The Spam Crisis Is Over (continued)

Matt has a good post on this topic. He says while the "crisis" may be over, it will take years before spam isn't an issue for many email users. He's probably right.

Comments

[Jeff Jarvis]

Fred:
A new wrinkle on the problem...
A spam virus right now is spoofing email addresses and is sending even me spam apparently from my address to my address. Of course, it's not really from me; they merely spam the address.
But here's the problem: I've just been blacklisted from sending email to AOL because of complaints about spam coming -- apparently -- from my address.
Now the truth is that AOL is just doorknob dumb about this. They should recognize that many users -- including many on AOL -- are the victims of this, not the perps.
Nonetheless, spammers are now using my own address against me.
The real irony is that I use AOL Communicator and so every time I kill one of these virus spams I am, in essence, reporting my own (apparent) address as a spammer. I'm blacklisting myself.
Blacklists don't work. Consumer complaints about addresses are obviously fallible.
I agree that the situation is improved thanks to technology.
But spam is email terrorism and the f'ers will find new ways to attack constantly.
The war isn't quite over, I fear.

[Rafat]

Sure, you think the war's over...meanwhile, I lie dead in its wake...my e-mail, which is very public as a result of my website and my newsletter, is blocked out by everyone these days, it seems. My e-mails are not getting through to people, and these include my invoice e-mails, which are a part of my livelihood.
So while you at your end are smug in the knowledge that you've browbeaten spam into submission, techniques like Jeff mentioned above are killing my livelihood, one filter a day...

[Pierre Wolff]

I've been blacklisted fm AOL too. Tried to communicate w/a friend who works there to tell them about this and that e-mail bounced too w/a the note telling me that it would not accept e-mail fm my address...doh!

Fortunately, I don't communicate w/too many people who use AOL, but that certainly was frustrating and another externality fm this spam affair.

[snapmikey]

Oh boy, spammers never stop spam emails. The bloggers should fight back. I think the only way to kill spammers is using the HAMMER. They said it's working effectively. Here is the source how to using the hammer. Please read the whole thing. You will get the laugh out of it.

JuniorHarris say… I used to report the spam, but found it to be a waste of valuable time. The hammer is much more effective at getting host providers to remove the home base of these spammers. I've had greater success at getting sites removed by simply hammering them in the ground!~ Gotta love it when the 404 shows up!

Speak softly, but carry a big hammer!

Please spread the word to blogosphere!

[Nathaniel McNamara]

Fred,
I thought this graph might be of interest to you, showing one man's history of frequency and size of the spam he has received since 1997. It does appear that in his case the spam has trailed off a bit in the last year, from amazing highs of 2002/2003. Enjoy.

http://weblogs.asp.net/oldnewthing/archive/2004/09/16/230388.aspx

Nathaniel

[Jaidev]

Sure spam war is far from over. Spam not only endangers your email also takes a lot of time while deleting. I've got accounts with almost all the top notch services, but the spam controlling ability of these are very poor.Off Late I registered with a web-based mail service called www.postmaster.co.uk and to my surprise its anti-spam features made sure that I had a junkless mail. Postmaster.co.uk has been very effective against spam, as i am yet to recieve a spam.

[uma]

Spam has emerged out as a new age bane for the internet users. All email services before sign up boasts of having special anti spam features.
Its only after sign up that you realise that you have been taken for a royal ride. I am a member of numerous discussion forums where plans to corner spams are constantly churned out. Moreover, I've created an anti-spam community at the discussion forum of www.homemaster.net to tide over the junk crises.