Tools for Parents > SPAM

SPAM
What Is It and What Can You Do About It?

What is this thing called SPAM? Sounds like meat in a can. Right? Actually it is unsolicited commercial email that needs to be canned!

Why does SPAM arrive in your mailbox?

• Marketers or email spammers, buy a list of email addresses from a list broker who gathers addresses from the Internet at large. With one click of the mouse, the marketer uses special software that will send thousands, even millions, of email messages to these addresses.
• If your email address appears in a newsgroup posting, on a website, in a chat room or in an online service’s membership directory, it may be sold to one of the spammers’ list.
• Most SPAM is sent simply to irritate or shock the receiver and these messages are simply “spoofs” meaning you cannot email the sender back. It is best not to reply to SPAM of any kind, not even to reply “to remove your name from their list.” This verifies you as a legitimate email address.

What can you do to reduce the amount of SPAM you receive?

• Learn how to filter your email. Most people do not realize that their Outlook or Eudora email software contains filters that are not turned on. Most Internet Service Providers (ISP) provide filters. Check with your provider to learn how to turn on the filter they may have provided.
• Warn everyone in your family (especially children) not to make their email addresses public through chat rooms, on Web discussion boards, or on Internet newsgroups.
• Check the privacy policy when you submit your address to a website to see if it allows the company to sell your address. Do not submit your address to websites that will not protect it. Check the I Want To Join page on the ProtectEveryChild website (http://www.protecteverychild.org) to view our policy about protecting email information.
• Some websites may allow you to opt out of receiving email from their “partners.” Read and understand the entire form before you send personal information through a website.
• Consider keeping two email addresses—one for personal messages and one for newsgroups and chat rooms. Consider using a disposable email address service that creates a separate email address that will forward mail to your main account. If one of the disposable addresses begins to receive SPAM, you can shut it off without affecting your permanent address.
• Did you know your choice of addresses could affect the amount of SPAM you receive? Spammers search through possible name combinations at large, ISPs or email services trying to find a valid name. A common name such as jsmith may get more spam that a more unique address such as js52ms51. One problem, names like this are harder to remember.

Rule #1 in dealing with SPAM:

Be alert and cautious of email from sender you do not know--especially when there is not a subject line. If the email you received is a legitimate message, the sender will likely email you again and include a subject message that you will recognize.

What can I do once SPAM arrives in my mailbox?

• Report all SPAM to the Federal Trade Commission. (http://www.ftc.gov) Send a copy of any unsolicited or deceptive messages to uce@ftc.gov. The emails sent to the Federal Trade Commission will be stored in their database to pursue law enforcement actions against people sending these deceptive SPAM emails.
• Child pornography is illegal in the US and any mail you receive containing material like this should be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children http://www.CyberTipline.com. Do not download or copy web pages, only report the web addresses. Downloading or making a copy of child pornography is a crime in the US, even to use as evidence. http://www.GetNetWise.org
• When you forward a SPAM email to the FTC be sure to include the full email header. The information in the header makes it possible for consumer protection agencies to follow up.
• Send a copy of the SPAM to your Internet Service Provider abuse desk. You may send these to abuse@youriISPname.com or postmaster@yourISPname.com. Your ISP does not want to lose your business and will want to know that there is abuse in their system. Be sure to include a copy of the SPAM with the full email header. In your subject line let them know that you are complaining about SPAM
• Contact the senders ISP. Most ISPs want to cut off any abuse in their system. Be sure to include a copy of the message and header information and state that you are complaining about SPAM. Headers are typically hidden in e-mail messages. Your email software can be switched to view full headers. The procedure differs in different email programs. In Microsoft Outlook, for example, open or highlight a message, pull down the File menu, go down to Properties, then click the tab that says Internet.

How can you avoid SPAM SCAM?

• Treat commercial email the way you treat unsolicited telemarketers. Do not give them any information. Be skeptical. Do not believe promises from strangers.
• Chain letters that involve money or valuable items are illegal. If you send one you are breaking the law. For more information check out http://www.ftc.gov/chainmail
• Be wary of Work At Home schemes (consumers have lost thousands of dollars through these ads), Weight Loss Claims are likely not worth the space they take up on your hard drive, Credit Repair Offers, and Advance Fee Loan Scams. Adult Entertainment sites that offer free viewing will not be free.

Don’t accept SPAM.

For more information on how to protect yourself from unwanted SPAM, check these websites:

http://spam.abuse.net
http://spamcop.net
http://www.cauce.net
http://www.cybertipline.com
http://www.ftc.gov
http://www.privacytoolbox.org
http://www.spamgourmet.com

How to recognize Web Sites that are not legitimate:

NO Privacy Policy
NO Explanation of WHY they need your information
NO Obvious benefit from providing this information
NO Company name or alternate method of contact information provided