amount. Upon my receipt
of your reply confirming your willingness to assist me
of this transaction, I will immediately arrange and
transfer all the rights of ownership of
thisconsignment to
your name to facilitate your easy clearance and
transfer of the complete funds to your country.

you have nothing to worry about, as I will be there
to assist you in anyway necessary with all proper
documentation.

This transaction is 100% risk free.

Please maintain absolute confidentiality on this
matter.

Please reply to the above email address with your
telephone and fax so that i can call you.

Thanks.

Yours faithfully.

WILLIAMS DOWO

williams dowo says:

Re: comcast email

CHALLENGE SECURITIES LTD.
LAGOS, NIGERIA
williamsdowo33@yahoo.com

ATTENTION:SIR/MADAM

I am MR.williams dowo, the Director of Operations
CHALLENGE SECURITIES LTD,LAGOS NIGERIA. Here in
NIGERIA Our firm is a security company of high repute
with years of outstanding service to the people of
Africa.

I have resolved to contact you through this medium
based on business proposal that will be of mutual
benefit to both of us. I got your particulars through
a consultant company base on my research for a
trustworthy and established person that understands
investment ethic for entering into a life time
profitable joint partnership investment and also
co-operation with confidence and trust that you will
keep the contents secret and divulged to any third
party.

To be explicit and straight to the point. Some time
early 1997, a reputable client of ours deposited a
consignment in our company’s vault for safe keeping.
And since then our client has failed to come forward
to claim his consignment, which has accumulated a
considerable amount of money in demurrage.

Consequently, in our bid to contact this client to
redeem the demurrage which his consignment had
accumulated we discovered that our client was the
former president of the Federal Republic of Zaire, who
died of illness after he was de-throwed in the same
year the consignment was entrusted into our care.

Since the death of our client President Mobutou
Seseseko, none of his benefactors has come forward to
claim the consignment with us, which means that non of
his relatives or aids had any knowledge of this
consignment. Hence out of curiosity I decided to
secretly open the two boxes that our client deposited
in our vault. And to my surprise I discovered that the
two boxes that were registered as treasure! r by our
client actually contained a considerable amount of
money in United States Dollars amounting to about
US$30 million Dollar. Since this development I have
been nursing plans secretly. I also found out from
enquiries and the foreign media that our late client
siphoned a lot of money from his country while he was
in office as head of state.

It is my conviction that the consignment in our vault
was part of the money that our client siphoned and now
that he is dead there is no trace to this money in our
care.

I am now soliciting your noble assistance to assist me
in transferring this money out of nigeria to your
country for immediate investment with your assistance.
I have also decided that you will generously be
entitled to 30% of the total amount. Upon my receipt
of your reply confirming your willingness to assist me
of this transaction, I will immediately arrange and
transfer all the rights of ownership of
thisconsignment to
your name to facilitate your easy clearance and
transfer of the complete funds to your country.

you have nothing to worry about, as I will be there
to assist you in anyway necessary with all proper
documentation.

This transaction is 100% risk free.

Please maintain absolute confidentiality on this
matter.

Please reply to the above email address with your
telephone and fax so that i can call you.

Thanks.

Yours faithfully.

WILLIAMS DOWO

mary ann says:

internet dummy

Hi Mike: I have been around computers for the last 25 years but mainly for wordprocessing as I am a legal secretary. I can play with clipart and set up folders, etc..but this is just small stuff..the internet kind of scares me and I don’t know much about the do’s and don’ts about email..I want to set up an address that my family can email me at..my son, tried to set me up through comcast but it did not work..I don’t know if the address above will even work..I need some help…thanx maggie

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