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How Spam Scams Work?



How do Spammers get your Email Address?



 

There are many ways in which spammers can get your email address. The ones I know of are :

1. From posts to UseNet with your email address.
Spammers regularily scan UseNet for email address, using ready made programs designed to do so. Some programs just look at articles headers which contain email address (From:, Reply-To:, etc), while other programs check the articles' bodies, starting with programs that look at signatures, through programs that take everything that contain a '@' character and attempt to demunge munged email addresses.

There have been reports of spammers demunging email addresses on occasions, ranging from demunging a single address for purposes of revenge spamming to automatic methods that try to unmunge email addresses that were munged in some common ways.

As people who where spammed frequently report that spam frequency to their mailbox dropped sharply after a period in which they did not post to UseNet, as well as evidence to spammers' chase after 'fresh' and 'live' addresses, this technique seems to be the primary source of email addresses for spammers.

2. From mailing lists.
Spammers regularily attempt to get the lists of subscribers to mailing lists [some mail servers will give those upon request], knowing that the email addresses are unmunged and that only a few of the addresses are invalid.

A different technique used by spammers is to request a mailing lists server to give him the list of all mailing lists it carries (an option implemented by some mailing list servers for the convenience of legitimate users), and then send the spam to the mailing list's address, leaving the server to do the hard work of forwarding a copy to each subscribed email address.

[I know spammers use this trick from bad experience - some spammer used this trick on the list server of the company for which I work, easily covering most of the employees, including employees working well under a month and who's email addresses would be hard to find in other ways.]

3. From web pages.
Spammers have programs which spider through web pages, looking for email addresses, e.g. email addresses contained in mailto: HTML tags [those you can click on and get a mail window opened]

Some spammers even target their mail based on web pages. I've discovered a web page of mine appeared in Yahoo as some spammer harvested email addresses from each new page appearing in Yahoo and sent me a spam regarding that web page.

4. From various web and paper forms.
Some sites request various details via forms, e.g. guest books & registrations forms. Spammers can get email addresses from those either because the form becomes available on the world wide web, or because the site sells / gives the emails list to others.

Some companies would sell / give email lists filled in on paper forms, e.g. organizers of conventions would make a list of participants' email addresses, and sell it when it's no longer needed.

Domain name registration forms are a favourite as well - addresses are most usually correct and updated, and people read the emails sent to them expecting important messages.

5. Via an Ident daemon.
Many unix computers run a daemon (a program which runs in the background, initiated by the system administrator), intended to allow other computers to identify people who connect to them.

When a person surfs from such a computer connects to a web site or news server, the site or server can connect the person's computer back and ask that daemon's for the person's email address.

Some chat clients on PCs behave similarily, so using IRC can cause an email address to be given out to spammers.

6. From a web browser.
Some sites use various tricks to extract a surfer's email address from the web browser, sometimes without the surfer noticing it. Those techniques include :

1. Making the browser fetch one of the page's images through an anonymous FTP connection to the site. Some browsers would give the email address the user has configured into the browser as the password for the anonymous FTP account. A surfer not aware of this technique will not notice that the email address has leaked.

2. Using JavaScript to make the browser send an email to a chosen email address with the email address configured into the browser. Some browsers would allow email to be sent when the mouse passes over some part of a page. Unless the browser is properly configured, no warning will be issued.

3. Using the HTTP_FROM header that browsers send to the server. Some browsers pass a header with your email address to every web server you visit. To check if your browser simply gives your email address to everybody this way, visit http://www.helie.com/BrowserCheck/

7. From IRC and chat rooms.
Some IRC clients will give a user's email address to anyone who cares to ask it. Many spammers harvest email addresses from IRC, knowing that those are 'live' addresses and send spam to those email addresses.

This method is used beside the annoying IRCbots that send messages interactively to IRC and chat rooms without attempting to recognize who is participating in the first place.

This is another major source of email addresses for spammers, especially as this is one of the first public activities newbies join, making it easy for spammers to harvest 'fresh' addresses of people who might have very little experience dealing with spam.

