Got SPAM? I know I do, and I despite my efforts to steer clear, I get an annoying daily dose with strange subject lines such as:

  • Contact Global Trust Courier Company
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • Goodness for you, kindly reply immediately
  • Now contact my secretary for your compensation
  • Re: WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER
  • Unsecured/secure offer***Apply Now***



The body of the messages are even stranger. Here is one example:

ATTN: BANGKOK BANK BERHARD,KUALA LUMPUIR,MALAYSIA

HELLO,

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE MANAGAMENT OF BANGKOK
BANK BERHARD(MALAYSIA)IS GIVEN CHEAP AFFORDABLE LOAN AT A VERY LOW
RATE AS THEIR YEARLY BONANZA LOANS OFFER WITH NO COLLATERAL FOR
APPROVAL.CONTACT THE BANK SERVICES VIA THEIR PUBLIC EMAIL ADDRESS NOW
AT <e-mail address removed> FOR MORE DETAILS.

Then there is usually a request to reply with additional contact information: Full name and address, telephone number. The bolder idiot spammers even request bank account and social security numbers.

We need to find the SPAMMER from above, just to remind him to TURN HIS CAPS LOCK OFF.

So how do you STOP SPAM? Unfortunately, there is no way to stop it completely. Many email programs have SPAM filters, but often the filters are burdened with false readings on SPAM. Although you can’t stop it completely, here are a few tips for reducing SPAM:

  1. Protect your e-mail addresses. Everybody wants them for their rewards type program. Tell them NO!
  2. Use multiple e-mail addresses, such as john.smith@yahoo.com and jsmith-spam@yahoo.com. Give the spam account address to the public, and save john.smith for trusted friends and family.
  3. Don’t reply to SPAM. Answering SPAM just confirms to the SPAMMER that your e-mail address is valid. It is OK, however, to reply to trusted SPAMMERS, such as e-commerce sites that you regularly do business with. You may have accidentally opted in to newsletters you did not want, and it is OK to request to be removed.
  4. Never contribute to charity as a result of an e-mail message. If you want to donate, go directly to the charity websites and submit your donation.
  5. Don’t forward chain e-mail messages.
  6. Turn off automatic READ and DELIVERY receipts. It will only confirm the legitimate e-mail address to the SPAMMER.
  7. NEVER submit personal information through e-mail, regardless of the request. If you get an e-mail from your own bank asking you to confirm your personal information through e-mail, it is most likely a SCAM. Legitimate Banks (are there any left?!?!?!) will almost never request personal information through e-mail.
  8. Check out the FTC SPAM web site. As instructed on that site, you can even forward SPAM e-mails directly to spam@uce.gov.
  9. For extreme SPAM fighting techniques, you can pay for special software or services to help you FIGHT SPAM.