Are you a victim of spam?

 

 

What is Spam?

 

Spam is unsolicited commercial e-mail or news postings.  Spam messages are NOT requested by you and normally contain many addresses of people NOT known to you.   These messages can be get rich quick schemes, diet plans, links to porn sites, etc.  If you didn’t ask for the message, sign up on a mailing list related to it, or leave your e-mail address on a web form asking for more information regarding it, then it’s SPAM!

 

How Does A Spammer Get Your Address?

 

Web pages are one of the most common places in which to get your address.  If your e-mail address is listed anywhere on the Internet spammers can find it.  This includes places where you signed up for a newsletter of some sort.  Another source are the messages you send to friends and family.  If they forward your note to a large group, especially if it’s a joke, and a spammer is a friend of a friend of a friend, your address can easily be seen.

 

 

What Can You Do To Stop Spam?

 

1. Delete the e-mail

 

The ABSOLUTE WORST thing to do is to click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the spam message.  If you reply back to the spammers, this shows them that you check and also read your e-mail. They will then compile a list of known working email addresses and try to sell them.  As a result, you will continue to receive additional spam e-mail.  The BEST steps to take with spam messages are to delete them and avoid replying back to them.

 

2. Set up e-mail filters/blocks

 

       Steps for Outlook Express users

        

§         Click on Tools at the top of the screen

§         Click on Message Rules

§         Click on Mail

§         Set up rules

 

       Steps for Netscape users

§         Click on Edit at the top of the screen

§         Click on Message Filters

§         Set up rules

 

3. Report the e-mail

 

This is the last thing to try if deleting the messages and creating filters have not worked.  To do this, you need to look at the full-received headers of the spam e-mail.  Within these headers, you will find information that can help you determine from where the message originated.  You will see all the ways that the spammer tried to remain anonymous so they can’t be traced.  However, a spammer’s greatest fear is his IP Address.  The IP address is an address on the Internet that everyone has and no two are the same.  When you look in the headers, you will see an IP address such as 184.64.16.20.  This tells you exactly from where the mail came.  Please be aware that there may be several addresses listed.  You can send messages to all of them.

 

     Steps to view headers

         

             For Outlook Express users

                 

§         §         Click on the spam message

§         §         Click on File at the top of the screen

§         §         Click on Properties

§         §         Click on Details

 

            For Netscape users

 

§         §         Click on the spam message

§         §         Click on View at the top of the screen

§         §         Click on Headers

§         §         Click on Select All

 

Using the IP address you found in the headers, go to the web page, ARIN Whois.   Type in the address and then click on submit.  ARIN will look up the address and give you the domain information from where the e-mail originated.  An example of a domain name is eohio.net.  Once you have the domain name, open the spam e-mail and click on Forward.  Type in either abuse@domain.com or webmaster@domain.com bearing in mind that domain.com means the address you found through ARIN.   You will need to copy and paste the full-received headers into your reply e-mail so the Administrator of the domain has something to see. The administrator cannot do anything without these headers.  In addition, you should include a brief complaint about the spammer and ask politely that effective action be taken against the person.  In most cases, you will receive a response from the administrator within several days thanking you, and letting you know that they have terminated the spammer’s account.  However, don’t expect a response every time because the administrator is a busy person, but he will look at your complaint

 

Programs to Block Spam

 

Email Remover (has free version)

Spam Buster  (has free version)

Mail Washer (voluntary fee)

SpamButcher (has fee)

 

Links

 

Stop Junk Mail

Fight Spam on the Internet

Getting Rid of Spam

CAUCE -(Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail)

OutBlaze Anti-Spam Mail Report