AOL chat rooms are the most popular of those - according to reports there's a utility that can get the screen names of participants in AOL chat rooms. The utility is reported to be specialized for AOL due to two main reasons - AOL makes the list of the actively participating users' screen names available and AOL users are considered prime targets by spammers due to the reputation of AOL as being the ISP of choice by newbies.

8. From finger daemons.
Some finger daemons are set to be very friendly - a finger query asking for john@host will produce list info including login names for all people named John on that host. A query for @host will produce a list of all currently logged-on users.

Spammers use this information to get extensive users list from hosts, and of active accounts - ones which are 'live' and will read their mail soon enough to be really attractive spam targets.

9. AOL profiles.
Spammers harvest AOL names from user profiles lists, as it allows them to 'target' their mailing lists. Also, AOL has a name being the choice ISP of newbies, who might not know how to recognize scams or know how to handle spam.

10. By guessing and cleaning.
Some spammers guess email addresses, send a test message (or a real spam) to a list which includes the guessed addresses. Then they wait for either an error message to return by email, indicating that the email address is correct, or for a confirmation. A confirmation could be solicited by inserting non-standard but commonly used mail headers requesting that the delivery system and/or mail client send a confirmation of delivery or reading. No news are, of coures, good news for the spammer.

Guessing could be done based on the fact that email addresses are based on people's names, usually in commonly used ways (first.last@domain or an initial of one name followed / preceded by the other @domain)

Also, some email addresses are standard - postmaster is mandated by the RFCs for internet mail. Other common email addresses are postmaster, hostmaster, root [for unix hosts], etc.

11. From white and yellow pages.
There are various sites that serve as white pages, sometimes named people finders web sites. Yellow pages now have an email directory on the web.

Spammers go through those directories in order to get email addresses. Most directories prohibit email address harvesting by spammers, but as those databases have a large databases of email addresses + names, it's a tempting target for spammers.

12. From a previous owner of the email address.
An email address might have been owned by someone else, who disposed of it. This might happen with dialup usernames at ISPs - somebody signs up for an ISP, has his/her email address harvested by spammers, and cancel the account. When somebody else signs up with the same ISP with the same username, spammers already know of it.

Similar things can happen with AOL screen names - somebody uses a screen name, gets tired of it, releases it. Later on somebody else might take the same screen name.

As spammers not caring too much for invalid addresses, and with lists of email addresses burned on CDs and sold, this scenario is probable.


SPAM SCAMS


Quick Facts

Some email users have lost money to bogus offers that arrived as spam in their in-box. Con artists are very cunning; they know how to make their claims seem legitimate. Some spam messages ask for your business, others invite you to a website with a detailed pitch. Either way, these tips can help you avoid spam scams:

• Protect your personal information. Share credit card or other personal information only when you're buying from a company you know and trust.

• Know who you're dealing with. Don't do business with any company that won't provide its name, street address, and telephone number.

• Take your time. Resist any urge to “act now” despite the offer and the terms. Once you turn over your money, you may never get it back.

• Read the small print. Get all promises in writing and review them carefully before you make a payment or sign a contract.

• Never pay for a “free” gift. Disregard any offer that asks you to pay for a gift or prize. If it's free or a gift, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Free means free.


FILTER TIPS: 10 SCAMS TO SCREEN FROM YOUR EMAIL


1. The “Nigerian” Email Scam
2. Phishing
3. Work-at-Home Scams
4. Weight Loss Claims
5. Foreign Lotteries
6. Cure-All Products
7. Check Overpayment Scams
8. Pay-in-Advance Credit Offers
9. Debt Relief
10. Investment Schemes

While some consumers find unsolicited commercial email — also known as “spam” — informative, others find it annoying and time consuming. Still others find it expensive: They're among the people who have lost money to spam that contained bogus offers and fraudulent promotions.

