Spam. Hundreds of Spam Messages! ARGH!

[IdaBriggs]

I have an old e-mail account I've been using since 1999, but frankly, its Spam Central. Fortunately there is a "Spam Folder" but because some things I actually want get sent there by accident, I have to do a quick scan of it before deleting.

Every few days I go to clear it out -- and there are usually HUNDREDS of messages. Apparently, my non-existent male parts (I'm a woman) need hardening/lengthening, while someone out there is convinced that I'm a porn freak, despite the fact I've never knowingly clicked on such a link (except one time when it was job related, but that's a different story!).

Rolexs, Soft Cialis, Generic Viagra & Other Pharmaceuticals, Weight Loss, Financial Opportunities in Penny Stocks, and a host of ways to make my "woman" happier (which would probably upset my husband) are constantly being offered to me. I don't think I've EVER replied, although I did do the "take me off this list" thing five or so years ago (before I knew that was a scam, too).

The e-mail address isn't a common one -- in fact, its the leftover of a company that has changed its name two or three times since, but continues to collect e-mail for its long time customers.

This isn't an "end of the world" thing; its just annoying. I've been weening friends and business dealings to a new account, and so far the Spam there is a mere trickle -- a dozen a day or so, as compared to the "several hundred" on the old account.

Usually I'm amused. Occasionally I'm annoyed. What gives? And what can a person actually do? Opinions?

[Ian David]

1. Get an account at netmails.net n/t

[Raster]

2. Refinancing your penis? Lengthening your mortgage?

:rofl:

[madokie]

3. I just had to give up on my first email addy

I like you clicked on a remove me from your email list and the barrage started. the last time I checked it was close to 600 emails in there, I don't even check it anymore. one lesson one lesson learned.

[namvet73]

4. I maintain several e-mail accounts

Most ISP's offer the option several e-mail accounts. I use Pair Networks. I can either have the account forward to another account, create a mailbox or delete it any time I want.

I have one personal e-mail I give out to only friends I know. I've had that account for years and get no spam.
I have a politics account to give to political causes. I have already changed that once because it was given out and started to get spammed. That account will be changed or deleted at the end of the year. I like periods of silence from politics.

Another account is a commerce account I give to on line businesses like Amazon or eBay. That e-mail gets forwarded to my personal account, but if it gets abused, which it hasn't, I can delete it and change it to a new one. Of course I have to update that e-mail address for all the businesses.

Another account is dedicated to anyone or agency I think might give my the address away. I can change that in a heartbeat.

One more account is one that is a link in my website. Since it is a link, I can change that in a heartbeat.

It sounds like a lot of trouble, but it actually reduces the amount of time I have to deal with spam to almost zero. I only look at my personal account daily and the others I check occasionally.

I do not enjoy any spams no matter how funny they seem. I DO enjoy deleting an account that starts to get spams. It's fun to shut the door on the bastards.

[namvet73]

5. Oh, just one more thing, sir..

I don't give out my personal e-mail address to anyone I would not give out my home phone number.
That way, if I close off an e-mail account to some friend, they can call me to reach me.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

6. I never give out my server-based email

except to family, close friends and business associates. They're the only ones I care about hearing from immediately. And of course my internet provider has that address.

Everybody else gets my Yahoo addy. Everybody - bank, credit cards, utilities, government, Amazon, eBay and anything else I register for online. I have another account I use when I'm not real sure about who I'm dealing with.

The web-based addresses get lots of spam. The server-based one, never.

[tenshi816]

7. That happened to me too.

I took the advice of someone in the Computing forum on DU and got a Mozilla Thunderbird account. It has a really efficient spam filter that you can "train" and I've never looked back. It automatically puts everything in a junk folder (without me having to move it there myself). I look at it periodically to make sure that nothing has inadvertently gone in there that I want to read, and then with a couple of mouse clicks can delete the entire mess.