Jammed: Full into Capacity

photo credit: Björn Kietzmann

How prevalent is Spam? According to Scott McAdams, OMA Public Affairs and Communications Department (www.oma.org):

Studies show unsolicited or “junk” e-mail, known as spam, accounts for roughly half of all e-mail messages received. Although once regarded as little more than a nuisance, the prevalence of spam has increased to the point where many users have begun to express a general lack of confidence in the effectiveness of e-mail transmissions, and increased concern over the spread of computer viruses via unsolicited messages.

Here are the top 5 Rules to do to protect from spam:

Number 1: Do what you can to avoid having your email address out on the net.
There are products called “spam spiders” that search the Internet for email addresses to send email to. If you are interested, do a search on “spam spider” and you will be amazed at what you get back. Interestingly, there is a site, WebPoison.org, which is an open source project geared to fight Internet “spambots” and “spam spiders”, by giving them bogus HTML web pages, which contain bogus email addresses

A couple suggestions for you:

a) use form emails, which can hide addresses or also

b) use addresses like sales@company.com instead of your full address to help battle the problem.

c) There are also programs that encode your email, like jsGuard, which encodes your email address on web pages so that while spam spiders find it difficult or impossible to read your email address.
Number 2: Get spam blocking software. There are many programs out there for this. (go to www.cloudmark.com or www.mailwasher.net for example). You may also buy a professional version. Whatever you do, get the software. It will save you time. The software is not foolproof, but they really do help. You usually have to do some manual set up to block certain types of email.
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For months now, this blog has been freed from comment spam I used to experience before because I found out the most effective ways to avoid WordPress spam.

1. Deactivating Akismet. Previously, I was getting at least 200 spam comments per day. I had to scan them one-by-one because some comments were filtered as spam by Akismet. Out of frustration, I deactivated the plugin with thoughts of completely avoiding these spam messages. True enough, I have not received spam comments since then.

Note: Do not delete Akismet from the plugins directory because you’re blog may experience another spam flood.

2. Install a spam blocking plugin. Currently I am using Matriphe Keycode, one of the best anti spam plugins I’ve ever used.
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Recently, Tim of BeThumbed PayPal account was hacked because of filling up a fake form which was purportedly sent by a Paypal staff. I’ve also received a similar e-mail, but I just ignored it. Good thing I was busy blogging at that time that I totally forgot about the e-mail. I also logged in directly to their website to read if similar announcement appeared in their “What’s New” section.

Paypal had been particular in securing their merchants’ accounts. They provided tips on how to protect your account.

Blogging, Computer, Internet, Tips Anti-Spam, Blogging, Chain-E-mails, chain-letters, Computer, E-mail-Frauds, e-mail-viruses, How-To, Internet, Internet-Scams, Online-Tips, PayPal, Prevent-Spam, Spam, Spam-Filter, Tips

The National Telecommunications had imposed a law about penalizing giant cellphone companies for sending unsolicited text messages composed mainly of advertisements and promotions. Smart Telecom was penalized a total of P20,800 and Globe of P12,200 for unwanted messages.

But the penalty imposed has not prevented these companies from sending spam text messages. I am a SMART subscriber and spam messages about the company’s latest promotions and offers, especially right after I reload my account, have been regular annoyance at my inbox, some of which, I admit, are tempting. Since these are spam, which rhymes with scam by the way, I do not easily succumb to them.

Why was this measure not effective? These maybe are few of the reasons:
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Here’s another one of those ‘phishing’ e-mail scams that should aware internet users, especially e-Gold members. Last week, I received an e-mail from the “account robot” of e-Gold telling me to update my account information because it was ‘outdated.’

Click thumbnail to enlarge the picture.
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You won $500! Yahoo!® Mail congratulates you!, the subject of an e-mail I have received yesterday said. Attractive subject, isn’t it? Curious about it, I hurriedly open the e-mail, of course with excitement to see the price I have “won”. It’s $500 for God’s sake! Although, I was already suspecting that it was fraud.

The e-mail said that I was one of those “randomly” selected members who won $500. I was one of the 12 top winners accounts who will get cash prizes from them, it says.
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