Many Internet Service Providers and manufacturers offer filtering software to limit the spam in their users' email inboxes. In addition, some old-fashioned ‘filter tips' can help you save time and money by avoiding frauds pitched in email. OnGuard Online wants computer users to screen spam for scams, send unwanted spam on to the appropriate enforcement authorities, and then hit delete.


Here's how to spot 10 common spam scams:


1. The “Nigerian” Email Scam
The Bait: Con artists claim to be officials, businesspeople, or the surviving spouses of former government honchos in Nigeria or another country whose money is somehow tied up for a limited time. They offer to transfer lots of money into your bank account if you will pay a fee or “taxes” to help them access their money. If you respond to the initial offer, you may receive documents that look “official.” Then they ask you to send money to cover transaction and transfer costs and attorney's fees, as well as blank letterhead, your bank account numbers, or other information. They may even encourage you to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete the transaction. Some fraudsters have even produced trunks of dyed or stamped money to verify their claims.

The Catch: The emails are from crooks trying to steal your money or perpetrate identity theft. Inevitably, emergencies come up, requiring more of your money and delaying the “transfer” of funds to your account; in the end, there aren't any profits for you, and the scam artist vanishes with your money. According to State Department reports, people who have responded to “pay in advance ” solicitations have been beaten, subjected to threats and extortion, and in some cases, murdered.

Your Safety Net: If you receive an email from someone claiming to need your help getting money out of a foreign country, don't respond.

Forward “Nigerian” scams — including all the email addressing information — to spam@uce.gov. If you've lost money to one of these schemes, call your local Secret Service field office. Local field offices are listed in the Blue Pages of your telephone directory.

2. Phishing
The Bait: Email or pop-up messages that claim to be from a business or organization you may deal with — say, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information or face dire consequences.

The Catch: Phishing is a scam where Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up messages to reel in personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization's site. But it's a bogus site that exists simply to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal it, fake your identity, and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.

Your Safety Net: Make it a policy never to respond to email or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial information, or click on links in the message. Don't cut and paste a link from the message into your Web browser, either: Phishers can make links look like they go one place, but then actually take you to a look-alike site.

If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization using a phone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company's correct Web address yourself. Using anti-virus software and a firewall, and keeping them up to date, can help.

Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov and to the organization that is being spoofed.

3. Work-at-Home Scams
The Bait: Advertisements that promise steady income for minimal labor — in medical claims processing, envelope-stuffing, craft assembly work, or other jobs. The ads use similar come-ons: Fast cash. Minimal work. No risk. And the advantage of working from home when it's convenient for you.

The Catch: The ads don't say you may have to work many hours without pay, or pay hidden costs to place newspaper ads, make photocopies, or buy supplies, software, or equipment to do the job.

Once you put in your own time and money, you're likely to find promoters who refuse to pay you, claiming that your work isn't up to their “quality standards.”

Your Safety Net: The FTC has yet to find anyone who has gotten rich stuffing envelopes or assembling magnets at home. Legitimate work-at-home business promoters should tell you — in writing — exactly what's involved in the program they're selling. Before you commit any money, find out what tasks you will have to perform, whether you will be paid a salary or work on commission, who will pay you, when you will get your first paycheck, the total cost of the program — including supplies, equipment and membership fees — and what you will get for your money. Can you verify information from current workers? Be aware of “shills,” people who are paid to lie and give you every reason to pay for work. Get professional advice from a lawyer, an accountant, a financial advisor, or another expert if you need it, and check out the company with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau, not only where the company is located, but also where you live.

Forward work-at-home scams to spam@uce.gov.

4. Weight Loss Claims
The Bait: Emails promising a revolutionary pill, patch, cream, or other product that will result in weight loss without diet or exercise. Some products claim to block the absorption of fat, carbs, or calories; others guarantee permanent weight loss; still others suggest you'll lose lots of weight at lightening speed.

The Catch: These are gimmicks, playing on your sense of hopefulness. There's nothing available through email you can wear or apply to your skin that can cause permanent — or even significant weight loss.

