Spam FAQ's
What Is Spam?
Spam email is defined as any unwanted or unsolicited email usually for commercial purposes sent in bulk to many
recipients.
Where does Spam come from?
Unfortunately Spam can come from anywhere and although there is alot of spam comeing from other countries much of it
originates right here in the US.
What is Backscatter Spam?
Backscatter Spam is Spam that is sent through email bounce-back messages. To employ this technique Spammers will use
the intended victim's email address in the Sender field of the email and then deliver the message to a non-existant
email address. The email is then sent back to the "Sender" with an error message and the original Spam message
included. Backscatter can be avoided by Email Administrators who reject emails outright without valid recipients
rather than accepting the message and sending it back later with a bounce message.
I get Spam from my own email address, what does this mean?
This is a technique often employed by Spammers in an attempt to bypass any filtering you may have for your email. The
assumption is that your email filter will not reject email with your own address. If you see Spam that appears to have
been sent from you it does not mean that they have been using your account. It is very easy to forge the "from" field
of an email and unfortunately almost impossible to stop. The only way to prevent this is to use an email filter that
checks the actual content of the message or to blacklist your own email address.
Is sending Spam Illegal?
Unfortunately there are currently no specific laws against spam. Although there are laws that could be applied, they
vary from state to state and are not designed specifially to deal with this problem. Spammers can be
difficult to prosecute as they can operate easily from other countries and often used stolen email accounts or a virus-infected PC.
How did the Spammers get my email address?
Spammers can acquire email addresses from a variety of sources. Some email addresses are harvested by scripts or
programs that search the web looking for webpages with email addresses and then add them to a list. Some email
addresses are bought, and some Spammers just guess by spamming a domain with a dictionary.
Is it ok to give people my email address?
It is best to have an email address that you do not mind being public for forums and websites, and one for your
friends and family only. Remember if you put your email address out on the Internet you can always expect to get Spam.
How do I stop Spam?
The best way to not receive Spam is to keep your email address a secret and only give it to friends and family. Even
then it is stil possible. If you are receiving Spam there is software available for free and for sale that can help.
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