What is spam?
Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise
choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very little to send — most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the carriers rather than by the sender.
There are two main types of spam, and they have different effects on Internet users. Cancell able Usenet spam is a single message sent to 20 or more Usenet newsgroups. (Through long experience, Usenet users have found that any message posted to so many newsgroups is often not relevant to most or all of them.) Usenet spam is aimed at “lurkers”, people who read newsgroups but rarely or never post and give their address away. Usenet spam robs users of the utility of the newsgroups by overwhelming them with a barrage of advertising or other irrelevant posts. Furthermore, Usenet spam subverts the ability of system administrators and owners to manage the topics they accept on their systems.
Email spam targets individual users with direct mail messages. Email spam lists are often created by scanning Usenet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching the Web for addresses. Email spams typically cost users money out-of-pocket to receive. Many people – anyone with measured phone service – read or receive their mail while the meter is running, so to speak. Spam costs them additional money. On top of that, it costs money for ISPs and online services to transmit spam, and these costs are transmitted directly to subscribers.
One particularly nasty variant of email spam is sending spam to mailing lists (public or private email discussion forums.) Because many mailing lists limit activity to their subscribers, spammers will use automated tools to subscribe to as many mailing lists as possible, so that they can grab the lists of addresses, or use the mailing list as a direct target for their attacks.
Should You Send “Removes” back to Spammers?
By sending back a ‘remove me’ opt-out request you are confirming to the spammer that your address is live, you are confirming that your ISP doesn’t use spam filters, you are confirming that you actually open and read spams, and that you follow the spammer’s instructions such as “click this to be removed”. You are the perfect candidate for more spam.
Have you paid to add your address to a “Global spam remove” service, yet your spam volume only seems to be increasing? Here’s why.
Spam ‘Remove-You’ Services are at best a scam and at worst a ‘live address’ confirmation system for the spammer. Often Spam Unsubscribe services pretend to be “anti-spam” sites and claim to be able to remove your address from spammers’ lists, for a fee of course. Some pretend to be affiliated with government consumer protection agencies or anti-spam organizations. None are, they are all scams designed to separate you from your money. Continue Reading….
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PayPal Users
Protect Yourself from Fraudulent Emails
At PayPal, protecting your account’s security is our top priority. Recently, PayPal members have reported suspicious-looking emails and fake websites. These emails are not from PayPal and responding to them may put your account at risk. Please protect your PayPal account by paying close attention to the emails you receive and the websites you visit.
Please use the following tips to stay safe with PayPal:
- Safe Log In: To log in to your PayPal account or access the PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.co.uk
- Greeting: Emails from PayPal will address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. Fraudulent emails often include the salutation “Dear PayPal User” or “Dear PayPal Member”.
- Email Attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software programme. Attachments contained in fraudulent emails often contain viruses that may harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account.
- Request for Personal Information: If we require information from you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account.Often, fraudulent emails will request details such as your full name, account password, credit card number, bank account, PIN number, National Insurance Number, or mother’s maiden name.
If you think that you have received a fraudulent email (or fake website), please forward the email (or URL address) to spoof@paypal.com and then delete the email from your mailbox. Never click any links or attachments in a suspicious email.
To learn more about protecting your PayPal account, please review our Security Tips.