Your Safety Net: Experts agree that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories and increase your physical activity so you burn more energy. A reasonable goal is to lose about a pound a week. For most people, that means cutting about 500 calories a day from your diet, eating a variety of nutritious foods, and exercising regularly. Permanent weight loss happens with permanent lifestyle changes. Talk to your health care provider about a nutrition and exercise program suited to your lifestyle and metabolism.

Forward weight loss emails to spam@uce.gov.

5. Foreign Lotteries
The Bait: Emails boasting enticing odds in foreign lotteries. You may even get a message claiming you've already won! You just have to pay to get your prize or collect your winnings.

The Catch: Most promotions for foreign lotteries are phony. Participating in a foreign lottery violates U.S. law. The scammers will keep any money you send for “taxes” or fees. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional charges.

Your Safety Net: Skip these offers. Don't send money now on the promise of a pay-off later.

Forward solicitations for foreign lottery promotions to spam@uce.gov.

6. Cure-All Products
The Bait: Emails claiming that a product is a “miracle cure,” a “scientific breakthrough,” an “ancient remedy” — or a quick and effective cure for a wide variety of ailments or diseases. They generally announce limited availability, and require payment in advance, and offer a no-risk “money-back guarantee.” Case histories or testimonials by consumers or doctors claiming amazing results are not uncommon.

The Catch: There is no product or dietary supplement available via email that can make good on its claims to shrink tumors, cure insomnia, cure impotency, treat Alzheimer's disease, and prevent severe memory loss. These kinds of claims deal with the treatment of diseases; companies that want to make claims like these must follow the FDA's pre-market testing and review process required for new drugs.

Your Safety Net: When evaluating health-related claims, be skeptical. Consult a health care professional before buying any “cure-all” that claims to treat a wide range of ailments or offers quick cures and easy solutions to serious illnesses. Generally speaking, cure all is cure none.

Forward spam with miracle health claims to spam@uce.gov.

7. Check Overpayment Scams
The Bait: A response to your ad or online auction posting, offering to pay with a cashier's, personal, or corporate check. At the last minute, the so-called buyer (or the buyer's “agent”) comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price, and asks you to wire back the difference after you deposit the check.

The Catch: If you deposit the check, you lose. Typically, the checks are counterfeit, but they're good enough to fool unsuspecting bank tellers; when they bounce, you are liable for the entire amount.

Your Safety Net: Don't accept a check for more than your selling price, no matter how tempting the plea or convincing the story. Ask the buyer to write the check for the purchase price.

If the buyer sends the incorrect amount, return the check. Don't send the merchandise. As a seller who accepts payment by check, you may ask for a check drawn on a local bank, or a bank with a local branch. That way, you can visit personally to make sure the check is valid. If that's not possible, call the bank the check was drawn on using the phone number from directory assistance or an Internet site that you know and trust, not from the person who gave you the check. Ask if the check is valid.

Forward check overpayment scams to spam@uce.gov and your state Attorney General. You can find contact information for your state Attorney General at www.naag.org.

8. Pay-in-Advance Credit Offers
The Bait: News that you've been “pre-qualified” to get a low-interest loan or credit card, or repair your bad credit even though banks have turned you down. But to take advantage of the offer, you have to ante up a processing fee of several hundred dollars.

The Catch: A legitimate pre-qualified offer means you've been selected to apply. You still have to complete an application and you can still be turned down. If you paid a fee in advance for the promise of a loan or credit card, you've been hustled. There may be a list of lenders, but there's no loan, and the person you've paid has taken your money and run.

Your Safety Net: Don't pay for a promise. Legitimate lenders never “guarantee” a card or loan before you apply. They may require that you pay application, appraisal, or credit report fees, but these fees seldom are required before the lender is identified and the application is completed. In addition, the fees generally are paid to the lender, not to the broker or person who arranged the “guaranteed” loan.

Forward unsolicited email containing credit offers to spam@uce.gov.

9. Debt Relief
The Bait: Emails touting a way you can consolidate your bills into one monthly payment without borrowing; stop credit harassment, foreclosures, repossessions, tax levies and garnishments; or wipe out your debts.

