Dealing with email spam
spam, def.:
- To mass-mail un-requested identical or nearly-identical email messages, particularly those containing advertising. Especially used when the mail addresses have been culled from network traffic or databases without the consent of the recipients. (From: Jargon File, def. 5; see also: Hormel)
- Stupid email from people you don't know, about crap you don't want.
- Also known as Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE), and Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE)
- Never tell anyone your email address.
- Whoops, you forget and send a friend a joke, and your friend forwards it to some gal
- This gal then forwards the email to everyone on her joke list
- Some joker copies the message (including email addresses) to some website
- ... and the dreaded spammers snag your address, again
- So now it's time to change your email account, again.
- After receiving some spam, asked to be removed from the list
- If it's an honest and considerate business, they will immediately remove you from their advertising list.
- Unfortunately, this lets inconsiderate spammers know they have a valid email address, and can re-use and/or re-sell your address... accomplishing the exact opposite of what you want!
- Also, most/all spammers use temporary or forged email accounts to spam.
- For more on tracking down spammers, see: spam FAQ, alt.spam FAQ, HappyHacker.net; also Spammer faces slammer
- Of course you could make your reply-to addresses contain those clever me@NOSPAM.example.com permutations.
- Spammers have likely already programmed their spam-collecting programs to decipher the most popular of these.
- Get a free email account
- Use this account when an email address is required by various web sites, especially when you're unsure of their email privacy policies.
- Or, set up an email "redirector," which means giving potential spammers a disposable email address.
- See: Sneakemail, or SpamGourmet
- Note: some people give false info when signing up for free accounts... gee, I wonder why
- Report the spammer to their ISP (Internet Service Provider), or to people who keep track of these things.
- You can also forward spam to uce@ftc.gov (which, as of Jan. 2002, was receiving 10,000 spams/day)
- For more info, see: SamSpade.org, SpamCop.net, Spamhaus.org, JunkBusters.com
- Spam Laws, U.S. Federal and State
- SpamCon Foundation Law Center (discussion board)
- Here's a guy who has declared war on spam and spam war 2; another good read on playing with a spammer
- Want to investigate dumb "University Degree" spams? Check the message boards at DegreeInfo
- Why spam is bad (statistical guesstimations)
- How much does spam cost? Spam calculator
- Tips for suing spammers
- spam.abuse.net, cauce.org, more resources
- Spammer's phone numbers, mostly toll free
- Lyris's white paper: Stop spam now
- Direct Marketing Association's email preferences service
- Spam filter reviews, anti-spam software (windows)
- The junk mail problem.
- c|net's article on risky spam behavior
- Curious about how
spammersbulk emailers work? Here are the 3 all-to-easy steps:- They get one of the many bulk email programs
- They buy some list
- For about $200 and a few hours time, they can start emailing 1,000,000 recipients
- If you're a Systems Administrator, see the email & spam sections of the webmaster portal
- How spam harversters work
- One guy's spam answers
- How to waste telemarketers time
- Spam Software: