I've started to notice something strange (and its not just that funny smell coming from the Mod board). It seems that certain very lucky people seem to be on the recieving end of a whole lotta spam. I've never recieved a single piece of spam on my most recent account, and have recieved maybe one or two pieces _ever_.
So I'm wondering; What the heck are these people doing that they get on so many mass mailing lists? What makes some people huge repeat targets, and others totally immune?
"There's always another way"
-lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)
If you use a common email address like hotmail then you'll get plenty of random spam, also if your account has been around for a long time and you use it for anything other than direct communication with close friends. Even then you'll get spam, but not huge amounts of it. I use my email for anything I need to register for online because it's signed up under a false name and isn't my main account. This works out nicely, I just empty my hotmail account every now and then and I can avoid spam on my personal account.
-Prelude
My best code is written with the delete key.
... and using your email address in news group posts is a sure way to get collared too, imo.
It is strange though, I have 2 hotmail accounts, but I've decided to give up on one, as I was getting 30+ spams a day on it, none of which I'd actually asked for. Oh well.... it's free anyway, so I guess it's no big deal, just a bit inconvenient.
When all else fails, read the instructions.
If you're posting code, use code tags: [code] /* insert code here */ [/code]
Some time ago, I came up with a very nice solution to the spam problem.
Register an email account that gives you an unlimited number of addresses.
[email protected]
http://www.cjb.net offers this service for free.
Then, each time you give out your address or sign up somewhere, give out a new address. If some company leaks the address, it's easy to block that particular address.
It make sorting email much easier, too.
Every post from this forum goes to [email protected]
It's very funny to see which institutions that leaks the most (usenet and icq are at the top for me).
Last edited by Sang-drax : Tomorrow at 02:21 AM. Reason: Time travelling
>>If you use a common email address like hotmail
Yes, but thats what I dont understand. I've got friends that use local ISPs which provide e-mail services, who still get large quantities of spam. IslandNet being the server in mind. And yet, my brother has a hotmail account and has never recieved spam.
>>and using your email address in news group posts
Which is something that I do. I sign up for all kinds of things with my only active account (unless its obviously some really Bull site, which I have a dummy account for). And yet, no spam for me.
Thats why I'm confused. ---><--- (see? confused.)
It almost seems random. Luck of the draw I guess.
"There's always another way"
-lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)
i rarely get spam, i have two accounts. i just watch out where i just my email address, and if i see fine print saying they'll send me ads, i wont put my personal email down there
if i do get any spam, ill just find the unsubscribe address. works pretty well.
If you put your email address on a public website, a spambot can detect it, and add it to its list...
it happened to me.
I have a couple of online email accounts.
One with a short name gets so much spam it fills up over the weekend.
The other with a 10 + char name has never got a spam.
"Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter."
Friedrich Nietzsche
"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars......the rest I squandered."
George Best
"If you are going through hell....keep going."
Winston Churchill
I think it also depends on the registration details you give when you sign up for an email account. Say for example, if you gave your nationality as Indian when you registered, you tend to get more spam from India, and so on .... If you can avoid this, I think a lot of spam can be avoided.
>>And yet, my brother has a hotmail account and has never recieved spam.
I wonder how ANYBODY maneges to stay away from spam in their Hotmail aco......... Seriously didn't think it was possible
I've given up on my email account from Hotmial, only use it for the messenger now and signing up for something that will likely lead to spam. My yahoo one doesn't get any spam, except for the random one every 2-3 weeks or so.
Q: Is it a good idea to unsubscobe fromt eh mailing lists, or as someone suggested, that only tells the senders you're alive and reading their email?
This is my signature. Remind me to change it.
I have two hotmail accounts that I use for UseNet etc. One gets 10-20 spams a week, the other, none. The one that gets the spam is a relatively short name, the other a long name. I guess there are scripters out there that send all combinations of characters to hotmail, like, a@hotmail, b@hotmail etc, but the stop bothering after say 8 characters. The content of the message title is also dynamica, i.e. I get, (account name disguised to prevent spam)...
To: [email protected]
Subject: Account due for closure (Account abcd)
... and so forth. Of course, the mail content is always the same, fake degrees/diplomas, instant cash schemes, porn sites, wonder cures for all ailments...
The bigger question really is who actually bothers looking at any of these sites/products. Surely people aren't that gullible, or if they are, where can I get a list of their addresses?
Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity unto the dream.
My hotmail account is fine, rareley get spam.My main account though is another story.
Such is life.
>>The other with a 10 + char name has never got a spam.
>>The one that gets the spam is a relatively short name
Hmm, I think you're both on to something there. I think I'll do some polling of friends to see who gets bad spam and what length their user name is. lightatdawn is 11 characters and my brothers spam-free hotmail account is 11 also... I suppose special characters and numbers would help as well. Hmm... Makes sense.
"There's always another way"
-lightatdawn (lightatdawn.cprogramming.com)
My frequently spammed hotmail account is 9 characters (plus @hotmail.com).
When all else fails, read the instructions.
If you're posting code, use code tags: [code] /* insert code here */ [/code]
Mine too, and I get spam everyday!Originally posted by Hammer
My frequently spammed hotmail account is 9 characters
