SPAM: HOW TO GET IT
You wouldn't think ANYONE would want to read this part, but really
you should. If you know how to get on spam lists, and get tons of
terrible unnecessary message, then you'll know what NOT to do if you DON'T
want spam.
The first thing you should do if you want spam, is post your email address
on some newsgroups. It won't take long, and you'll start receiving
offers for nutritional supplements, credit cards, mortgages, and other
stuff you couldn't imagine. This is because it is very easy to "harvest"
email addresses from newsgroup postings.
Another thing you can do to get spam is to use some websites' "send
this page to a friend" forms. If you CAREFULLY read the "privacy
policy" on some of these sites, you'll see that you are giving them persmission
to send you ads, or worse yet, giving them permission for OTHERS to send
you ads. Once you've "opted in" to one of these plots, your email
address is toast, and you might as well get a bigger hard drive.
You'll need it for all the spam you'll get.
Oh yeah, be sure to go to just about ANY of the "Win Free Stuff" websites,
and enter a contest. That will put you on more lists.
You don't have to be online to add to your spam count. If a "product
registration" mail-in card has a place for your email address (unless it's
a VERY reputable company), you are probably opening yourself for another
source of spam.
Similarly the "win a vacation" contest drawings you sometimes see in
malls will ask for your email address. They want to send you spam
too...or more likely just sell the list to someone else who will spam you.
Have you bought your new hard drive yet?
The next-to-best way to increase your spam count is to post your email
address on a website. There are nasty software bots that scour the
net often and very efficiently, and pick up, store, and use whatever email
addresses they find on publically accessible websites. (If you DO
have a site and want to post an email address, hide it in javascript.
An easy method is *here
at http://www.hiveware.com/enkoder_form.php.)
Finally, as I know from experience, the very best way to get an intolerable
amount of spam is to use your actual email address on a domain name registration.
SPAM: HOW TO AVOID IT
First of all, if you're getting alot of spam now, you should probably
just get a new email account, and start over. Most ISPs will let
you change your username for no charge.
Then, use common sense. DON'T do any of the things listed above.
Also, get a "throw-away" email address from a free service like hotmail
or yahoo. Whenever you put your email address into a webform or MUST
include an email for something, use the throw-away address. Unless
you really trust the company (and have read and believed their "privacy
policy"), I wouldn't even use my "real" email address to place an online
order.
When the spam load gets too bad in the throw-away account, close it,
and open a new one.
Do NOT reply to spam. All that does is tell the spammer that you
actually read their message, and even if you "unsubscribe" you will probably
just get even more spam.
SPAM: HOW TO DEAL WITH IT
First of all, if you're getting alot of spam now, and you can't just
get a new email account, you'll have to learn to deal with it.
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Some ISPs offer filters which will keep alot of it out. "False positives"
are a problem though. That's when a real message does NOT get through
to your inbox.
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There are also software solutions. The software I use for email,
Opera 7, has a built in spam filter. My new account doesn't get much,
but it filters about 250 of my mom's 300 messages per day.
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You can build your own spam filters in your email client. Just send
all emails that have "Free" or "Win" or "Get" or "Save" or "your-favorite-word-here"
in the subject line to a JunkMail folder, and you'll catch alot of them.
SCAMS
Some people try to take advantage of other people. The internet
has made that easier, or at least given scammers a bigger audience to chose
from. There are lots of scams that criminals try to do online.
You may have heard of some of them.
Ebay Scam
The ebay or paypal scam tries to get credit card and personal information
from you. Can you say "identity theft?" It starts with an official
looking email that says your account has been too active, or they're confirming
your information or something. The email links to a webform that
again LOOKS very official, often using the exact links and images from
the authentic site. The problem is that the site is NOT ebay or paypal.
It's some scammers' website that they setup to LOOK like ebay or paypal.
These sites are often shut down within hours, but they DO manage to swindle
some information while they are operating. There are report of peoples
ebay accounts being "hijacked" and the scammer then posts ads and gets
people to send him money based on the "good reputation" of the ebayer who
got hijacked.
Nigerian Money Scam
Another very common scam on the internet is the Nigerian money scam.
It's actually a very old scam, and used to be done by mail and then fax.
Now it's the 21st century, and the criminals use email.
Here's an example of the scam email:
Subject: urgent
Date: vie,
11 ene 2002 04:41:37
From: "Idris Mohammed"
<idrishammed15@yahoo.com>
To: username@domain.comt
I am a Barrister and a member of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).
I
decided to contact you believing that by the grace of God that
you will accept to be my partner in this business.
Hence, I made up my mind to introduce this business to you in
confidence for the mutual benefit of both of us. The sum of USD48M
(Forty Eight Million United States Dollars) was lodged into one of the
leading private banks here in the Country by the late Head of State (GEN.SANI
ABACHA) this money was lodged in a DEFACED FORM and in vaults / boxes.
The money was originally meant to be used for his political campaign. Because
I was his family Attorney as such he confided in me with the relevant document
papers relating to this Bank before he died of cardiac arrest.
As a matter of fact, I have adequately agreed with the family members
to negotiate with you a trustworthy person to provide an account where
this money could be transferred to your country through your Bank account,
because we cannot claim the money here in Nigeria. We have concluded all
arrangement with an offshore Security Company to move this money through
diplomatic means to a country where it could be directly transferred to
your nominated account to ensure absolute safety and risk-free transfer
ofthe money.
After a successful transfer,30% will be for you for your assistance,
5% will be for any expenses that may arise during the course of this transaction
both side , and 65% for us.
You are required to send by e-mail immediately your Telephone and
Fax numbers and where this money will be lodged and your personal contact
address. Once you notify me your willingness by sending the above requirement.
This transaction will be concluded within 10 (ten) working days.
Immediately you reply and indicate your interest, I shall furnish
you with the details and how to go forward.
Call me on my direct mobile phone +234-80-23033021 or send fax
line:234-1-4400461 and will be waiting for your urgent reply through
email or : idrismoh15@yahoo.com
You can check this out at:
http://www.marcosbillions.com/marcos/Dictators%20Sons%20of%20Abacha.htm
Best regards,
Bar. Idris Mohammed (SAN)
Of course user@domain.com will NOT get 30% of the 48 million dollars within
10 days, or even within 10 decades. They will be asked to pay for
some "necessary but unexpected" expenses, bank fees, whatever, and there
will be delays and apologies. Since they are expecting millions,
some folks will borrow many thousand dollars to pay these fees. Eventually
user@domain will get tired or the delays, and the scammers will vanish
with all the money...except the 48 million dollars, because that didn't
really exist anyway.
Scam Email Experiment
My mom has been online a long time, and gets TONS of junk mail.
I have done an experiment with her junk mail, specifically the Nigerian
Scam messages. We extracted all (or probably most) of this type of
message from her mail for the last year. Between Feb 20, 2002 and
Feb 20, 2003 she received 150 of these messages. Here is what I learned:
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If these emails were true, my mom missed out on the chance to get approximately
3.75 billion dollars last year
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The senders almost always use one of the free email services for their
"personal email."
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They assure you that the transaction is legal, but they are asking you
to pretend to be some dead guy's "next of kin."
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Most of the messages include some sad tragic story about someone dying
of some disease (or government uprising), and their family sufferring because
they can't get access to the money.
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They say it won't cost you anything.
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