How do you deal with yours? My son used to tell me not to click on the 'remove' link as this alerted the spammer that the account was live. I have been adding people to my blocked list (Outlook Express) but this makes little difference, I have found that some change their details slightly to overcome this - JANET becomes J ANET, then JA NET and so on. Some seem to be able to overcome the blocker.

Today I have decided to click on some of the 'removes' in the hope of reducing the spam.

I use the same ISP at the office and have similar problems there - worse sometimes as it automatically generates a response to emailers saying they will receive a response shrotly - then I get "As a result of your feedback..........." Aaaaghhhh!

What do you do?

Sue,

your son is right... Clicking the "remove" link only acknowledges the fact that they have found an active account. Unfortuanatly, since you have done this you will find that you have lots more junk mail coming your way. There's not a lot you can do as far as avoiding it.

Try this:
Open up a new account at a web based server (hotmail/yahoo), and always use that address when filling in forms. Only use your 'real' e-mail address for friends and family. Since you already get lots of SPAM, you might want to call your ISP for a new e-mail address.

How do SPAMERS get your e-mail address?:
When you buy something and give your address out.
When you post your address in chat rooms or bbs.
When your friends forward emails or use the CC option, and they get that email.

The most common way is when you fill out a form and register for a page, the owner of the page sells the addresses, and boom, you're on the list.

My hotmail account is overflowing with SPAM, but my Outlook Express (ISP mail) gets NONE, because only my friends and family have that address.

Hope that helps!

Corinne

Corinne's right..

Also, you can get all the header info and send emails to 'abuse@ispfromemail.com'. That sometimes works OR forward them to your own ISP so they can track down the person themselves.

I have only responded to a few for removal, in sheer frustration. If I get more spam for Viagra, promises to enlarge part of my anatomy that I don't possess (wrong sex!), offers of untold riches, mortgages and invitations for the viewing of a variety of xxx rated sites I might just run screaming.

I have had the same email address for about 8 or 9 years.... I don't want to change it really, that would be the final resort. As for opening other accounts, I have Hotmail and that is crammed with spam, I have opened one at FunTrivia and even that has a few bits of junk and I hadn't given the address to anyone nor used it! I get loads at the office too and we have never subscribed to anything, I rarely do myself.

Ah well, back to the 'blocking'.

I have a hotmail acct. and I have "filters" on...but not the supreme filter, cause I don't want some old time friend to be sent to my Trash! I would say everyday I receive about 8-10 unwanted(!) posts. I simply delete them without opening....or, if I do notice a repeater...I use the block option. It is a pain...I did rec. some shocking photos the other day, cause I was emailing with my sister in Messenger and we were going and back and forth, and I just clicked on the little pop up window when it showed without reading it, really...and BINGO! OH MY! It actually had me looking over my shoulder to see if my family members "caught" me!

Funny thing is, at work, a separate account...I don't get anything unwanted at all...except maybe one or two pests I work with...firewalls or something???

I hate the "adverts" that pop up while I'm on line! Casinos...Psychic Readings....stuff like that!

Ah , you need : http://www.panicware.com
They will help you to install a free popup stopper. it is wonderful. I have had no popups for months. However , if you receive something that you want to pop up, eg, an ecard or something, you just click to open it and at the same time click on the control button...this soon becomes a habit . Try it it is great.

I made a hotmail account for spam. (as corinne said, I used it to fill out forms and things online for memberships I wanted to join etc.). It came back on me though!

When I left for school I couldn't use my @cgocable.net account (main email) because you couldn't send emails remotely through their server. I could receive my emails but I couldn't send any. The school gave me an address @senecac.on.ca, but anyone who tries to send me an email there ends up with a "Mail Systems Error" saying that my account does not exist. I can still SEND mail from it though.

So my @hotmail.com address became my mail email, and all the glorious spam that comes with it.

Spam: the catch to e-mail. Like some people have said, never respond to remove addresses. Rarely are these legitimate; most of the time, they are ploys to see if your e-mail address is active or not.

Forwarding the e-mail message is also a good idea- to abuse/postmaster@domain.com. However, many spammers forge the Received header, making it seem like a nonexistent account sent the message. There's a long, complicated process for figuring this out.

Really, there's not much you can do to stop it, at least for now. Starting a new account might be the best idea.

I thought I'd escaped all the spam I used to get at uni when I graduated a few years ago, then I went back to the same place, and got the same e-mail address back - the spam I'd been avoiding has still been coming though all the time - and it's caught back up with me now.

I tend to use hotmail for pretty much everything, and have found it's pretty much spam free if you don't list your address anywhere. I still get some - but just delete and block it.

I don't know if that's normal, I NEVER had any spam in my life.

I now have 3 e-mail adresses and never had any spam.

well i dont get junk emails anymore cuz i change my settings to a maximum preference for not accepting any junk mail, i was soo sick receiving perverted email advertising and wierd emails from strangers