My "FINAL" Solution for Email Spam

**Bill in SD, CA** · August 11th, 2003, 11:51 AM

I've given up on trying to filter out all the spam in my email. The bogus names, spaces, jumbling, etc in the sender and subject lines has gotten ridiculous. There is no way to stay up on it. I'm even getting spam on an account that I have never used for anything (account is set up only for use of the web space provided by my ISP).

The other day I got 87 emails of which only 9 were legetimate!

While not perfect, this is my solution to make dumping it easier:

I've decided to work backwards. I'm setting filters for my "legitimate" emails and created a new folder for them to go to.

Today, it only took me 20 seconds to delete everything in my InBox. 36 messages All SPAM!!

Death (figuratively speaking, of course ) To Spammers!!!

Bill

**CERuppel** · August 11th, 2003, 12:22 PM

I am totally with you, Bill.

I have one box that is just for web forms (I don't use it for anything else). The box gets over fifty spam e-mails per day. What happened to those privacy polocies?

Some people are getting so strung out over this that they are talking about using "hack back" and other attack technologies. Check out this guys latest article:

http://www.paulgraham.com/ffb.html

He is so bent over the amount of spam that he can't see straight anymore. And he is some sort of programming professional. What sort of schemes are the non tech savvy going to be thinking up?

BTW your solution is the one that I have had recommended to me several times. Had an article about setting the filters but can't find it right now. (May have lost the link...)

**skuz** · August 11th, 2003, 07:46 PM

Yep, it's becoming easier to filter only good emails.

Besides, why would I trust someone who can't even write an email subject right ?

**ShawnD1** · August 11th, 2003, 08:55 PM

My email system is masterful. 3 separate accounts are for everything. My hotmail account is used for personal and business things. One pop account is dedicated to signing up for junk, for example, the online game Utopia requires an email address. Another pop account dedicated to mailing lists, news and forum - stuff I will get lots of but actualy plan on reading.

Categorizing is the key. I recieve 0 spam with my system

**SiliconJon** · August 12th, 2003, 01:08 AM

I wound up getting a new account on Hotmail, as my old one was getting loaded with spam. Well, I used H&R Block's online filing, and used that email (the only person to get the email, as it was less than a day old)...and the next day I had 16 junk mails. Don't know if it was them or just coincidence...

Can't stand the crap myself. It needs to be outlawed. There is absolutely no reason for it to remain legal. It is not speech. Speech is expressing in public. Email's are not generally publically accessible (they're for YOU and only you).

But there's too much money in it...

**Droppyale** · August 12th, 2003, 01:14 AM

what is spam?

**ShawnD1** · August 12th, 2003, 01:18 AM

If you and your friends all DOS the SMTP server that sent you a spam, it will go down. I won't tell you how though.

**Siliconjunkie** · August 12th, 2003, 02:23 AM

While I understand the frustration, remember that 2 wrongs don't make a right. If they decide that they want to report you to your ISP for DOSing them, you are still in the wrong, no matter how noble the cause.

Do the right thing, use SamSpade, report the spamming to the abuse address for them, their ISP and the next tier up as well as your ISP.

If you think spam is frustrating, imagine it for huge companies that have to pay for the resources to process it, CPU time, disk space, bandwidth. They are literally spending millions a year dealing with it.

**ShawnD1** · August 12th, 2003, 02:35 AM

If you DOS them in a smart way you won't be caught. You can either fake your IP or use IRC bots to DOS the SMTP for you. A guy I know has about 20 IRC bots, one of his friends has over 500. It's really easy to take down a server if you really want to.

**Mickwish** · August 12th, 2003, 03:13 AM

Shawn, it's still not right, even if you do it and don't get caught.

We are too easily lead into thinking, "If I don't get caught, it must be OK" these days. P2P, speeding whilst driving, it's all the same- IF IT IS ILLEGAL, IT'S ILLEGAL!

So, whilst I agree spam can be annoying, don't break the law just to get "even". Chances are, you will be DOSing the wrong server anyhow, and then how will you feel?

IMO, anyway.

Cheers
Mick

**ShawnD1** · August 12th, 2003, 03:19 AM

If the server is sending out spam, it deserves to go down. 2 wrong do make a right. Notice how if you did something wrong as a kid, one of your parents would slap you? 2 wrongs occur but the result is positive, the kid learns. These spamming jerks need to learn, they can't just coast through life thinking they are these special beings who can't be touched by the people they spam.

**Mickwish** · August 12th, 2003, 03:23 AM

That's a crooked argument, Shawn. So the guy who rapes a girl deserves to get raped? So the drunk who runs over a kid deserves to get run over?

That's why we have laws in society. To handle these issues. It ain't perfect, but it's better than chaos. Don't be fooled into thinking it's OK to take the law into your own hands. No place for vigilantes in a modern society.

2 wrongs don't make a right, in my book. And you can be a victim of your own "justice", if you hit the wrong server. How do you know they didn't spoof?

Leave it to the law. report 'em. like S_J suggested.

Cheers
Mick

**ShawnD1** · August 12th, 2003, 03:45 AM

Originally posted by Mickwish
So the guy who rapes a girl deserves to get raped?
Mick

Well they put him in jail don't they? What happens a lot at jail? People get raped.

**Siliconjunkie** · August 12th, 2003, 04:13 AM

Only you can decide if you think that its right or wrong to do it. But, you should know that in that case the law would be on their side. Spam or not, doing that is illegal.

**SiliconJon** · August 14th, 2003, 05:38 PM

We need a law that will:

1) Require all email communications include true header information in regards to it's origin, and be sent from an origin that is owned or leased by the sender

2) All email must be sent from a valid email address that belongs to the sender and can except incoming emails

That would cover it, wouldn't it? I don't see any reason why anyone (other than spammers) would protest this...does anyone else?

**Bob The Great** · August 14th, 2003, 06:48 PM

Well hotmail accounts and many others get there address's sold by the people hosting them. I'd suggest just staying away from those "free" e-mail accounts. By free I mean the ones anyone can sign up to in a few minutes.

I've had the same e-mail account for about 2-3 years now and I sign up to a ton of stuff, but at the worst I get 10 e-mails a day with maybe 7 of them spam. Sometimes though I won't get any spam though. I have a few mail filters set up to catch any spam in those 10 e-mails as well so usually all I ever see is the 3 good ones. Maybe I'm just not signing up to the right contests or whatever though.

**Bill in SD, CA** · August 15th, 2003, 09:50 AM

Originally posted by SiliconJon
We need a law that will:

1) Require all email communications include true header information in regards to it's origin, and be sent from an origin that is owned or leased by the sender

2) All email must be sent from a valid email address that belongs to the sender and can except incoming emails

That would cover it, wouldn't it? I don't see any reason why anyone (other than spammers) would protest this...does anyone else?

This works for me. Probably too simple of a concept for Congress though.