The Catch: These offers often involve bankruptcy proceedings, but rarely say so. While bankruptcy is one way to deal with serious financial problems, it's generally considered the option of last resort. The reason: it has a long-term negative impact on your creditworthiness. A bankruptcy stays on your credit report for 10 years, and can hinder your ability to get credit, a job, insurance, or even a place to live. To top it off, you will likely be responsible for attorneys' fees for bankruptcy proceedings.

Your Safety Net: Read between the lines when looking at these emails. Before resorting to bankruptcy, talk with your creditors about arranging a modified payment plan, contact a credit counseling service to help you develop a debt repayment plan, or carefully consider a second mortgage or home equity line of credit.

One caution: While a home loan may allow you to consolidate your debt, it also requires your home as collateral. If you can't make the payments, you could lose your home.

Forward debt relief offers to spam@uce.gov.

10. Investment Schemes
The Bait: Emails touting “investments” that promise high rates of return with little or no risk. One version seeks investors to help form an offshore bank. Others are vague about the nature of the investment, and stress the rates of return. Promoters hype their high-level financial connections; the fact that they're privy to inside information; that they'll guarantee the investment; or that they'll buy it back. To close the deal, they often serve up phony statistics, misrepresent the significance of a current event, or stress the unique quality of their offering.

The Catch: Many unsolicited schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but not for participants. Promoters of fraudulent investments operate a particular scam for a short time, close down before they can be detected, and quickly spend the money they take in. Often, they reopen under another name, selling another investment scam.

Your Safety Net: Take your time in evaluating the legitimacy of an offer: The higher the promised return, the higher the risk. Don't let a promoter pressure you into committing to an investment before you are certain it's legitimate. Hire your own attorney or an accountant to take a look at any investment offer, too.

Forward spam with investment-related schemes to spam@uce.gov.


FIGHTING BACK

Con artists are clever and cunning, constantly hatching new variations on age-old scams. Still, skeptical consumers can spot questionable or unsavory promotions in email offers. Should you receive an email that you think may be fraudulent, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov, hit delete, and smile. You'll be doing your part to help put a scam artist out of work.

How to report if you have been a victim of spam:

Should you receive an email that you think may be fraudulent, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov and to the abuse desk of the sender's ISP. Also, if the email appears to be impersonating a bank or other company or organization, forward the message to the actual organization.


FILE A COMPLAINT


Your complaint is an essential resource for local, state, and federal law enforcement officials. Law enforcers review consumer complaints to spot trends and build cases against hackers, identity thieves, and scam artists.

Here's how to file a complaint about various types of Internet-related problems:

1. Hacking or a Computer Virus
If your computer gets hacked or infected by a virus, disconnect from the Internet and scan it with fully updated anti-virus software, and update your firewall. Then notify your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the hacker's ISP, if you can tell what it is. Finally, file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

2. ID Theft
If your information has been misused, file a report about your identity theft with the police, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/idtheft.

Read Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft for detailed information on other steps to take in the wake of identity theft.

3. Internet Auctions
If you have problems during a transaction, try to work them out directly with the seller, buyer, or site operator.

If that doesn't work, file a complaint with:

• the attorney general's office in your state. You can find your state Attorney General's contact information on the website of the National Association of Attorneys General.
• your county or state consumer protection agency. Check the blue pages of the phone book under county and state government.
• the FTC.

4. Spyware
If you believe your computer has spyware, the FTC wants to know. File a complaint with the FTC.

5. Phishing
Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email.

Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems. You also may report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to fight phishing.

If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft website at ftc.gov/idtheft. Victims of phishing can become victims of identity theft.

6. Spam
Should you receive an email that you think may be fraudulent, forward it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov and to the abuse desk of the sender's ISP. Also, if the email appears to be impersonating a bank or other company or organization, forward the message to the actual organization.

7. Online Shopping Fraud
If you have problems during a transaction, try to work them out directly with the seller, buyer or site operator.

