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Tech Support: Email Abuse / Spam
What is Spam?
Why Am I Getting More and More Spam?
What is The Connextion Doing About It?
What Can I Do About It?
Spam Do's and Don'ts
Other Concerns
What is spam?
A "spam" e-mail is commonly defined as an unsolicited mailing, usually
to many people. A message written for, and mailed to, one individual that is known
to the sender is not spam, and a reply to an e-mail is not spam, unless the "reply"
repeats endlessly.
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Why Am I Getting More and More Spam?
There are a couple of important factors that are generating increases in the
amount of spam, as well as increases in repeating copies of the same message.
eMail marketing has been growing in popularity because it has significantly
less cost for the sender than traditional mail marketing.
Spammers are becoming more sophisticated and aggressive in obtaining email
addresses. They scan the internet with "robots" that find legitimate
email addresses and make up new ones in hopes that they may be real. Many constantly
change the email address they mail from and the subject line in order to avoid
blocks or they simply move along from one server to the next so they can't be
traced.
We are also seeing an increase in incorrectly formatted messages. It is impossible
to say whether this is intentional or accidental. However, the result is that
mail handlers may not read be able to read it correctly and the message will
repeat itself.
Many studies have concluded that between 2/3rds and 3/4ths of all email that
circulates around the web is spam.
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What is The Connextion doing about it?
We have taken steps to maintain high security for our users, but spam mail can
sometimes still get through if the spammer has an actual address. We are continually
working on devising new methods to block spam from the server level. Unfortunately,
no one has found a solution to filter out all spam messages without possibly filtering
out non-spam messages that shouldn't be filtered.
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What Can I Do About It?
1. When visiting websites, try to avoid giving out your email
address. If an email address is required, bear in mind that many of these
sites will either spam you or pass the email address along to a spammer. With
this in mind, you may even want to consider signing up for a free email address
at http://www.hotmail.com
or http://mail.yahoo.com
to use on these occasions. There are many other examples of free web-based email,
and none of these programs are supported by The Connextion; however, if you
submit your free address, and not your email address @connext.net, only the
free web-based address will receive spams. There are many instances (for example,
when downloading a service, purchasing a product, or maybe even airline tickets),
where websites may require an email address and you may wish to submit a different
address.
2. Do not open mail if you don't know who it's from.
Many of these messages will trigger a message back to the spammer that the recipient
of the spam has opened it, letting the spammer know that they are a real and valid
email address. One can close the "preview pane" in the Email program
Microsoft's Outlook Express by clicking on "View" at the top of the
screen, then selecting "Layout." In the check-box to "Show preview
pane", un-check this box. You could then open the emails that you wish to
open by double-clicking them under "From", "Subject" and "Received."
3. Many commercially available programs will greatly reduce
the amount of spam that one has to delete. We do not support any of these
email programs; however, many people have used these programs and determined that
they greatly reduce the amount of spam that one does receive. A few examples include:
- McAfee's "Spam Killer" program. Often available
at stores such as Best Buy or Circuit City (among many other places). Usually,
this program retails for around $20 or $30. Sometimes, these stores may have
rebates available that will make the net cost free after rebate. Here is more
information from McAfee with regards to spam and a link to purchase "Spam
Killer" from McAfee's website:
http://www.mcafee.com/fightspam/default.asp
http://www.mcafee.com/myapps/msk/default.asp
- Spam Inspector. Found at http://www.spaminspector.com
and available for download or purchase at this website, the program is integrated
into your email program (they have releases for both Microsoft Outlook Express
and Microsoft Outlook). The program will automatically move emails detected as
spam into the "Deleted Items" folder, so it isn't permanently removed.
Furthermore, one has the ability to designate a message as NOT being a spam. Spam
Inspector also has a free 15 day trial available for download. Normally, the program
costs $29.95; however, there is currently a promotional code at
http://www.spaminspector.com that will take $10 off the price. One can visit
the following website and have the option to either purchase the program or download
the free 15 day trial:
http://www.spaminspector.com/download.aspx
4). The August, 2003 edition of "Consumer Reports"
included an article on spam which can be found by clicking
here.
For more tips on spam prevention from "Consumer Reports", click
here.
To view "Consumer Reports" ratings on many programs that have been
created to reduce spam, click
here.
These commercially available programs may not block as much spam at first,
but the more they learn about the user(s) of the email address, the more proficient
it becomes in filtering out spam. When using these programs, be sure to monitor
the emails marked as spam; they could be mistakenly identified as spam when they
are emails that you were expecting to receive. Most programs tend to adapt as
they learn more about the user and who he/she normally corresponds with via email.
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Spam Do's and Don'ts
Never respond to a spam e-mail. For a spammer, one "hit"
among thousands of mailings is enough to keep sending mail.
Never respond to the spam e-mail's instructions to reply with
the word "remove." This may be a trick to get you to react to
the e-mail. It lets the sender know that a human is on the other side of the email,
and it makes your address more valuable. As a result, you may receive more spam.
Be careful signing up with sites that promise to remove your name
from spam lists. These sites are either sincere, in which case they may
be ignored by spammers, or they are questionable, in which case they obtained
your valuable email address for more spam.
Take meaningful action to stop spammers. Filter out spam
messages, and consider expressing views to your congressional representatives.
You may also wish to consider filing a complaint to the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC).
Never purchase products advertised by spammers. Remember,
they only send these mass-quantities of email because it becomes profitable when
people purchase their products. If spamming were to no longer continue to be profitable,
spammers would not continue their practices.
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Other Concerns
If you have any other questions or concerns, please call us at 410-461-5430,
or email us at support@connext.net.
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