How do I stop getting spam ?
There are simple precautions and software available online that can dramatically reduce the annoying spam you get. Below are some rules when dealing with spam:
• Do not reply.
• Never buy anything from a spammer.
• Avoid forwarding chain letters or petitions.
The spammer can find you:
• When you Post a message on a newsgroup
• Give your address to an online retailer or your own website or when you sign up for an internet service
• By asking a spammer to remove your address from the mailing list.
First steps :
you should think whether the sites that ask your e-mail really need it. You can always 'accidentally' misspell your address when you register or set up an e-mail account solely for this purpose, ie. Your ISP may offer you a number of addresses or use a free e-mail account from a web-based e-mail provider such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Lycos. Do not put your e-mail address in a 'mailto' tag if you have your own web site because it can be detected by spambots. Try munging your e-mail address which is transformed into another form that can be easily read by somebody, not by spambots.
You can turn off the 'preview' feature in e-mail programs that shows you a bit of each e-mail before you open it as it will let spammers know your e-mail address is active and they can send you even more mail.
Spam blocking features:
Your webmail or e-mail program may have spam blocking features. Turn these features on and have a look for the pages on 'spam' or 'junk mail' in the help section of your mail program or webmail service.
Anti spam programs:
Mailwasher from Firetrust, Mailfrontier's Matador, Cloudmark Spamnet and SpamBully are some of the spam blockers.
How programs work:
They work by filtering your mail into a separate mailbox or deletes it automatically, or if accidentally filtered you can retrieve it, whichever you prefer. Some programs try to identify whether it's spam.
Things to check when choosing your program:
• Does it check for spam before or after downloading
• Does it integrate into your e-mail program or is it standalone?
• Does it work with your existing setup?
• Does it keep filtered mail for later retrieval?
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