Helpful Tips for Reducing Spam...Page 1

We’ll show you how to prevent spam from entering your inbox and give you some valuable tips for gaining control over your e-mail. Topics Include:  » Identifying the culprit » Handling the evidence » Handy prevention tips.

Avoid the “unsubscribe” feature included in spam messages. Most spam includes instructions on how to "remove yourself from the list.” More often than not, these removal instructions do not work. Instead, when you click on the link to unsubscribe you are verifying that you have a valid e-mail address and spammers will then permanently add you to their list or sell your address to others.

Do not reply to the spam message. This also lets spammers know they have found a valid e-mail address.

Consider where you share your personal information online. Spammers harvest e-mail addresses from Web pages and USENET news groups. Any address posted to a Web page or used in online forums will almost certainly be used by spammers.

You can access the Spam Protection features in your Yahoo E-Mail Account by clicking on "Edit Preferences" at the bottom of any e-mail, or by clicking on "Mail" in the menu bar (top left), and choosing "Options" from the drop-down menu. Then click on "Spam Protection." In Step 3, you have the option of blocking graphic images from being displayed.

Here's the text from Step 3:

Spam Protection:  Step 3 of 3: Image Blocking
Some images and graphics in email alert the sender that you've opened the message, which verifies that your email address is active. If you block these from being downloaded, the sender won't get this information -- and spammers are less likely to buy your address in the future if they don't know it's active.

O  Don't block any images:  We don't recommend this option, because it doesn't prevent spammers from validating that your email address is active.

O  Block images in messages that SpamGuard thinks are spam:  This protects you from accidentally validating that your email address is active when viewing a message in your Bulk folder.

O  Block all images:  This way, you're always protected when you open a message. If you determine that the email is "safe," you can just unblock the images in the message to view them.

Click on the link for "Options" in the upper right side of your e-mail account. This is a small, white text link. On the Mail Options Page, click on "Mail Display Settings." On the Mail Display Settings Page, select "Automatically suppress Internet content in messages." in order to prevent graphic images from being displayed.

Here is the text from Hotmail:  

Display Internet content:  To protect you and your account from misrepresentation, junk e-mailers, etc., you may suppress Internet content (i.e., links to web sites, images, etc.) in messages until you decide to display it. (Note: Internet content will always be suppressed for messages in the Junk E-Mail folder.)

O  Display Internet content      O  Automatically suppress Internet content in messages

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new consumer alert, “Who’s Spamming Who? Could it be You?,” that warns consumers of spammers who may be compromising other people’s computers to send unsolicited – and possibly offensive – email offers for products and services. Computer security experts estimate that as much as 30 percent of all spam is sent by compromised computers located in home offices and living rooms, but controlled from afar.

According to the FTC, spammers can compromise computers in several ways, depending upon the type of Internet connection. Broadband connections are the most vulnerable and attractive to spammers because they are “always on.” Spammers install a hidden software that allows remote access to your data and programs, which then allows the spammer to send messages from your computer.

“Spam isn’t just annoying, it also can be a threat to computers and personal information,” said Howard Beales, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall that’s properly configured will go a long way toward keeping computers secure. In addition, consumers should be very cautious about opening email attachments.”

If your computer has been taken over by a spammer, you could face serious problems. Your Internet Service Provider may prevent you from sending any email at all until the virus is treated, and treatment could be a complicated, time-consuming process. To avoid becoming an unwitting culprit, the FTC encourages you to:

• Use anti-virus software and keep it up to date. Look for anti-virus software that recognizes current viruses, as well as older ones; can effectively reverse the damage; and updates automatically.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from email messages you receive.
• Use a firewall to protect your computer from hacking attacks while it is connected to the Internet. A properly configured firewall makes it tougher for hackers to locate your computer and get into your program and files.
• Check your “sent items” file or “outgoing” mailbox to see if there are messages that you did not intend to send.
• If your computer is infected, take action immediately. Disconnect from the Internet and then scan your computer with an anti-virus software.

Learn more about securing your computer at:
www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.

Home PC Firewall Guide
www.firewallguide.com/

How Stuff Works:  Firewalls
www.howstuffworks.com/firewall.htm

Anti-Virus Guide
www.firewallguide.com/anti-virus.htm

How Stuff Works:  Computer Viruses
www.howstuffworks.com/virus.htm

Anti-Spyware Guide
www.firewallguide.com/spyware.htm

Spam Stoppers
www.firewallguide.com/spam.htm

How to Prevent Spam
www.wordsandpeople.com/security/how-to-prevent-spam.htm

Spam-Based Scams & Phishing

Experts: 'Phishing' more sophisticated,
Thursday, January 20, 2005 Posted: 9:46 AM EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Internet "phishing" scams are becoming more difficult to detect as criminals develop new ways to trick consumers into revealing passwords, bank account numbers and other sensitive information, security experts say.

Scam artists posed as banks and other legitimate businesses in thousands of phishing attacks last year, sending out millions of "spam" e-mails with subject lines like "account update needed" that pointed to fraudulent Web sites.

Click on link to read the full article:
www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/01/20/tech.phishing.reut/index.html