SPAM - How to Beat the Meat
Jun 19 '02
The Bottom Line Follow the guidelines I give you and be careful.
SPAM - How to Beat the Meat
Brandon Parker
06/18/02
parkerbg2004@cox.net
What is SPAM?
SPAM is one of two things:
1. The first thing SPAM might be is having your e-mail and other private information put on a mailing list. For this to be SPAM, it had to be a 3rd-party. You may recall signing up for online products and checking or un-checking the box that says "Is it OK for www.whatever.com to submit your information to a 3rd party...". That is what I am talking about. It could be a service that is giving out your information, for which they get quite wealthy, or having an individual sign you up. This is not only wrong, but unethical and in most cases, against the law. Many sites have become aware of this problem which I will address in the next section.
2. The other way SPAM can be described is someone using other individuals accounts without permission. These people get the username and password from an unsuspecting individual and before they know it, their e-mail is being used to send out SPAM to everyone on the SPAMers mailing lists as well as everyone on the accounts address book. These addresses normally go into the pool of SPAM mailing lists, which is why it is so hard to get rid of. You can block this user, but eventually they will go to another individual and SPAM from that account.
How Sites Prevent SPAM
Sites use several means to stop SPAM from happening. The following methods are used today from most sites. You have probably encountered one or more of these methods yourself.
Confirmation E-mail
Most sites will send out a "confirmation e-mail", or an e-mail to the signed up e-mail address to make sure it is a valid address and a valid request. You must understand that most sites have a reputation to keep and being known as the SPAM site is not the best way to keep it. Normally if you receive on of these e-mail's, it will contain information on how to keep from being subscribed. Normally sites have you click on a verification link or reply to the e-mail to subscribe. These sites are called "opt-in" sites and are optional mailing lists to sign up. If you do not reply or click the link, you do not get subscribed. If it is not an opt-in site, then you receive the e-mail stating you are subscribed. These normally contain the information you need to unsubscribe if you want to. This normally includes sending an e-mail to a certain e-mail address with "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Information Collection
Another method used is collecting personal information from the sign-up party. This can include IP address, ISP, computer name, and the location. This information can be useful to catch SPAMers if they are caught. In most cases that IP address can be blocked from the site and the individual caught doing it can get in trouble with the law. As in all laws, these penalties are not near enough to keep SPAM off the Internet.
Optional 3rd-Party Sign Up
Sites that offer information to other sites often include the preference to have it sent out or not. These sited like the site you are signing up for have a good reputation. These sites that are the "3rd-party" sites often ruin the reputation of the company that gave the information along with the company that SPAMed. Normally these sites who offer the option of information submission are bound by the contract you had to agree to when you signed up for. This contract is held up in a court of law and the company that breaks it can receive severe penalties.
Reporting SPAM to the Company
Most sites include links on there pages for victims of SPAM. If a individual SPAM's from their site, they can be banned and refused service. This is most often done at free e-mail sites. If the individual which does the SPAMing is an employee, they can be docked pay, demoted, officially - reprimanded, fired, or all of the above. This is a harsh penalty that companies use to keep employees in line.
Terms of Service Agreements
Most reputable sites have "Terms of Service (TOS)" which their users must follow in order to continue receiving services from the site. This contract outlines the users of the site with what they can and cannot do with the access and services they have been given to them. If this site includes any kind of mailing list, e-mail, or referral then they normally have SPAM restrictions in the Terms of Service. If a user violates this service then they can be banned from the site.
Getting Rid of Present SPAM
SPAM is a tough thing to get rid of if you already have it. There are several techniques you can use to help rid yourself of the SPAM you already receive.
The BBB (Better Business Bureau)
Most online companies are a member of the Better Business Bureau just like land-based companies are. They can receive severe penalties if caught allowing SPAM and can even lose the Better Business Bureau's support or ratings. This normally makes companies scramble to fix the problems to get them back to the correct standards.
Change E-mail Companies/Names
This is a more drastic measure but it will end your current problems for a while. By doing this, you can stop _all_ e-mail from entering you and only allowing the people you want to e-mail through. This can be a pain to do and alot of people have trouble keeping up with changes.
Unsubscribe
Check to see if the SPAM is a mailing list. If it is, then check the entire e-mail for a section or link to unsubscribe from it. Most reputable companies are more than happy to end your problems when you unsubscribe. If this is an individual, this will not work.
Block the SPAMer
If your e-mail program allows you to block e-mail addresses, then block the user. This will scan your incoming e-mail for the e-mail address and delete it from entering the in-box. This normally works unless the e-mail address changes in which you need to see the next option.
Set up Filters
If your e-mail program allows you to create filters for incoming e-mail, then set some up. If someone SPAM's you are 123@whereever.com and you block it, then the next day you receive it from 124@wherever.com, then you cannot block this e-mail address. You need to set up a filter. This filter will scan all incoming e-mail and delete the e-mail's containing the part of the address "@wherever.com" so you cannot receive it anymore. You must be careful doing this because you can block entire sites with free or paid e-mail from e-mailing you, which could be a bad thing.
Preventing SPAM Before it Starts
There are a few ways you can help prevent SPAM from bothering you. There is no way to actually stop SPAM from ever happening and you will receive some SPAM at some point. This will merely help prevent it.
Avoid Free E-mail
Sites that offer free e-mail will SPAM you big time. Since they are not getting compensated by the user, they must other means. This could be ad banners. Ad banners can include "web bugs". Web bugs are small transparent 1 x 1-pixel images which cause the users privacy to be breached by transmitting personal information - which may include an e-mail address - to the owner to sell to SPAM companies. The other way is by the site selling your e-mail to other companies. This is perfectly legal unless it is outlined somewhere in the Terms of Service or contract. This is their site, their e-mail, they can do as they please with it. I am not saying that paid e-mail is better, because they can do the same thing, and unless they get caught doing it, they will not get in trouble. All I am saying is to be careful.
Use Free E-mail as Secondary E-mail
Have two e-mail accounts. This way, your primary account will be used for family and friend conversations and your secondary e-mail will be used for mailing lists and site registrations. I use this method and it greatly reduces the amount of SPAM in my e-mail.
Getting the Information Needed to SPAM
People are getting information from you all the time. Epinions took information from you when you went to the site - IP address, ISP, referral site, time, and what sites you looked at on my site. Here are a few ways that sites take information from you.
Cookies
Sites use cookies for many good uses. They can also use them to get information off your computer that you do not want them to get. I suggest turning off all cookies and removing all current cookies from your computer.
Viruses, Wooden Horse Kind
If you did not get the title, that is okay. I am talking about Trojan Horses. These viruses are called this because of what they do. They act like another program - a good program - while actually causing damage to your and others computers while giving information and an all-access pass to the virus maker and/or hacker.
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Epinions.com ID:
bgp1
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Member: Brandon Parker
Location: Andover, Kansas, USA
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
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