More about Spam | What is Spam A
Why does Spam have such an influence on the
Internet?
As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email
messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers
find unsolicited commercial email - also known as Spam -
annoying and time consuming; others have lost money to bogus
offers that arrived in their email in-box.
How do Spammers get my email address?
Typically, an email Spammer buys a list of email addresses from
a list broker, who compiles it by harvesting addresses from the
Internet. If your email address appears in a newsgroup posting,
on a Web site, in a chat room, or in an online directory, it may
find its way onto these lists. The marketer then uses special
software that can send hundreds of thousands - even millions -
of email messages to the addresses at the click of a mouse.
LocalLine does not sell your address to these brokers.
How do I minimize the amount of Spam I receive?
While it is difficult to eliminate Spam from your account
completely, there are procedures you can put into place in your
own email use to minimize the amount of Spam you receive.
The first thing we advise is NOT to respond to offers to be
removed from mailing lists if you reply. Many senders use
software to randomly generate thousands of addresses and send
email to them all in the hope they are valid. While some senders
may honor your request to be removed, others will merely count
your message as confirmation that yours is a valid address, and
will continue to Spam you. Aside from this, even the senders who
are willing to remove you are then entitled under the laws of
some countries to sell your address to other marketing
companies.
Make sure you know what you are agreeing to when filling out
online forms. Many providers of services over the Internet,
especially free services, will include phrases like "..please
send me your newsletter.." in the form, located where it will
not be obvious to the user. This turns the form into a request
from you to the provider to be included on a mailing list, as
well as to make use of their service. While technically not
Spam, these are often unwelcome, so you may want to take the
opportunity to un-tick this option on the form if it is
presented.
Be careful about posting your email address in messages to
online forums or newsgroups. Some marketers use harvest programs
to search for email addresses through these forums, and compile
lists which can them be used for Spam. Or alternatively you can
Mung or mask your address so it becomes unreadable to a machine,
by adding letters or numbers. For example, a Munged version of
the LocalLine tech address is techs@NOSPAMLocalLine.com - A
human reader would be able to realize that "NOSPAM" must be
removed, but a software program would not.
Decide if you want to use two email addresses - one for
personal messages and one for newsgroups and chat rooms. You
also might consider using a disposable email address service
that creates a separate email address that forwards to your
permanent account. If one of the disposable addresses begins to
receive Spam, you can shut it off without affecting your
permanent address.
Use a unique email address. Your choice of email addresses
may affect the amount of Spam you receive. Spammers use
"dictionary attacks" to sort through possible name combinations
at large ISPs or email services, hoping to find a valid address.
Thus, a common name such as tech may get more Spam than a more
unique name like t51x03op. Of course, there is a downside - it's
harder to remember an unusual email address.
You can use mail rules in Outlook Express to filter out
Spam.
You can block specific senders in Outlook Express.
How Can I Avoid Spam Scams?
LocalLine suggests that you treat commercial email solicitations
the same way you would treat an unsolicited telemarketing sales
call. Don't believe promises from strangers. Regard money making
opportunities that arrive at your in box with skepticism. Most
of the time, these are old-fashioned scams delivered via the
newest technology.
Here are some of the most common scam offers likely to arrive by
email:
Chain letters. Chain letters that involve money or valuable
items and promise big returns are illegal. If you start one or
send one on, you are breaking the law. Chances are you will
receive little or no money back on your "investment". Despite
the claims, a chain letter will not make you rich.
Work-At-Home Schemes. Not all work at home opportunities
deliver on their promises. Many omit the fact that you may have
to work many hours without pay. Or they don't disclose all the
costs you will have to pay. Countless work at home schemes
require you to spend your own money to place newspaper ads; make
photocopies; or buy the envelopes, paper, stamps, and other
supplies or equipment you need to do the job. The companies
sponsoring the ads also may demand that you pay for instructions
or "tutorial" software. Consumers deceived by these ads have
lost thousands of dollars, in addition to their time and energy.
"Health" Products. There are many dubious "health" programs
or products that promote easy or effortless long term health
benefits. You should be very skeptical when it comes to staking
your health on the validity of an unsolicited email.
Credit Repair Offers. Ignore offers to erase information
from your credit record. There's no legal way to do that.
Advance Fee Loan Scams. Be wary of promises to provide a
loan for a fee, regardless of your past credit history.
Remember, legitimate banks don't issue credit cards without
first checking your credit.
Adult Entertainment. You may get an email from an adult
entertainment Web site that claims to offer content for "free"
and doesn't require a credit card number for access. All you
have to do is download a "viewer" or "dialer" program. However,
once the program is downloaded onto your computer, it may
disconnect your Internet connection and reconnect to an
international long distance phone number, at rates between $2
and $7 a minute. Be skeptical when you see opportunities to view
"free" content on the Web.
Why doesn't LocalLine block out unsuitable
material?
LocalLine supports the right of Internet users to view any
material that is of interest, as long as the law is not broken.
Please try to understand that there are a wide range of people
in our customer base, with varying interests and attitudes, and
what you consider unsuitable may not bother someone else. As
with email, within the boundaries of the law we believe it is
more appropriate for you to determine what is suitable for
viewing in your household than it would be for us to make that
decision on your behalf.
I have come across material on the Internet
which I believe is illegal. What should I do?
Please let us know the address you found the material on. We can
deal with it if is on our network, or report it to another
hosting service if it isn't. If this material is also illegal in
the hosting country, it will be dealt with. Please also keep in
mind that the Internet is a world without borders - a site which
may be considered unsuitable in the U.S. could be perfectly
acceptable in the Webmaster's home country. By the same token,
there are some countries where it would be illegal to read THIS
page. With billions of available Web pages on the Internet, it's
not possible to keep track of the content of all of them. We ask
you to use your best judgment in these situations.
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