msn hotmail

[ravtino]

This is a really off topic - My friend uses hotmail and when she trys to log into her account she keeps getting a message to type in the letters below - the letters are all arranged differently and you have to work out what they are! She is very dubious about this and has not done it, I just wondered if anyone else out there has come across it, she has spysweeper, and zone alarm fire wall on and she did have avg but I have just taken that off to update it and off course I need to be able to access the e-mail to get the number.

[AngelaB]

Hi Ravtino

I have hotmail, and i also did the exercise they are asking for. It is normal, not quite sure why they ask for it though.

[bellaepovera]

I use hotmail also but I did not get that one!

[Nostromo]

If it is what I think it is, it is some form of security check to make sure that you can read secure items or something like that. I have come across that thing with sites other than hotmail and it sounds legitimate. You usually get some wavy letters and/or numbers in a greyish box and you have ti type it correctly.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

It's to stop automated spamming programs for signing up and using Hotmail accounts as only human's will be able to read the characters and enter them correctly. Otherwise the spamming programs just signup for Hotmail accounts automatically and start sending spam out from them.

[Michele L]

They do it on Yahoo accounts too! I thought it was just an extra security thing, which I suppose it is!!

Michele

[LiesaAnna]

i never had it with my hotmail account!

[Madabouttigger]

Yes I have had it with my hotmail account, there is an explanation somewhere on the site about it, so you can tell your friend that it is fine.

[Ray&Sarah]

We had it on our hotmail too, left it to our eldest son to sort out the setting up for us.:)