15 August 2005
Herb Weisbaum: How To Get Rid Of That Pesky Spam
The term "spam" means different things to different people. I tend to take the broader definition. When I talk about Spam, I mean unsolicited bulk e-mail, messages that have not been sent to you personally. It's JUNK e-mail.
A new survey by Consumer Reports released Tuesday night, finds that spam has eased for some users, but it's getting worse for many others. The magazine contacted 3,200 households with Internet access. 54% said at least half of their e-mail is spam. 33% say they are getting much more junk e-mail than they did a year ago.
Because my e-mail address is on the KOMO Web site, my in-bin is over-flowing with spam
I get dozens of e-mails each week pushing erectile dysfunction pills. Why in the world would someone buy any prescription drug this way - from an e-mail that pops up in their computer - even if they needed the stuff? Because the ads all say "no prescription required."
Of course, maybe they're not selling the real drug, it could be counterfeit. How would you know? The bottom line: buying any prescription drug by responding to an e-mail like this is just plain stupid.
A lot of my spam looks like it's from people giving me a quote on a home mortgage. They promise low-low rates with very little money down. Some of them are made to sound like they're responding to an e-mail I sent them. They're not.
What are they up to? Who knows. But it's a great way to get your personal information for identity theft!
There are also the "urgent" messages disguised to look like they came from your bank, eBay, Pay Pal or some other trusted service provider. They all tell you there's a problem with your account (the reasons vary) and they need you to click on a link in the e-mail to give them your personal information. Why? So they can steal it! These "phisihing" scams, as they're called are huge problem and getting bigger.
The big Internet Service Providers, AOL, EarthLink, and Microsoft feel your pain, and they're working to filter out the spam before you get it. They're also going to court to shutdown the spammers sending out all this e-mail. So, if your ISP offers spam filters, make sure you enable them!
Consumer Reports says Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Apple OS 10.4 Mail do an excellent job of blocking spam. So, if you have old versions, Consumer Reports says you might want to upgrade. Do this, the editors say, and you won't need to buy separate spam blocking software.
Of course, some people prefer to go with an add-on blocker. For it's September issue, Consumer Reports tested 7 of these programs and two were clear standouts.
The editors says Allume Systems SpamCatcher 4 did an excellent job. It "tags spam to help you delete it quickly," they say. SpamCatcher 4 sells for around $30 and there's a $10 annual fee. There is no phone support with this product.
Consumer Reports says Mail Frontier Desktop is another excellent choice. The editors point out that Mail Frontier Desktop is "easier to setup" than SpamCatcher4. It blocks Windows Messenger pop-ups and identifies fraudulent e-mail. Mail Frontier is also priced at $30 with a $15 annual fee.
A new survey by Consumer Reports released Tuesday night, finds that spam has eased for some users, but it's getting worse for many others. The magazine contacted 3,200 households with Internet access. 54% said at least half of their e-mail is spam. 33% say they are getting much more junk e-mail than they did a year ago.
Because my e-mail address is on the KOMO Web site, my in-bin is over-flowing with spam
I get dozens of e-mails each week pushing erectile dysfunction pills. Why in the world would someone buy any prescription drug this way - from an e-mail that pops up in their computer - even if they needed the stuff? Because the ads all say "no prescription required."
Of course, maybe they're not selling the real drug, it could be counterfeit. How would you know? The bottom line: buying any prescription drug by responding to an e-mail like this is just plain stupid.
A lot of my spam looks like it's from people giving me a quote on a home mortgage. They promise low-low rates with very little money down. Some of them are made to sound like they're responding to an e-mail I sent them. They're not.
What are they up to? Who knows. But it's a great way to get your personal information for identity theft!
There are also the "urgent" messages disguised to look like they came from your bank, eBay, Pay Pal or some other trusted service provider. They all tell you there's a problem with your account (the reasons vary) and they need you to click on a link in the e-mail to give them your personal information. Why? So they can steal it! These "phisihing" scams, as they're called are huge problem and getting bigger.
The big Internet Service Providers, AOL, EarthLink, and Microsoft feel your pain, and they're working to filter out the spam before you get it. They're also going to court to shutdown the spammers sending out all this e-mail. So, if your ISP offers spam filters, make sure you enable them!
Consumer Reports says Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Apple OS 10.4 Mail do an excellent job of blocking spam. So, if you have old versions, Consumer Reports says you might want to upgrade. Do this, the editors say, and you won't need to buy separate spam blocking software.
Of course, some people prefer to go with an add-on blocker. For it's September issue, Consumer Reports tested 7 of these programs and two were clear standouts.
The editors says Allume Systems SpamCatcher 4 did an excellent job. It "tags spam to help you delete it quickly," they say. SpamCatcher 4 sells for around $30 and there's a $10 annual fee. There is no phone support with this product.
Consumer Reports says Mail Frontier Desktop is another excellent choice. The editors point out that Mail Frontier Desktop is "easier to setup" than SpamCatcher4. It blocks Windows Messenger pop-ups and identifies fraudulent e-mail. Mail Frontier is also priced at $30 with a $15 annual fee.
# posted by vdodon @ 02:50 
