Spam emails, what do you do?

polkatese

On average, I received about 75-100 spams email a day, mostly from the medRX Viagra varieties. It used to be those Nigerian scams giving away millions. I use spam filtering and caught most of them (99%) but still a pain knowing that my main personal email (verizon.net) is in the hand of spammers. How do you fight this? is bouncing spam emails work?

TIA

wizzy

This is what I did:

1. Create a new personal e-mail address. Most ISPs usually give you five or ten mailboxes. I will call this personal1. If you *really* want to, create an address personal2.
2. Create 2-3 additional addresses. I will call these email1, email2, and email3
3. Start updating your e-mail addresses with companies you trust. Give them email1.
4. For companies you think you trust, etc, give them email2
5. Use email3 for mailing lists, comapnies you know nothing about, prize offers, message boards, etc.
6. Place an auto-responder on your current e-mail address:

"Please note I have a new e-mail address. I will still receive the mail you have sent me, but I will be giving you a new e-mail address please look for it."

Then you give your mom, brother, sister, etc personal1 and use it for NOTHING ELSE.

If you want, you can have a "personal2" for lesser acquaintances.

Then the thing to do is never use your personal e-mail for anything other than communications with people you know.

After a while everyone will have the new e-mail, and you turn off the old one.

Kex

I ordered one of those damned enlargements from one of those e-mails. It seemed fairly legitimate to me, and the wifey was complaining of late. Well, I don't care what they say, but I've measured it, and measured it, every way I can think of. Well :mad:, how do you do that for starters? From where to where exactly? Try it, and you'll see that it's not that easy :mad:. Anyway, I'm convinced it is exactly the same size, and the wifey is still complaining . I don't like it, 'coz the new mail man looks like a future Chippendale dude.

snow

Kex wrote: »

I ordered one of those damned enlargements from one of those e-mails. It seemed fairly legitimate to me, and the wifey was complaining of late. Well, I don't care what they say, but I've measured it, and measured it, every way I can think of. Well :mad:, how do you do that for starters? From where to where exactly? Try it, and you'll see that it's not that easy :mad:. Anyway, I'm convinced it is exactly the same size, and the wifey is still complaining . I don't like it, 'coz the new mail man looks like a future Chippendale dude.

Sure glad I dont have that problem



REGARDS SNOW

disneyjoe7

Download this program

http://download.cnet.com/MailWasher-Free/3000-2382_4-10192298.html?tag=mncol


It's MailWasher free set it up, and bounce back your spam emails in a few days it may get worse as the spammers are trying to see if indeed your email is infact bad. After this period it slows down to a few or so a week. The program is used to preview your emails and filter then down to nothing. Free version allows you just one email account, pro version allows you multiple accounts.

polkatese

Steve, I had Mailwasher for a year, paid the premium and it was (semi) working fine, it slows down the spam after a couple of months using it. And then it picks up again.

Wizzy, I tried your method, and after a while, I got distracted and the scheme started to fall apart.

heiney9

I have 3 e-mail addy's and I have no issue's at all. I used to, but one day it just stopped. I don't know why..............but I'm not complaining. Your ISP should have some solutions for you to use as well as outside programs.

I have a gmail, hotmail and Comcast accounts. No problems except maybe once a month I get a couple that are moved immediately to the "junk mail" folder.

H9

shack

I use Yahoo email and their spam filter works really well. Most of the junk goes immediately to the spam folder and the few that don't can be easily moved there. I can add up to 500 addresses to the spam list. I have the option of reviewing the spam folder before deleting to make sure no legit email was sent there or just letting it delete after a couple of days.

disneyjoe7

I had an email once that I had to change, the spam was so bad with it. So if that bad, it maybe the only way out now. Once they have an email which they can send to in all down hill. This happen due to the fact I needed some info, the site I was on had enter this, then that over and over without finding the info I needed. I use an email like wildcard@ for sites which I don't trust now, if it gets screwed really bad it will became wildcard1@ etc.

polkatese

What is the consensus on bouncing spam emails?

- worthed?
- a waste of time?
- dangerous, since it might confirm that the account is active?

I just bounced 90 spams that I got since yesterday afternoon. I thought I tried it and see if it makes any difference. I read somewhere that those senders addresses are bogus anyway.

wizzy

polkatese wrote: »

I read somewhere that those senders addresses are bogus anyway.

Exactly. Not only that, but they often use someone else's real e-mail adderess.

Bouncing is a waste of time and bandwidth, and can often just be a PITA to an innocent person or company.

jabrax

How I eliminated mine - comcast account.

1. (I did this temporarily until spam stopped) I stopped using desktop email programs (i.e oulook) because they automatically download email to you when launched.

2. Started logging into the website to retrieve the mail. This allows you to flag the emails as junk or spam without having to download or open. This also helps the email server classify junk mail for everyone and automitically puts in your junk folder. I try not to use unsubscribe options, because it only validates that you are a valid email address.

3. After the spam subsides, you can go back to using desktop email clients.

I did this about a year ago and haven't had a problem since. I also keep a generic account for goofing around. Take a version of Wizzy's advice and keep one email personal, and another for purchasing, forums and junk like that.