If that doesn't work, file a complaint with:

• the Attorney General's office in your state. You can find your state Attorney General's contact information on the website of the National Association of Attorneys General.
• your county or state consumer protection agency. Check the blue pages of the phone book under county and state government.
• the Better Business Bureau.
• the FTC.

8. Online Investing
If you’ve been a victim of online investment fraud, send your complaint to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, using the agency’s Online Complaint Center.

9. Cross-Border Scams
If you think you may have responded to a cross-border scam, file a complaint at eConsumer.gov. Then visit the FTC's identity theft website at ftc.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize your risk. If you've been involved in a "Nigerian" scheme, contact your local Secret Service field office. Report telemarketing fraud and check overpayment scams to your state Attorney General.

Report any unsolicited email offers to spam@uce.gov. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country through the postal mail, give it to your local postmaster.


BOTNETS AND HACKERS AND SPAM


Hackers and spammers may be using your computer right now. They invade secretly and hide software to get access to the information on your computer, including your email program.

Once on your computer, they can spy on your Internet surfing, steal your personal information, and use your computer to send spam — potentially offensive or illegal — to other computers without your knowledge.

Computers that are taken over this way often become part of a robot network, known as a “botnet” for short. A botnet, also known as a “zombie army,” usually is made up of tens or hundreds of thousands of home computers sending emails by the millions. Computer security experts estimate that most spam is sent by home computers that are controlled remotely, and that millions of these home computers are part of botnets.

Spammers can install hidden software on your computer in several ways. First, they scan the Internet to find computers that are unprotected, and then install software through those “open doors.” Spammers may send you an email with attachments, links or images which, if you click on or open them, install hidden software.

Sometimes just visiting a website or downloading files may cause a “drive-by download,” which installs malicious software that could turn your computer into a “bot.” The consequences can be more than just annoying: your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may shut down your account.

It can be difficult to tell if a spammer has installed hidden software on your computer, but there are some warning signs. You may receive emails accusing you of sending spam; you may find email messages in your "outbox" that you didn't send; or your computer suddenly may operate more slowly or sluggishly.

Botnets are not inevitable. You can help reduce the chances of becoming part of a bot — including limiting access into your computer. Leaving your Internet connection on and unprotected is just like leaving your front door wide open.

The FTC encourages you to secure your computer by:

• Using anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keeping it up to date. You can download this software from ISPs or software companies or buy it in retail stores. Look for anti-virus and anti-spyware software that removes or quarantines viruses and that updates automatically on a daily basis.

• Setting your operating system software to download and install security patches automatically. Operating system companies issue security patches for flaws that they find in their systems.

• Being cautious about opening any attachments or downloading files from emails you receive. Don't open an email attachment — even if it looks like it's from a friend or coworker — unless you are expecting it or know what it contains. If you send an email with an attached file, include a text message explaining what it is.

• Using a firewall to protect your computer from hacking attacks while it is connected to the Internet. A firewall is software or hardware designed to block hackers from accessing your computer. A firewall is different from anti-virus protection: while anti-virus software scans incoming communications and files for troublesome viruses, a properly-configured firewall helps make you invisible on the Internet and blocks all incoming communications from unauthorized sources. It's especially important to run a firewall if you have a broadband connection because the connection is always open. Most common operating system software (including Windows XP and Vista) comes with a built-in firewall, but you may have to enable it.

• Disconnecting from the Internet when you're away from your computer. While anti-virus and anti-spyware software, along with a firewall, are critical protections when you're connected to the Web, they're not foolproof. Hackers just can't get into your computer when it's disconnected from the Internet.

• Downloading free software only from sites you know and trust. It can be appealing to download free software like games, file-sharing programs, customized toolbars, and the like. But remember that many free software applications contain other software, including spyware.

• Checking your "sent items" file or "outgoing" mailbox for messages you did not intend to send. If you do find unknown messages in your out box, it’s a sign that your computer may be infected with spyware, and may be part of a botnet. This isn’t foolproof: many spammers have learned to hide their unauthorized access.

