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Originally published October, 2004
Are you tired of getting spam in your inbox? Most of us are, and we'd like to have a way to get rid of the problem. Unfortunately, it is a large, complicated problem, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better as time passes. There are, however, many anti-spam tools available to help reduce the problem, and there are some things you can do to help stem the tide.
Many internet service providers, including Earthlink, AOL, MSN, and an increasing number of local providers, have services available to remove spam before it ever gets to your inbox. Usually, these services are free and easy to set up. Check on your ISP's webpage or call their support number to see if they have the service available and whether it costs you anything. The disadvantage of using most of these tools is that they are configured by the ISP. This means that if you want to get something that many people consider spam, you might just be out of luck. Most services err on the conservative side, so you probably won't have any problems. But if you really, really want to get ads for fake Vi@gr@, you might just be out of luck...
On the client side, Outlook has the Rules Wizard, which is not specifically an anti-spam tool, but can be used somewhat effectively. Outlook also allows you to set up adult sender and junk sender lists, which work for some people. Unfortunately, enabling the adult and junk sender lists forces you to also enable Outlook's junk mail rules, which are not very effective and sometimes classify a lot of legitimate mail as spam.
To use Outlook's Rules Wizard, open Outlook and select Tools then Rules Wizard from the menu at the top. In the window that comes up, push the button that says "New..." and follow the wizard's instructions. You can create as many rules as you want, but you might want to be careful about using the "Permanently delete it" option, since any rule you create may accidentally pick e-mails you don't want deleted. Personally, I set up my rules to move mail to a "junk mail" folder, so I can browse through it at the end of the day and make sure no legitimate e-mail is being deleted.
Most other mail programs have some similar way to filter e-mails by sender, subject, or other values. I can't really give specific instructions on how to set up filtering in your e-mail program, but you should check in the help menu of your program, or go to your e-mail client's webpage. They usually have support pages that show how to set up filters, and most major clients have support forums where you can ask questions, as well.
Many antivirus programs and computer utility suites (such as Panda AntiVirus and Norton SystemWorks) are now including anti-spam capabilities in their mail filtering functions. If you are using an antivirus program or a security suite on your computer, check the vendor's website or the documentation that came with the product to see if there are anti-spam functions available. And, if you aren't using an antivirus program or security suite, get one. Soon. Like now.
In addition to the anti-spam functions built in to some other products, there are a number of standalone anti-spam products available. Here at my work, we are using SpamPal, which is available for free from www.spampal.com. Despite the fact that it is a free program, it works quite well. Setting it up can be a bit complicated for beginners, but there is a very straightforward "how-to" page on their website for setting it up with most of the common e-mail programs in use today. Once it is set up, you can train it based on the content of the e-mail, sender addresses, or both. Other similar tools are available both for free and as paid software. For the cost and effort, however, I find SpamPal to be one of the best tools out there.
If you continue to get spam in your inbox after taking measures against it, you can still try to do something about it. The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for enforcing advertising regulations. Since spammers often violate those regulations, you can complain about spam messages by forwarding the entire e-mail sent to you to uce@ftc.gov. You can also complain about spam or e-mail scams by going to www.ftc.gov and clicking on the "File a Complaint" link. Bear in mind when filing complaints that the FTC gets many spam reports, so you may not get a very quick response. I try to limit my reports to them to items that are seriously offensive or items that I believe are attempts at fraud, identity theft or other illegal activities.
In the end, most of us will probably continue to get spam well into the future. Government efforts don't seem to have very much effect, and technological solutions generally are not perfect. Getting a spam filter on your e-mail client or from your ISP seems to be the best approach right now, but the real solution is to remove the spammers' motivation: money. Do not buy things from unsolicited e-mail. If you see a product in a spam message that you simply must have, go to Google and search for the product name. Then go buy it directly from the company that produces the product or a legitimate reseller. While it may seem like the money is going the same place, it often isn't. Spammers are often middlemen who get a few cents for every person who buys a product by clicking the link in their e-mail. If you bypass the e-mail link and go directly to the vendor, the spammer doesn't get any money for that sale. Hopefully, if no one ever buys from them, they will lose their financial motivation. Only then will we ever see a real end to the problem.
Created on ... October 14, 2004
Last Updated March 2, 2006