Spam Primer
Where did this stuff come from?
Spammers use simple algorithms to auto-generate mailing lists. These will span every plausible email address and attach it to a domain. A typical example would be:
a.user@anisp.org; b.user@anisp.org; c.user@anisp.org etc, etc.
The mass mailing begins at this point and while the vast majority will be bounced back to the spammer, quite a few will still reach their intended destinations The subject usually will advertise products that are false or coaxing it's readers into some kind of pyramid scheme.
There may even be attachments which may seem harmless enough to the average user but common sense would advise we adhere to a well known golden rule from childhood: "Don't accept sweets from strangers".
What can I do about it?
Start by refusing to supply an e-mail address online, including forums and web sites that ask you for it, unless leaving the address is beneficial to you.
However, if you sense that a web site is gratuitously requiring it, falsify your address. Instead of giving it as janesmith@myisp.com give it as janesmithdoesnotexist@myisp.com as programs designed to create mass e-mail lists don’t know the good address from bad ones.
What alternatives are there?
There are many companies online that provide free email addresses, the two major ones being Hotmail and Yahoo. These can be used as "disposable" mail addresses you can submit to online forums, when registering software etc.
This way, the majority of spam will get diverted to your disposable account and your primary email remains private for family and friends.
This mail says "Click here to be removed from our mailing list"
This confirms your email address is valid and opens the floodgates for even more spam to arrive in your inbox. Click at your own peril.
What programs can be helpful to stop spam?
Their effectiveness varies because they scour for keywords, phrases and known sources to weed out e-mails. But spammers know this and adjust their tactics accordingly.
There is always the possibility that these programs will reject an e-mail from someone from whom you do want to hear. But there is no harm in giving them a try and finding what works best for you.
The list of available programs includes (but is not restricted to) MailWasher, IhateSpam, SpamSubtract, ChoiceMail and SpamKiller.
There are also several shareware programs available on PC World which you can try free of charge for a limited amount of time.
That sounds expensive - is there another way?
I'll outline the procedure for Outlook Express. With a bit of head-scratching, you can extend the how-to to Outlook, if you have it, and perhaps even to other e-mail programs.
- Open Outlook Express
- Click Tools > Message Rules > Mail
In "Select the Conditions for your rule," designate the circumstances under which you want Outlook Express to take over the handling of a suspect message.
The two obvious ones are "Where the Subject line contains specific words" and "Where the message body contains specific words."
In "Select the Actions for your rule" select "Move it to the specified folder."
As you make choices in the first two sections, the third section fills up with new options.
If you have created a rule for "Where the Subject line contains specific words," the third section will contain a copy of that rule definition, but with the last three words underlined. Click on them.
In the Type Specific box that opens, type the words or phrases characteristic of spam you get: mortgage, Viagra, your body parts. Click Add or hit the Enter key after each word or phrase.
Do the same if you want Outlook Express to deal with e-mails with those words in the message body.
Click on the link in "Move it to the specified folder." Click on the plus sign next to Local Folders. Highlight Inbox and click on the New Folder button. Name it something like "SPAM".
Why create a spam folder rather than just delete the spam? Because if you get spam about mortages, you don't want to read it. But if you get an e-mail from a friend, boasting about his low mortage rates, you may.
My son/daughter is exposed to this - who do I complain to?
Your ISP, but don't go screaming about it - it's not their fault.
First of all, you will need to extract the header of the email as this will tell you the origin of the sender. To do this in Outlook Express:
- Right click the offending email
- Left click Properties
- Click the Details tab
- Click Message Source
Simply copy and paste this into an email to your ISP's abuse report address and await an outcome. It will get investigated properly but don't expect miracles - the Internet wasn't built in a day :)
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