OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Ok, I am now reaching a boiling point with spam. Now that pornographic ads are showing up addressed to my kids, I need to take some action. Currently, I am using Outlook Express as my email package, and have had very little success catching any of them with the message rules that I can set up. I figured someone here might have some ideas on any of the following:

1. What free or very inexpensive email package might give me better control over the email coming in so I can trap the really bad stuff before it drops into my kids in boxes (or mine for that matter)?

2. What packages seem to work well for protecting kids on the Internet while allowing them to reach legitimate sites that are not listed with some rating service? Do any of these packages also screen email?

3. What legal options can I explore given that these clowns are sending porn to minors? I know about uce@ftc.gov, and will be forwarding the emails to them, but I don't know that they can really do too much about them. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is any law enforcement agency that would actually try to do anything about this stuff. I plan on checking with the Arizona Attorney General's office, but I wonder if there is anywhere else to go.

Until now, I have just manually screened my kid's email, which is fine and I plan to continue that, but lately the volume of spam, as well as the inappropriateness of the content has increased considerably. They have in the past signed up on web sites for kids, like Disney.com, Fox Kids, Harry Potter, Barbie, etc., etc., and somehow recently their email addresses must have been sold by one or more of them to the general email list market.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Signing up for anything using your real email account is a very bad idea.

Instead, create a one-shot hotmail account, but don't be surprised if you get spam there before you get the confirmation mail for the thing you just signed up for.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Unfortunately, one of the things that the kids like from the kid sites are various email updates and such. The only way for that to work is to give an email address that will stick around for a while. One solution might be to use an account until the spam starts getting bad, then get a new account. That doesn't change the fact that the situation is just plain wrong. If someone were caught giving my kids porn through any other media, they would be elligible for long term free room and board in a government provided institution.

At any rate, I am hoping that there are some tools I can use to make it easier for me to screen them from the garbage.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Ah, good old Disney.When I was a kid you could trust them for good, clean fun. And now, like 99.9% of all American corporations, the bottom line and political correctness is all that matters.

Here is a link to some information that might be useful.

I commend you for your concern for the hearts and minds of your children. My boy just turned three and in far too few years I will also be dealing with this issue. Maybe decency laws will actually be enforced then. Yeah, right.

Mathias Ice.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Blacklisting stuff is clearly not adequate to the task, so try using a whitelist.

IE:
How about filtering EVERYTHING into the trash?

You can then have rules to pull out the stuff from disney, family and friends, and sort those into their own folders, or just to a common inbox if you like.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL.
Age isn't genetic... its acquired.
So its okay to discriminate against old/young/etc people too?

[ August 09, 2003, 02:51: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Hey Mathais... Disney never was what you though it was as a child.

Just think about what you said.

When you were a child you could trust them

AK... I suggest you get rid of those emails and start over.... As once spam starts thats it.

Create the one offs that Sj mentions and then set up forwarding for the ones that do not recieve spam....
If it receives spam then remove that forwarding and let the addy die. And set up another.

That way you can control what gets home.

Just remember 1 email address for each site.

That way you can monitor what comes through from each site.

If crap starts. Email the company and ask them why ( from the corrupt email address )

And remove the forwarding

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

really good e-mail client - 30 days trial http://www.ritlabs.com/the_bat/index.html

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Have you checked if your ISP can filter spam? I have mine do that although it only gets about 75% of the crap. I get the rest with a program call Mail Washer which can automatically delete spam.

Personally I hope you have some success with #3. These guys really piss me off. I mean if some guy came up to some kids on the street and showed them a porn mag how quick would he be hauled off to jail?? But somehow it's OK to do that on the net.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Oops, DavidG beat me to it. (Never leave the computer while typing and then return later to finish it....)

There is a program called mailwasher that exists in a free Version.
Ther you can have working filters, both what to let through and what to filter, and that wich is filtered you can bounce back so to give the impression that your e-mail adress isn't valid, all this can be done automaticly.
You can pre-view all mail before you let it come into the Outlook in-box and decide what should be filtered and what shall be let through.

I started having problems this spring with some spam and e-mail viruses being sent to me (Don't know why) and installed mailwasher, and now I haven't received either during the summer.
But I also do use resstriction with my e-mail, almost never give it away on any sites, only SE4 sites so far...

Good luck.

http://www.mailwasher.net/

[ August 09, 2003, 15:04: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Uh, huh?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOL.
Age isn't genetic... its acquired.
So its okay to discriminate against old/young/etc people too? </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If something can be aquired, it can also be avoided. Show me someone who avoids age.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">no but one can avoid race - see michael jackson :-P

seriously - the idea is that age is not generic - and to make general conclusions about people is plain stupidity http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif like the person i know says 'all arabs are terrorists' :-)

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

also - maybe michael jackson fights spam too http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

One difficult way:
Create rules to keep the specific sourses you do want.
Then have your friends put a key phrase on the subject line.
Everything else gets sent to trash.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

One thing that I would add is NOT to reply to any spam, they may take you off their list, but they will add your "verified" address to be sold.

If you want to be on the offense then go to www.networksolutions.com/ and there is a way to track down a company, do a WHOIS, the site is not up atm, but I think you can use the domain name or IP address and find out the service provider that serves the web access to that company that is spamming you. Then you send a letter to the service provider AND send a copy of the letter to the states BBB and (I am not for sure which state goverment agency).

