ks5d
04-09-2002, 04:38 PM
I've noticed a disturbing trend as of late with Spam I get in my Inbox. #As a computer professional I'm used to being barraged with all varieties of the processed meat product, but I've fiercely maintained the secrecy of my Holiest of Holies -- my One True e-mail address. #However, ever since obtaining an arrl.net alias I have said alias pointing to it. #Alas! #Rome was not built in a day, but was consumed by fire in one night as Nero fiddled! #
It's unbelievable how so many people out there want little old me to be richer, happier, thinner, smarter, et cetera. #Why, there was one person just yesterday who wanted to stash millions in an account in my name and then share it with me. #True friends are indeed hard to find.
Now let me put the levity and sarcasm aside for a moment. #What is undoubtedly happening is that websites are being scoured for e-mail addresses. #I would be quite surprised if QRZ.com and eHam.net both were not victims of this kind of abuse. #And abuse it is. #As hams, we have these forums in which to meet, exchange ideas, and otherwise communicate (aside from QSOs, that is). #These e-mail mass marketers are taking advantage of the fact that we supply e-mail addresses here that we tend to use often. #As a result, we get nailed with spam that hawks everything from pyramid schemes to bootleg Viagra.
How can we stop this? #Well, there is little that QRZ.com, eHam.net, and others can do to stop their websites from being abused. #Automated search engines called "crawlers" can scour a website and capture anything that looks like an e-mail address. #These crawlers are unstoppable without locking everyone out of the website. #What has to happen is on our end. #First and foremost, don't fall for the "Unsubscribe" or "Opt-Out" links found in most of the spam we get these days. #While some of these unsubscribe links are legitimate, others are simply used to see if the mass marketers found an e-mail address that someone actually uses. #The irony is that the attempt on your part to stop the spam might actually make it worse.
The best thing to do is find out where in your e-mail software you can set up message rules. #I use Outlook Express, and in that software you can configure a spam lockout rule under Tools -> Message Rules -> Mail... #The idea is to build up a list of key words and phrases that the spam uses but your valid e-mail does not. #You then instruct your software to automatically delete these messages from the server, or perhaps move them to another folder out of the way. #There will usually be separate sections for subject keywords and message body keywords, so that gives you much flexibility in determining what constitutes spam. #These keywords can be joined by an AND or an OR. #That part is important because if you connect all keywords with ANDs then each keyword must appear before the rule will dispatch your spam. #Set them to OR.
My current spam rule is still in its infancy as I lost my old one due to an operating system crash, but here are some of the words and phrases I trap: #xxx, web cam, web cams, financial freedom, making money, sex, no obligation, mortgage, earning, per month, adult video, FREE, $$$.
I hope that this tip helps folks from choking to death on the processed meat product of the Internet. #We are, after all, hams (pun intended).
73,
Edwin Alexander #KS5D
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would like to add that QRZ does not support and has never participated in SPAMMING operations. # Advertisers keep asking us and we keep saying NO. #In fact, we say HELL NO! ##My own personal mailbox gets at least 150 spams a day. # If you've been on the net long enough, you have SPAM. #I've had the same email address for the past 8 years and every spammer on the planet seems to know me. #Fortunately, I have a lightning-fast DELETE button and I've learned how to spot and kill SPAMS before opening them, which saves a lot of time.
The author of this article is quite correct about the 'Unsubscribe' options. #NEVER, EVER, RESPOND TO A SPAM. #Doing so only makes it worse.
-fred AA7bq
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
It's unbelievable how so many people out there want little old me to be richer, happier, thinner, smarter, et cetera. #Why, there was one person just yesterday who wanted to stash millions in an account in my name and then share it with me. #True friends are indeed hard to find.
Now let me put the levity and sarcasm aside for a moment. #What is undoubtedly happening is that websites are being scoured for e-mail addresses. #I would be quite surprised if QRZ.com and eHam.net both were not victims of this kind of abuse. #And abuse it is. #As hams, we have these forums in which to meet, exchange ideas, and otherwise communicate (aside from QSOs, that is). #These e-mail mass marketers are taking advantage of the fact that we supply e-mail addresses here that we tend to use often. #As a result, we get nailed with spam that hawks everything from pyramid schemes to bootleg Viagra.
How can we stop this? #Well, there is little that QRZ.com, eHam.net, and others can do to stop their websites from being abused. #Automated search engines called "crawlers" can scour a website and capture anything that looks like an e-mail address. #These crawlers are unstoppable without locking everyone out of the website. #What has to happen is on our end. #First and foremost, don't fall for the "Unsubscribe" or "Opt-Out" links found in most of the spam we get these days. #While some of these unsubscribe links are legitimate, others are simply used to see if the mass marketers found an e-mail address that someone actually uses. #The irony is that the attempt on your part to stop the spam might actually make it worse.
The best thing to do is find out where in your e-mail software you can set up message rules. #I use Outlook Express, and in that software you can configure a spam lockout rule under Tools -> Message Rules -> Mail... #The idea is to build up a list of key words and phrases that the spam uses but your valid e-mail does not. #You then instruct your software to automatically delete these messages from the server, or perhaps move them to another folder out of the way. #There will usually be separate sections for subject keywords and message body keywords, so that gives you much flexibility in determining what constitutes spam. #These keywords can be joined by an AND or an OR. #That part is important because if you connect all keywords with ANDs then each keyword must appear before the rule will dispatch your spam. #Set them to OR.
My current spam rule is still in its infancy as I lost my old one due to an operating system crash, but here are some of the words and phrases I trap: #xxx, web cam, web cams, financial freedom, making money, sex, no obligation, mortgage, earning, per month, adult video, FREE, $$$.
I hope that this tip helps folks from choking to death on the processed meat product of the Internet. #We are, after all, hams (pun intended).
73,
Edwin Alexander #KS5D
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I would like to add that QRZ does not support and has never participated in SPAMMING operations. # Advertisers keep asking us and we keep saying NO. #In fact, we say HELL NO! ##My own personal mailbox gets at least 150 spams a day. # If you've been on the net long enough, you have SPAM. #I've had the same email address for the past 8 years and every spammer on the planet seems to know me. #Fortunately, I have a lightning-fast DELETE button and I've learned how to spot and kill SPAMS before opening them, which saves a lot of time.
The author of this article is quite correct about the 'Unsubscribe' options. #NEVER, EVER, RESPOND TO A SPAM. #Doing so only makes it worse.
-fred AA7bq
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>