In <[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] writes:

> Bill wrote:
>
> > I am sick of all the junk email I have been getting and would like to know
> > how some of you have set up email filters, particularly anyone using Eudora.
> .
> >  Have any of you got it set up so you don't miss any "important" messages?
>
> Here are a few random notes:
>
> First, [log in to unmask] is still listed as the contact for LUND.COM at
> Internic.  This is a *great* way to get *lots* of spam.

Works for me. My address is all over the 'net, and I (used to) get boatloads
of it. Get much less nowadays, though they keep trying! ;-)

{good ideas snipped]

> A growning Usenet practice is to use "[log in to unmask]" in your .sig
> file (and your web browser), and to add a note to you .sig file saying
> "Remove nospam from email address to write me".  This defeats the

This one's a dangerous idea; alot of mail systems (like ours, and others are
starting to do this as well) allow the MTA (server) to refuse to accept any
mail that doesn't come from a valid domain. By creating a bogus host name
(using "nospam" on the right side of the "@") you'll find that you won't be
able to send messages (directly) to an ever-increasing number of hosts.

If you're gonna do this, try it on the left side of the "@" sign. Since
mailbox names *can't* be verified on the 'net in general, you'll at least
get through such filters. You'll still likely not get some replies (cause
no matter what you enter, people often reply without paying much attention
to the address; and some mailers don't even show it to you), but it MIGHT
help reduce the volume of junk mail you get.

Note; just "MIGHT" cause the address trawlers are getting smarter too; they're
   learning to look for "nospam." in addresses too. So while it might help
   you for a while, long term they're gonna get to ya. Clue-by-4s are by
   far the best weapons! :-) Spammers are increasingly using throw-away
   accounts or being constrained to the few ISPs that allow spamming --and
   thankfully both are getting a LITTLE scarcer as time goes by.

In the meantime, if you get spammed (and have the time); send a complaint.
The more complaints the spammers (and their ISPs get) the faster they'll get
cut off, and the harder it'll be for them to get new accounts next time.

**BIG PS: Complain but **DON'T** bother with the spammer's "remove me from
  this list" mailboxes. In many cases, they either ignore these mailboxes
  altogether (they're mostly buying CDs full of addresses from someone else
  these days anyway) or they're using these lists to confirm that your address
  really is valid -- and you might just find yourself on several NEW lists
  (as some spam-fighting testers have demonstrated repeatedly); or even
  worse, find yourself the victim of a spam spoofing attack (they like to
  send out e-mails using return addresses belonging to previous complainers
  or others they have vendettas with; so those people get bombed by all the
  complaints from their new spam).

          -Chris Bartram