• Taking action immediately if your computer is infected. If your computer has been hacked or infected by a virus, disconnect from the Internet right away. Then scan your entire computer with fully updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Report unauthorized accesses to your ISP and to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. If you suspect that any of your passwords have been compromised, call that company immediately to change your password.

• Learning more about securing your computer at www.OnGuardOnline.gov. This site offers practical tips from the federal government and technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.


How to report if you think your computer has been taken over:

If your computer has been hacked or infected by a virus, disconnect from the Internet right away. Then scan your entire computer with fully updated anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Report unauthorized accesses to your ISP and to the FBI at www.ic3.gov. If you suspect that any of your passwords have been compromised, call that company immediately to change your password.


SPAM TOOLS


How do we select tools?

ApexMail
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $24.94/year
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BlackIce Defender
Features: Manages cookies. Manages computer history/cache. Hides browsing information. Is an anonymous Internet Service Provider. Enhances the security of online transactions. Limits personal information given to online merchants. Enhances email privacy. Enhances instant messaging privacy. Erases certain files on my computer. Erases remnants of my computer work and makes them irretrievable. Encrypts files. Creates an encrypted disk drive or partition. Hides files and/or folders. Reports spam. Filters or blocks unwanted email. Provides multiple, tagged email addresses. Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
--------------------------------
Firewall. AntiVirus.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $39.95
--------------------------------
Bluebottle
Features: Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free
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ChoiceMail One
Features: Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $39.95
--------------------------------
Clean My Mailbox
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $10/month
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CruelMail
Features: Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Basic account free for the first year, $10 thereafter. Gold account is $10 the first year, $25 there
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Despammed.com
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free
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eioMail.com
Features: Provides multiple, tagged email addresses.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $20/year --------------------------------
Email Systems
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free trial, then $5.95/month
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Emailias
Features: Provides multiple, tagged email addresses.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $4.95/month; $9.95/3 months; $19.95/12 months
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Hushmail
Features: Enhances email privacy. Filters or blocks unwanted email. Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free; $29.95 for premium account
--------------------------------
iHateSpam
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $19.95
--------------------------------
Mail Moat
Features: Provides multiple, tagged email addresses.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $5/month or $20/year
--------------------------------
Mailbox Guard
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $29.50
--------------------------------
Norton Internet Security
Features: Enhances email privacy. Enhances instant messaging privacy. Filters or blocks unwanted email.
--------------------------------
Firewall. AntiVirus.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X
Cost: $69.95/one year of updates; $39.95 for upgrade --------------------------------
Platinum 2006 Internet Security
Features: Enhances the security of online transactions. Filters or blocks unwanted email. Firewall. AntiVirus. Detects/Blocks spyware.
Available for: Windows
Cost: From $24.99
--------------------------------
S-mail
Features: Enhances email privacy. Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free; $5/month for premium account
--------------------------------
Sneakemail
Features: Provides multiple, tagged email addresses.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free; $2/month for premium account
--------------------------------
Spam Gourmet
Features: Provides multiple, tagged email addresses.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free
--------------------------------
Spam Interceptor
Features: Gives a challenge-response to incoming email.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: Free; $14.97/year for a full account
--------------------------------
Spam Punisher
Features: Reports spam.
Available for: Windows/Mac OS X/Linux
Cost: $19.95
--------------------------------
SpamAssassin
Features: Manages cookies. Manages computer history/cache. Erases certain files on my computer. Reports spam. Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows/Linux
Cost: free
--------------------------------
SpamCatcher
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $29.95
--------------------------------
SpamKiller
Features: Reports spam. Filters or blocks unwanted email.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $39.95
--------------------------------
Sunbelt Anti-Spyware Bundle
Features: Filters or blocks unwanted email. Detects/Blocks spyware. Blocks Spyware Pop-ups and Unwanted Advertising.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $38.95
--------------------------------
ZoneAlarm Pro
Features: Manages cookies. Manages computer history/cache. Filters or blocks unwanted email. Firewall.
Available for: Windows
Cost: $49.95



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