How do I Try to keep SPAM
in Check?
I receive this question many times.... here are a few good
recommendations to keep your computer safe:
Ignore spam
Spammers, in their constant search for valid e-mail addresses, use special
software programs that rapidly submit millions of random e-mail addresses. For
example, someone@microsoft.com, s_one@microsoft.com, some_one@microsoft.com, and
so on—to a target mail server, such as Hotmail or MSN. Invalid e-mail accounts
bounce e-mail back to the sender, so the software very rapidly records which
e-mail addresses are "live" and which are not. (This is known as a dictionary
attack.)
Don't reply to spam
Answering spam, even to "unsubscribe," just confirms that your e-mail address is
valid and in use. Spammers often ignore your wish to remove your e-mail address
and add it to a list of active e-mail addresses. They then send more spam or
sell their list. So unless you're unsubscribing from a distribution list that
you signed up for, or you know and trust the sender of the message, your best
bet is to simply delete it.
Be cautious about revealing personal information
Once spammers have a "live" e-mail address, they draw on an arsenal of tactics
to entice you to respond. Two of the most insidious are spoofing and the use of
phisher sites.
Spammers trick (or spoof) the recipient into thinking an e-mail message is
coming from a familiar person or organization. A phisher site take this a step
further by creating a false Web page—a virtual sheep in wolf's clothing—that
meticulously imitates the site of a legitimate company (right down to the logo
and Web address). Spammers often use this to deceive users into providing credit
card or bank account numbers, account password or other personal information.
So use caution when asked via e-mail to provide personal financial information
through a Web page. Most legitimate companies will not ask for this information
in an e-mail message. To make sure you're dealing with a legitimate business,
look for a phone number (call it, too!) and a mailing address, review online
shopping guidelines, and check for third-party seals of approval such as TRUSTe
or BBBOnline.
Don't forward chain e-mail messages
If you're asked to add your signature to a long list for a cause, receive a
warning about a virus, or if someone makes an offer that seems too good to be
true, it might be a hoax. If you receive an e-mail that you think might be a
hoax, don't pass it on.
Why? Because passing along chain e-mail messages may further a spam scam. Also,
chain e-mail messages are forwarded by the people you send it to, so you lose
control over who gets your e-mail address. Additionally, there are reports that
spammers use hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses—and may even be
deliberately starting them for that purpose.
Check one of these sites to find out if a chain message you received is a hoax.
Hoaxbusters. In addition to
describing Internet hoaxes and chain letters, this site discusses how to
recognize hoaxes, what to do about them, and some of the history of hoaxes.
Snopes Urban Legend Reference Pages. A
source for establishing the validity of a chain letter or suspected hoax.
Don't buy
Spammers make their living (and a good one, too) on people's purchases of their
offerings. (Go figure: if even a tiny percentage of a hundred million people buy
something in response to an e-mail message, that's a lot!) So help put spammers
out of business, and resist the temptation to buy their products.
Be careful about disclosing your e-mail address
Some spammers buy address lists from Web sites where you may have signed up for
free offers, ordered something online, or entered a contest. Spammers can also
get your address from Internet white pages listings, guest books, newsgroups,
resume postings, and chat rooms.
The solution? As much as possible, share your primary e-mail address only with
people you know. To further reduce your exposure:
Set up a second e-mail address (such as an MSN Hotmail account) to use when you
participate in online forums, register with Web sites, enter contests, or
otherwise fill out forms on the Internet.
Avoid listing your e-mail address in large Internet directories. If you're in
the regular phone book, chances are you're in at least one of the major
directories. Look yourself up. If you're listed, and there's a place to add your
e-mail address: don't.
Disguise (or munge) your e-mail address when you post it to a newsgroup, chat
room, or bulletin board. This means adding a character, number, or symbol that
has to be changed or removed for your address to work. For example, you could
give your e-mail address as "s0me0ne@mi(r0s0ft.com" using "0" (zero) instead of
"o," and "(" instead of "c." A person reading your message can interpret your
address, but the automated programs that spammers use cannot.
Don't post your address, even on your own Web page and if you want it there,
disguise it.
Review the privacy policies of Web sites
Carefully review the site's privacy policy and terms-of-use statement before you
register at a Web site, shop online, and so on. (Read
the Microsoft privacy statement at Microsoft.com for an example.) If the Web
site doesn't explain how it uses your information, think twice about revealing
your e-mail address (or sharing other personal information). Also be aware that
many companies—even legitimate ones—may do things with your information that you
may not like.
Some sites assume that it is acceptable to share your e-mail address with other
organizations. Other sites will give you the opportunity to consent to whether
your personal information may be used for purposes outside of the immediate
transaction—for example, sending you special offers.
Many sites ask for personal information during the registration process. Provide
only the details that you think are appropriate. If a question seems too
invasive, don't answer even if prevents you from shopping on that site. (You can
always take your business elsewhere.)
Many Web sites use checkboxes as a means to indicate your desire to receive
information—or not. Make sure you've reviewed all of these boxes to confirm that
they reflect your preferences. Sometimes they can be hard to find, and there may
be more than one box to check. And if for some reason you have to backtrack
through a form, make sure you look at those boxes again, because in that case,
some vendors will set the pages to go back to the default setting.
You can always
try some of these tools to help control SPAM.
As always.... Practice
safe computing!
