Open friend's email? No subject line.
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Should one open an email that appears to have been sent by a friend if the email has no subject line? by tonyglim in Six Words Questions on Jun 30, 2012 | 
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Comments
marymc says,
Not if you're on a PC.maryjane31 says,
No Tony. I was sent an email from my sister without a subject line, and I was immediately suspicious. I deleted it and called her and sure enough she did not send it. It was a virus that got into her contacts. Had I clicked it then I would have gotten it. When in doubt call the person.tonyglim says,
I had an argument with my brother about this. He thinks it's ridiculous not to open an email just because it has no subject line. He said some people forget to fill in the subject line. He also said that, if I received from him an email with no subject line, he hoped I would open it. He pointed out that some emails with evil intent have subject lines. What do you think of my brother's argument?maryjane31 says,
Your brother has a very valid argument. However I can kind of tell when I receive something suspicious. It cost a lot of money to have the Computer Guy take viruses out of your expensive computer, not to mention the damage they can cause to it. I am going to stick to my own opinion and be cautious. Also my Computer Guy said most viruses get in thru emails and the other way is the internet.maryjane31 says,
I forgot to add, even with security that does not guarantee a virus cannot get around your security.Dean6805 says,
How about calling this friend and asking if he/she sent an e-mail? It's an excuse to say hi and chat a little. Why not?tonyglim says,
maryjane, I too am going to continue to be cautious about the emails I receive.Dean, that's a good idea. I have done that before. Thanks for your suggestion.
marymc says,
Switch to a MAC. Viruses be damned.accidentaltourist says,
I frequently send emails without subjects...yes, I am that person. But if the person I send to doesn't respond...well, I guess that's my fault right?That said, if I receive an email from someone without a subject, it's 50/50 whether I open it. I might, but I might not. Where a virus gets you is if you open attachments. I've found that most of those emails without subjects are ads that just propagate and resend to your contact list. They don't do damage, they are just annoying...kind of like commercials.
Final note: when in doubt, delete sight unseen. If the message was important, the person will send again, or call you. Or text, or Facebook, or IM....or something. One would hope. :)