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websites and spam | Mailwasher

Jeremy Smith — Sun, 06 Apr 2003 16:49:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Jeremy Smith
Post title: Mailwasher

There\'s a free programme top sift through your mail available at: [url removed]

I haven\'t tried it myself, but friends of mine swear by it.

websites and spam | prosecution

Harry Bornemann — Sun, 06 Apr 2003 03:24:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Harry Bornemann
Post title: prosecution

If the spammer happens to live in the same country as you, you might initiate a prosecution (it costs nothing). This can result in a fine of some thousand dollar for the spammer.

But usually you must be very angry - or a lawyer - to do a thing like that.

websites and spam | Dictionary spammers

Alexandru Pojoga — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 23:52:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Alexandru Pojoga
Post title: Dictionary spammers

These programs take your domain name and create e-mail addresses with all the usual words like sales, info, webmaster, etc., on assumption that some will work.

Use an unpredictable ID like [email removed] (instead of just \'dan\') and set the server to bounce all other mail.

websites and spam | Randomized email adresses...

Uwe Kirmse — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 21:07:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Uwe Kirmse
Post title: Randomized email adresses...

...are not a new thing. You can\'t do anything against those spammers but to customize your anti spam filter in a way, that mails with certain words (viagra, norton, debt, real estate...) are eliminated. A lot of spammers change their email adresses, they send every mail from another adress, so blocking their adresses will be useless.

But most of them don\'t generate randomized adresses, they crawl the websites for \"mailto:\"-links. On my websites I\'ve done something, that robots can\'t find the adresses. If you want to see it, click here [url removed] or here [url removed] Since I\'ve done this, I receive only spam with automatic generated adresses, but it\'s still a lot.

I also like Alison\'s suggestion.

Another way to avoid spam: When I have to enter my email adress somewhere, and I don\'t want to receive mails from there, I enter the adress [email removed] . It exists, I can write from this adress, but it\'s redirected to [email removed] . Also in usenet groups I use only this adress with an explanation in the signature to change \"spam\" into \"mail\".

Not all spammers, who use randomized adresses, make a fully automated randomization. Many of them try out some commonly used adresses like [email removed] , [email removed] , [email removed] ... So if you avoid such adresses, you will reduce the amount of spam.

Sorry for my bad English. Alison, some time ago I promised not to write in English any more, but I hope, that now it\'s not as funny as last time.

[ This Message was edited by: uwe on 2003-04-06 08:32]

websites and spam | Not an answer, but a suggestion, but it wouldn't work....

Egon — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 19:54:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Egon
Post title: Not an answer, but a suggestion, but it wouldn't work....

I am using 3 email addresses and I select them according to the risk that I could get spam there. This helps a lot.

But in this case this would not have worked, because Dan did not even send any email using his new addresses...

websites and spam | Not an answer, but a suggestion....

Alison Schwitzgebel — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 19:21:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Alison Schwitzgebel
Post title: Not an answer, but a suggestion....

Anytime I register for a new product, answer a survey, etc., I create a new e-mail address (I have an unlimited number available with my domain). Then I know that if I register for Product XYZ with the address [email removed] , and spam comes into that address, that product XYZ is at fault.

Just an idea for the future.....

Alison

websites and spam | random email addresses based on the domain

Harry Bornemann — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 15:45:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Harry Bornemann
Post title: random email addresses based on the domain

This would be easy to program, costs nothing, and seems to be a new way to spam

The only protection I see is to develop more sophisticated spam filters and to start DoS attacks against those spamming servers

(They can use a fake sender address, but they need to name a real URL for the offered products )

[ This Message was edited by: Harry_B on 2003-04-05 16:09]

websites and spam

Dan_Brennan — Sat, 05 Apr 2003 14:23:00 +0000

Forum: Safe computing
Topic: websites and spam
Poster: Dan_Brennan

I wonder if anyone can offer any insights. I\'ve recently registered a domain name and, prior to the launch of the website, have asked the site designer to set up the email address for the site so that I can start using it and have mail bounced into my existing personal email account. Since doing so in the last couple of weeks, I\'ve had a huge deluge of spam (the usual range of viagra, low interest loans and country girls who like to do it with livestock). Most of this is being sent to various email addresses generated by my new domain name. I\'ve not actually sent any mail using these addresses so cannot for the life of me understand how anyone is getting hold of them. And I trust the folk who are designing the site for me implicitly, so there is no question of them passing on the name to dodgy mailing lists. My only guess is that the domain registry enables these spam merchants to trawl through lists of newly registered URLs and then, by process of elimination create random email addresses based on the domain, some of which hit the target. If that is true, it\'s a bit worrying.

Anyone who knows more about these things than me out there? Is this actually what is happening? And what can I do to stop the deluge?

Many thanks

Dan