You can get the spammers info by looking at the properties of the e-mail it should have some IP address's and other things that may be confusing, but you can get the idea of who the originator is.

Good luck, I am single so I just delete the crud that gets through, but if I was a parent, this type of spam would get on my nerves.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Gotta love general Christian tolerance...

[ August 09, 2003, 22:54: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You have to purchase a copy to use it with Hotmail? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Hate spam? You'll love this 'toon...

http://www.gamespy.com/comics/dorkto...ewcomic&id=782

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

At least, some good news on this front :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3120628.stm

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Not likely. Can you imagine trying to prosecute someone in, say, the Netherlands? How about Mexico? Or Honduras? It's just not feasible. It should be possible to apply similar laws to perpetrators in the U.S., however. But that doesn't stop them from trying to sell me armature video from a cage fight (newest one I've seen).

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Not likely. Can you imagine trying to prosecute someone in, say, the Netherlands? How about Mexico? Or Honduras? It's just not feasible. It should be possible to apply similar laws to perpetrators in the U.S., however. But that doesn't stop them from trying to sell me armature video from a cage fight (newest one I've seen).</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If there was the desire it would be possible. I'll bet they could prosecute someon from overseas if they sent GW Bush a letter bomb.

Seems to me the solution would be for each country to enact an anti spamming law. According to that article a lot of spam comes from the US.

Isn't some spam already illegal in the US?? Some of them have that little blurb and the end that implies that the law requires them to provide a way to remove you from their database. since we all know those links do nothing aren't they illegal?

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Indeed, in fact if anyone in the U.S. recieves a letter bomb from anywhere it will be investigated. And it will be worth it. And they will spend the money required to hunt the person down, if possible. But you've still got pretty poor odds if the fellow is writing from Honduras. Remember, we never did catch the Anthrax character.

When I say feasible, I don't mean possible. Sure it's possible, but you'd have a hard time arguing that money needs to be spent there when it could be put to more useful ends.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Heheh. yea I knew what you meant. Guess I was just feeling argumentative because these spammers piss me off so much.

I wonder if anyone knows how hard it really is to find out the origin of spam? I know it's impossible for average joes like me but for someone with the right technical knowlegde...

[ September 22, 2003, 15:11: Message edited by: DavidG ]

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Try one of the Microsoft Is Evil threads. Those seem to attract some of the highly technical.

As for where it comes from, why? Just start ruthlessly punishing the companies who advertise with it. It's not like they're hard to find, the spam is trying to lead you right to them!

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Agreed http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif
Not just "caught giving my kids" but even offering it to a child. The day will come for any and all, and this should be a International Law as to prevent this junk from coming in from abroad; as well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

If you go to CompanyX web site that has interesting inof, but dont want to give YOUR e-mail address, just give them Webmaster@CompanyX.com, that way they will spam their webmaster hehe, I love this one.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cool!! Anyone know the details of this law? It be interesting to see and to see if there are any loopholes.

I had a though Last week that a solution to spam might be to simply pass a law that says all <insert definition of spam here> must have the word 'Advertisement' in the subject line. Then it would be trivial to filter out if you want while the 'I have a right to advertise by business' crowd would have nothing to complain about.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Unfortunately, Mr. G, the spam would still be eating up bandwidth and clogging Mail Servers.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

I was recently at a Secure Technology Conferance and they were quoting stats from a Gartner survey that says that by 2004 50% of all email received will be spam.
According to their studies 58.4% of spam orginates from the US, with China coming second with only 5.6% and Great Britian 5.2%.
This gives the indication that the US needs to start the anti-spamming initiatives and ensure they follow thru...
If we want spam stopped completely, it is the big ISPs that should start the process, since they have the technology, information and might behind them to combat it.
Having a company or Govt body doing IP scans and contacting the companies out there that have mistakenly activated 'Mail Routing' would also help in a small way. If the spammers are unable to bounch emails from unsuspecting company routers then tracing their source will be so much easier.
Just my rant for the day...

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Recently on slashdot I read about several anti-Spam blacklist servers have been dedicated denial of service (DDoS) to death. I wonder who was behind it... www.spamhaus.org I think has a lot of really good resources on it. Myself, I have one clean account and one throwaway that Ive been using for a while now. I get over 100 junk mail a day or so. Its nice to think that I am popular or something.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Heheh. yea I knew what you meant. Guess I was just feeling argumentative because these spammers piss me off so much.

I wonder if anyone knows how hard it really is to find out the origin of spam? I know it's impossible for average joes like me but for someone with the right technical knowlegde...</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Actually you can usually find the legit sender of the spam (as they fake the "From" email address very easily. www.spamhaus.org usually has good guide to it I think.

Re: OT - Suggestions for dealing with spam
 

Sorry Instar, I couldn't locate anywhere on that site, how to trace the orginal source.

For those people reading this that have Outlook or Outlook Express and are interested, you can quickly look at the history of any email by :-
Outlook - 'Right click, Options, Internet Headers'
Express - 'Right click, Properties, Details'

Reading it can be a little bit more tricky, but reading the Received: lines, will give you an indication of where the email came from, and you should be able to find the IP address.

If you have an email from PBW, you should be able to use this method to determine that the email came from PBW and not the hosts email account. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif