S P A M

[ExSimGuy]

Anyone else having big problems with SPAM?

Almost the only place I use this email address is on PPRuNe, and it's getting hit with about a dozen spams every day.

Can SpamBots get into the PPRuNe personal info files? To read the email addresses?

Wherever I can I show my email address in the form of me "at" isp.com , but this won't work in some cases (like PPRuNe where the BBS needs the corrrect address)

My other 2 email addresses have virtually no SPAM, just this one. Though I use these all the time for online purchase, etc, etc.

Really annoying thing is most of the stuff comes from several USA organisations that offer "great deals" which are limited to "US Residents only" - and the address I use with PPRuNe has a .co.uk format!:mad:

Any ideas?

[Conan the Librarian]

I wonder if you use any instant messenger systems? MSN, Yahoo, AIM etc. Things might well get in through there.

Another fave, is a file sharing proggy like Kazaa, or Bearshare for instance.

I use Adaware and the free MS anti spyware program to attempt to keep things as clean as possible, but once your email address is in the public domain, then I am afraid, to use a technical term - you are stuffed.


Conan

[ExSimGuy]

Yep, I use MSN and Skype. But I don't use the freeserve address for those.

I've tried to use bearshare (problem with my ISP and P2P) but didn't use the freeserve address there either

Have "Spyware Doctor" installed.

I'm currently reporting each one to SpamCop as soon as it arrives (so many from the same few addresses) but I may just add a "rule" to dump them straight in the "bit bucket". Trouble is that I still have to wait for the cr@p to download!

[Keygrip]

I do pay a small fee for it, but "SpamArrest" was suggested to me - and it works fine.

SpamArrest checks your servers inbox, checks all the addresses (set up was absolutely painless - though I've forgotten what) and then sorts out good mail into its own inbox and potential garbage into its own junkmail box.

You set your own e-mail client to download from your spamarrest account - NOT from your ISP.

You can, of course, go and glance at you junk box any time you wish and decide if any of the incoming junk is actually good stuff.

Anybody writing to you for the first time after you set up will receive an automated reply asking them to verify - if it's a good address, they will get the reply - if it's a garbage address, they won't.

Adding, blocking, deleting addresses all comes very easily.

Not surprisingly - www.spamarrest.com

[ExSimGuy]

Good idea - but as I use email a lot for business, I wouldn't want a customer enquiry to get a "did you really send this - I won't reply until you do" response.

I guess I could possibly set it up so only the Freeserve account got diverted and filtered though . . . . .

Freeserve does a pretty good job of tagging these files "***SPAM***, but I just wish they had an option to divert them into a "junk" folder that doesn't download unless I ask!

(now somebody tell me it does, but I didn't know how ;) ))

[mutt]

ESG,

Thought you were going to drop in for a SID&Coke :):):)

I have a couple of US based addresses, SPAMMERS appear to use a random number generator to create email addresses. So the fact that you keep your address relatively secure may have nothing to do with getting SPAM. On one of these addresses i was getting over 100 SPAM messages a day@! The only solution was to drop the address.

Mutt.

[BOAC]

As I understand it, all email addresses held by PPrune are encrypted and therefore 'crawlers' will not find them. As 'Mutt' says, the generation of email addies is largely automatic and you will almost certainly get spam on whichever one you use. I had loads on an AOL address (random numbers/letters only) which was only ever used to register with AOL. When I inspected the address header, it was full of close 'similar' computer generated addresses.

I and others have before recommended 'Mailwasher' which was free and enables you to easily separate and either bounce or delete spam before having to download it. Although it was free, I would urge anyone who uses it to make the small donation to the author!

[ExSimGuy]

I have used Mailwasher in the past, but I found it a bit "clunky" as it doesn't really integrate with Outlook Express. Might have to try it again.

(Of course, the latest version may be better and if I do use it, I'll definitely try to make a donation, which I always do with "beggarware" if it's useful)

Intesting that the "web hosting company" responsible for most of the "from addresses" and also the web-sites advertised, (www.servint.com) have the usual "Acceptable Use Policy" posted on their own site, but it seems to be a load of cowpats, as they have had many reports of the abuse via SpamCop, and take no action - still host these pests!

Mutt, - The "annual job in your area" got cancelled this year (something to do with a cricket (?) match during the Summer break!) But I'll let you know when I am next going to be down by the seaside and we'll get together.

[BOAC]

ESG - I have had no trouble with MW/OE in 98/2000 or XP. Mind you, they run 'separately' and I only download in OE what MW has not trashed! MW is set to 'check' emails every 10 and alert on receipt, and the 'blacklist' grows ever :{.

I do not use the auto-delete function just in case I miss out on those bigger breasts/cheaper Viagra etc:D

[Keygrip]

ExSim - I didn't quite explain it correctly.

I, too, use e-mail for a great majority of my business - somehow people "find me" (in a Google search) and then contact me via e-mail for JAA flight tests or FRTOL licences.

Their FIRST e-mail to you would receive a verification request (just like you got when you enrolled on Pprune - and many other sites). Once they acknowledge the service they are never troubled again.

Even better, you can write the verification notice that gets sent to them - so you have the chance to explain.

Send me an 'e' to [email protected] and you'll see an example.

It really is quite painless.

[Evo]

I and others have before recommended 'Mailwasher' which was free and enables you to easily separate and either bounce or delete spam before having to download it. Although it was free, I would urge anyone who uses it to make the small donation to the author!

I'm another Mailwasher fan - my copy wasn't free though! Although quite reasonably priced.

[iskandra]

I can highly recommend Spamnix, but that only works as a plug-in for the Eudora mail client (which I've been using for years because I can't stand Outlook)- it's also reasonably priced, needs just a little training and works fine (although it also has to download the junk, so it's probably just useful if you are on a flat rate with your ISP)