Don't Put Up With Spam, Report It

You've got mail! Only thing is, it isn't from someone you know, it is from a stranger trying to sell you something, or worse yet, trying to get you to view pornography. How frustrating! Sometimes, hitting the delete key just isn't enough. Take action and get them to stop!

First of all, don't reply to them, even if they offer you a way to unsubscribe. This will verify that the address is a good one. There are other ways to deal with them.

One step you can take is to block that sender. If you are using Outlook Express 5.0, you can just select Messages, then block sender. To see if you can block senders from your email program, go to the help sections and search for block sender. Don't be surprised though if you receive the same email again, only from a different address.

Report them to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISP's don't like spam as much as you do! Spam will bog down their servers and they may even have to spend more money to keep their service up to par because of a lot of spam. Most ISP's offer a place to report spam. Check with your ISP to find out how to report the spam to them.

Turn them into to the Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the email to spam@uce.gov. Spam is stored in a database to pursue law enforcement actions against people who send deceptive email.

Take matters in your own hands and call a cop, Spam Cop, that is. They can help you track down the actual sender by viewing the header information in the email. Even if the spammer, used a Web based email, like Hotmail, most of the time, you can still locate what ISP they were using by information in the header. ISPs do not like their servers being used by spammers to send spam, so they will cancel the account of a habitual offender.

You will have to get the complete header information before you can report it to Spam Cop. They offer easy to use directions for several different email clients.

Most of the time, hitting the delete key to a spam can be satisfying, but at least you can take action, if you are wearing out your delete key!

Spam 101
Next - Spam Filters
Page 1 - About Spam
Page 2 - Why Spam is Undesirable
Page 3 - How Spammers Operate
Page 4 - How to Avoid Spam
Page 5 - Sending Email That Won't Be Caught in Filters
Page 6 - Don't Put Up With Spam, Report It
Page 7 - Spam Filters

Spam 101

Don't Put Up With Spam - Report It

More Topics to Know About