Fight Back Against Spam
By Bob Peters, WEBtech
If you are like the rest of us, you are probably fed up with spam, those annoying e-mail messages that clog up your inbox. But be careful - the solution to spam is not on the horizon yet, and uninformed efforts to reduce spam in your life may just bring you more!
What is Spam?
The wide definition of spam is "unsolicited e-mail". Most people don't include in their own definitions legitimate e-mail from local companies, or e-mail from individuals that have some association to you. Today, spam is usually meant to refer to commercial e-mail that is not only unsolicited, but also includes messages of questionable value which is delivered at an unacceptable frequency. Most legitimate companies seek to separate themselves from spam by taking certain steps:
- They clearly identify who they are and where you can reach them
- They allow you to request that your name be removed from their list
- They have some relationship with you (members of a business association, etc)
- They send messages infrequently (no more than once a week)
- They ask you to choose to receive their messages (opt-in newsletters)
It is easy to deal with legitimate companies. However spammers often do not play by the rules, and therefore it is often difficult to deal with them directly. Indeed, as you will see by reading on, the best strategy in dealing with spam is to a) hide from it, and b) ignore it.
How do spammers operate?
Spammers are companies that send unsolicited and unwanted marketing messages to great numbers of people. Their messages include, but are not limited to, invitations to visit porn websites, purchase herbal "cure-all" products, refinance mortgages or receive free gifts. Spammers have lists that include millions of e-mail addresses, and they are constantly looking for more. They simply do not care about your wishes, and are often trying to trick you into clicking on a website, giving them your e-mail address and personal info, or even buying a product. Spammers rarely tell you who they are, and often "borrow" e-mail addresses, pretending to be legitimate people.
What can you do to fight spam?
Your e-mail address is gold to spammers. If you want to hurt them, deny them access to your gold. Protect your e-mail address - only give it out to people that you know and trust. The following are some other tips and techniques to help you fight spam:
Never respond or reply to spam
Curious about the latest "cure-all" touted by that spam message? Or simply want to give the spammer a piece of your mind about sending inappropriate messages to your house? Whatever you do, never reply or click on a link from an e-mail message. By replying or clicking through, the spammer can verify your e-mail address and sell it to other spammers. And on the few occasions where an offer is genuine, rather than click on the link in the e-mail, go to your browser and visit the company's website directly instead. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Never click on "Unsubscribe" or "Remove" in an e-mail message
It sounds logical: you want off a spammer's list, so why not tell them? The problem is that the majority of companies that send you unsolicited e-mail are not being run by people who respect your wishes. While some senders may remove your address, it is most likely that they will flag your e-mail address as "live," and sell your verified e-mail address to other spammers for more money. Don't believe anything a spammer tells you. Just because they claim that their spam is being sent in accordance to US law, Article Blah-blah, Section So-and-So, it doesn't mean it is true.
Use a secondary, web-based e-mail address
Set up a web-based e-mail address such as HomerSimpson@hotmail.com (free at Hotmail, Yahoo, Netscape, etc.). Use this e-mail address when participating in newsgroups, entering contests, downloading software or joining e-mail newsletters. When you sign up for events such as the above, there is sometimes an option sheet that might invite you to join other groups. Read the form carefully, and if possible, decline any offers that will see you get more e-mail. By using a secondary address, spam generated from these sources will go to your "public" e-mail address instead of clogging up your private, personal e-mail address. If you have friends who like to forward web pages to you while they are on-line ask them to avoid allowing the website to do it automatically ("Send this page to a Friend"). Instead, ask them to copy the website address themselves in a personal e-mail to you.
Avoid vacation messages
When you go on vacation, avoid the temptation to place a message that will automatically reply to e-mails sent to you, telling everyone that you are away. While it is convenient to let friends, family and business colleagues know why you cannot respond, it also tells spammers that your e-mail address is valid. It also potentially tells thieves that your house/office may be unoccupied.
Be very careful when making purchases online
Before you buy something online, read the merchant's privacy statement. It will tell you if they plan to share your e-mail address (and other information) with any other affiliated company. Use common sense: if you trust the retailer, then you can trust their privacy statement. Having said that, avoid buying anything from a spammer. Chances are that offer that sounds to good to be true really is. If you are interested in a product, go to the retailer's website directly, rather than making a purchase via the e-mail promotion.
Turn off the graphics download/display in your e-mail program
Some e-mails you receive are very pretty, and use graphics and html coding to look just like a web page. Rather than being sent as an attachment, these graphics are often sourced from an Internet site. When you open the e-mail, the request to download the graphic can also secretly send your e-mail address to the spammer's computers. This means that the spammers now know that your e-mail address is valid, and they can sell it to other spammers. Try to look at your inbox with the preview window closed. This way you can delete the spam messages before any of the these graphics have a chance to load. Once you have cleared the spam, you can then view the valid messages normally. Some e-mail programs also allow you to simply turn off the graphics download/display.
Avoid automatically confirming receipt of e-mails
When someone sends an e-mail they can request notification that you have received it. Some e-mail programs can be set up to automatically reply, but in most cases you will see a pop-up message that asks if you want to confirm receiving the message. Simply say "no" or "cancel". You will still be able to read the message, and you can reply to it later if you wish.
Avoid open mailing lists
Avoid joining mailing lists that are open, or in other words, lists where it is easy for members of the list to see and record all of the other e-mail addresses. An example is an old high-school buddy who regularly sends jokes to dozens of friends, or something more sophisticated, such as a movie review club. You never know who is on a mailing list; it could be a spammer culling e-mail addresses. Ask the list-owner to use the BCC option, which will hide all of the e-mail addresses.
Avoid promoting your personal e-mail address
Business people and companies are in a difficult position when it comes to promoting their e-mail addresses. On one hand you want to make sure your customers can e-mail you, but on the other hand you want to avoid giving spammers your e-mail address. E-mail addresses can be electronically "harvested" by special programs that roam the internet and databases. Therefore rather than list all employees' e-mail addresses on your website, consider only listing the general address (such as info@yourcompany.com). This tip applies to printed advertisements and brochures as well as websites.
Always protect your personal information
Never send your personal information, especially your credit card number, to any organization or individual that you do not have complete confidence in. Only make purchases on-line with companies if you are certain they are who they say they are. Secure, encrypted order forms are even better. Keep an eye on your monthly credit card statement and immediately contact your financial institution when there is any question.
Use filters and rules to automatically separate spam from good e-mail
All e-mail programs allow you to create additional folders to help you organize your e-mail. Another feature is the ability to automatically move e-mail from your inbox to any folder. Use these two features to move e-mail into a "Spam" folder, or directly into your trash folder. For example, you may want to set up a filter/rule that says that any e-mail with the word "casino" in the subject line be moved in the Spam folder. This allows you to separate your e-mail into manageable portions, and makes it easier to delete spam - especially if you receive more than 100 messages a day. You can also buy a separate program that does the same thing - before your e-mail actually gets into the Inbox - but there is no product out there that will simply block all spam or junk e-mail.
Here is one filter that is easy to create and can eliminate a lot of spam. Check for mail that does not include your email address in the To: or CC: fields. This is a common tip-off for spam.
Be careful! Sometimes, legitimate e-mails meet these rules, so before you delete any group of messages, take a quick look to see if any messages need to be moved back to your inbox.
Additional Resources
Here are some links to additional information:
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