How to Reduce or Eliminate SPAM

When it comes to controlling SPAM, always remember...

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

It is very difficult to “fix” an email address that has already been violated and easier to prevent an email address from being violated in the first place. In this article I will cover how to prevent spam from taking over an email account in the first place and then cover how to repair or eliminate spam from an already compromised email account.

SPAMMERS acquire your email address primarily from one of five sources:

1. Off your site

Spammers use email harvesting software to spider web sites just like the search engines do. However the "spam bots" are looking for one thing… email addresses. Also, some email addresses are commonly used by spammers and you should avoid them.

SOLUTION: Disguise and encode all site email address references on the site so they can't be harvested. Your webmaster should know how to do this. Also, avoid commonly spam targeted email addresses like webmaster@ - info@ - support@ - postmaster@ and admin@

2. From your email software REPLY TO or FROM address field

Whenever you setup and email account and configure it into the email software on your PC, there are typically two optional fields you can customize called FROM and REPLY TO. This is the email address or name that the person who receives your email will see the email coming FROM and when they hit reply it will REPLY TO your email address. Typically if you leave these fields blank it will default to the email address you used to setup the software with. If you are sending to friends or valid business associates this isn’t a problem. However if a spammer sends you and email with instructions to REPLY with the word REMOVE in the subject line it could just be a bait to confirm the email address so they get a real response from the email account and can tag it as a real lead so be careful.

SOLUTION: Never reply to spam of any kind, even to say REMOVE ME. Legit mailing lists have a LINK in the email that allows you to remove yourself from a form on their web site. However this is not foolproof and can be bogus as well.

3. From sites you request information from that require your email address.

Some sites will sell or rent your email address to marketing companies when you request information from them.

SOLUTION: Be careful what sites you request information from and look for a valid disclaimer that says WE NEVER SHARE OR SELL YOUR EMAIL. Even then, ask yourself “is this a credible business site”. In other words, do you trust them to uphold their statement of privacy?

COOL TIP: Setup a disposable email forwarding account specifically for the purpose of online information requesting and software testing and use it anytime you are just gathering information online or testing new potential software or products. That way none of your important customers or personal contacts have that email and if it gets violated you can simply shut down the email account so you no longer receive spam. Your hosting service should have the ability to setup forwarding accounts or better yet, use a third party service like SPAMEX www.spamex.com which allows you to disguise not only the real address but if you reply it will reply through the bogus address as well so the other party NEVER KNOWS your real email address. This is a great way to protect yourself.

4. From other sites where you have listed yourself and your email address.

Any time an email address shows up on any web page the SPAM BOTS can and WILL harvest it. Especially if that site is high profile and get's alot of traffic. This means any forums you join, profiles you post etc.

SOLUTION: If the forum or site has a feature to hide your email DO IT. Otherwise either don’t sign up or use a disposable email service like SPAMEX mentioned in #3 above.

5. From non secure third party web site add on scripts such as forums, polls & bulletin boards.

SOLUTION: Make sure your webmaster installs secure anti-spam software. Most often this means you may have to actually pay for the software as FREE software typically doesn’t have these more advanced security features.

Follow the steps above and you will eliminate most of your spam problem from the beginning. Now we cover a few methods of fixing a spam infested email account.

What to do if your email account is SPAM infested

The problem with controlling spam once an email address has been violated is that spammers seldom (if ever) use the same return, from, or even IP address. They often hijack different proxy (private) mail servers so it appears the same email comes from completely different domains, sources or IP addresses. They also change the subject line content frequently so it appears everything about the email is different from the last, so it is very difficult to identify and categorize them as spam. These guys are real skumbags and often send very offensive graphic material to young viewers and apparently don’t give a damn.

So what can you do to cleanup a compromised email account? Here are a few options:

1. Change your email address. Cancel the compromised account. Make sure your web server sends all email that comes into a non existent account into a “black hole” (talk to your webmaster) so any further email coming into the now non-existent account gets bounced back as non-deliverable. The problem with this of course, is if you have a lot of people who know your email address and use it this may not be a practical solution for you, unless you have a way to notify them of the change.

2. Increase server side spam filtering.

Your hosting service should be able to reduce (but not eliminate) your spam problem. However server spam filters are tricky and if you wind them too tight they can also filter desired email along with the spam.

THE BEST SOLUTION in my experience for a compromised email account (other than junking it and starting a new one) is to use an email challenge software program or service like:

1. Choice Mail (Software Download – FREE Trial)

2. Zero Spam (Free online service)

I personally use Choice Mail. In fact I recently checked my junk mail area from my Choice Mail software and discovered that I’ve received over 500 confirmed SPAM emails in a week. However I didn’t even see or notice them. That’s the beauty of this type of filtering software. I highly recommend this type of software.

About the Author:
Mark Hamilton is a Webmaster and SEO specialist. since 1997. You can visit his site at www.internetoutfitter.com. You are free to post this article on your site as long as you leave ALL the information intact.

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