Spam

[Headwark]

Is there anyone that can tell me how to stop spam ,I seem to be getting more every day,I am on Windows XP

[Bobinovich]

There is a free package called Mail Washer which will go a long way towards doing the job.

[blueivy]

Is there anyone that can tell me how to stop spam ,I seem to be getting more every day,I am on Windows XP

Hi,

Getting rid of spam is the difficult part. Getting it in the first place is easy (as you've seen!).

First thing to check is if your mail provider provides anti-spam tools - I noticed your have an old Freeserve address, if this is the case then I'm pretty sure they won't provide you with anti-spam as part of your account.

Since that's out of the question you are going to need some anti-spam software. Outlook comes with it's own built-in. It can be quite effective. I think the free version of Mail Washer (that Bobinovich suggested) is pretty poor (sorry Bobinovich). It's not so much of an anti-spam product as a set of rules that you can setup to kill mail before it get's to your mail software - you can do this with Outlook (although you do need to download the mail first so it's slightly different) The Pro version I couldn't comment on as I never used it but the features look a lot better. Bobinovich may give you more info on that.

Before I used a server environment I used to use SpamNet which was a simple plugin for Outlook (and also Outlook Express now I believe). It got rid of about 90% of the spam I received. It's quite a low monthly subscription. There are numerous other software packages and you'll probably receive a flood of messages recommending one or the other. Just try them out and see which one you like.

How to stop getting spam in the first place is another constant battle.

1. If you get a message from something that doesn't look legitimate (ie. it looks like a dodgy newsletter for something that you'd never subscribe to) do NOT open the message or click on any unsubscribe link. Some spam mail uses a particular technique that when you open (or even view the message in Preview mode) it knows you exists and knows your email address is valid; if you click on the 'unsubscribe' link it will also know you exist. When it knows you exist you'll be added a whole host of junk lists which will only make things worse.
2. Never give your email address to sites you subscribe to unless you know they are okay. If you are not sure use a service like Spamgourmet that allows you to combat spam by giving you a throwaway email address. If that address get's used more than a specified number of times the mail is junked and you never see it. Spamgourmet is a free service.
3. If you post in newsgroups use an email address that you don't much care about. I have a Yahoo address I use for newsgroups and it get's a huge amount of Spam, however as Yahoo has their own spam filtering software you get to see only a few items. Google, Microsoft and many others have similar services. If you use your own email address in newsgroups then be prepared for a lot of spam. Spammers commonly use automated 'spiders' to crawl through newsgroups picking up any email addresses they find.
4. Don't put your email address on a website where it can be seen. Similar to the newsgroup spiders, other spiders crawl the web looking for email addresses on websites and add them to lists. Forums are a good place for spammers to look - some are members only and the spider won't get very far, however some allow anybody to browse and only members to post - the spiders will therefore see your address.

You could get a Yahoo, Google, or Hotmail address that have spam filters setup. I can't comment on the others but the Yahoo one is okay. Might be worth asking around to see who can recommend what.

A final alternative, especially if you have a business (your email address is fsbusiness.co.uk so I'm assuming you are/have) is buy your own domain name and host it with a company that provides spam filtering for their accounts. If you have a business that uses a mail server then things are a little easier.

Fighting spam is a constant battle. In just over a year since I started using dedicated server anti-spam software it's caught nearly 35,000 spam messages - that doesn't include the numerous messages that are rejected before they even get to me and judging from the logs I'd at least double that.

If you need any more help, PM me or reply in here

[Headwark]

Thanks to Bobinovich and Blue Ivy, It isnt as simple as I thought to get rid of spam,but I will try your suggestions and will let you know at a later date how I got on,Once again thank you .

[Colin Manson]

I've used Mailwasher Pro for years now and I wouldn't do without it, the free version does lack the Spam database link and the learning filters but if you don't get too much spam then it'll be fine.

If your email address has been disseminated throughout the internet like mines has then you really need the pro version. The pro version filters about 98% of the spam that is sent to me, it's certainly worth £20.

[2little2late]

I've used Mailwasher Pro for years now and I wouldn't do without it, the free version does lack the Spam database link and the learning filters but if you don't get too much spam then it'll be fine.

If your email address has been disseminated throughout the internet like mines has then you really need the pro version. The pro version filters about 98% of the spam that is sent to me, it's certainly worth £20.

It's a shame we can't get spam filters for our mail boxes on our front doors.

[angela5]

It's a shame we can't get spam filters for our mail boxes on our front doors.

Lol... That would be brill if we could.

[blueivy]

It's a shame we can't get spam filters for our mail boxes on our front doors.

How about a shredder just underneath the letterbox. Most of the mail I get is junk anyway!

[Kingetter]

Anatomy of a spam e-mail:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6038236.stm

[blueivy]

Anatomy of a spam e-mail:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6038236.stm

Hi Kingetter,

That's an excellent introuctory article to spam! Thanks for posting it.

[Kingetter]

Hi Kingetter,

That's an excellent introuctory article to spam! Thanks for posting it.

Looked helpful, and, I think I understood it

[blueivy]

Looked helpful, and, I think I understood it

I was glad it had the section on Body Image as this is a relatively new thing being used and slightly more complicated than why they use random email addresses.

Anti-spam (and PC security - anti-spyware, anti-vrus, firewalls , encryption etc.) really interests me and I've read a lot about it but it's a huge complicated suibject and I don't pretend to be an expert!

[Kingetter]

I was glad it had the section on Body Image as this is a relatively new thing being used and slightly more complicated than why they use random email addresses.

Anti-spam (and PC security - anti-spyware, anti-vrus, firewalls , encryption etc.) really interests me and I've read a lot about it but it's a huge complicated suibject and I don't pretend to be an expert!

Its a case of the subject (spam) will only ever get bigger but will never go away. Smart predictors might work on 'next moves', but it looks like a game of chess to me and that's just plain ol hard work

[blueivy]

Its a case of the subject (spam) will only ever get bigger but will never go away. Smart predictors might work on 'next moves', but it looks like a game of chess to me and that's just plain ol hard work

It's difficult to hit a constantl moving target. The problem with Spam is it's a human problem - only you can really decide what's spam and what's not - it's incredibly difficult to teach that to a piece of code!

Whenever the anti-spam writers come up with a way to detect more and more spam, the spam writers use that to come up with ways around it. That's why I'm extremely dubious of software that claims it can detect 100% of spam, and there are one or two.

[Kingetter]

It's difficult to hit a constantl moving target. The problem with Spam is it's a human problem - only you can really decide what's spam and what's not - it's incredibly difficult to teach that to a piece of code!

Whenever the anti-spam writers come up with a way to detect more and more spam, the spam writers use that to come up with ways around it. That's why I'm extremely dubious of software that claims it can detect 100% of spam, and there are one or two.

Yes, I take your point about spam and constantly moving targets - a bit like organised crime and the battle between the smart criminals and the detectives?
It gives employment to many - is that something we should be pleased about?

[sapphire]

I use the Zone Alarm Security Suite and I have to say it makes an excellent job of removing 'junk' mail and 'phishing' mail,still giving you the opportunity to check that it isn't removing anything important!

[blueivy]

Yes, I take your point about spam and constantly moving targets - a bit like organised crime and the battle between the smart criminals and the detectives?

As more and more span is being sent by organised criminals for the purposes of stealing your information (ie. phishing emails) it's the same thing!

It gives employment to many - is that something we should be pleased about?

It's the same as somebody as the security alarm industry. There are thieves who will steal from you and you have the option of protecting yourself. I don't think anybody is pleased about it, but it's now a necessary evil!