Spam E-mails

Socket Tech Talk:
Spam e-mail unlikely to decrease following recent indictments

Columbia, Mo.—Internet experts warn e-mailers not to look forward to a junk-free inbox in 2008, despite the recent federal grand jury indictments of Alan Ralsky and ten others for sending millions of illegal spam e-mails in an attempt to inflate Chinese company stock prices.

In fact, this time of year might actually have Web-users seeing more spam, not less. Internet security experts say e-mailers should expect a large number of phishing e-mails in January and February as spammers look to capitalize upon post-holiday vulnerabilities. Consumers are often less attentive to post-holiday credit card bills due to the larger number of purchases and the busy nature of the season. This gives spammers the perfect opportunity to strike.

“Spam is this century’s version of junk mail. Even with a big arrest like the one we’ve just seen, don’t expect it to stop,” said Dave Sill, mail administrator for Socket, a Missouri-based telephone and Internet service provider. “People might be surprised to hear how much junk e-mail is really out there. It’s staggering.”

Sill says Socket was able to spot the Chinese stock scam several months ago and successfully used its spam filter to block the messages from customers. Socket’s and many other spam filters work by examining the source and/or content of a message to determine its legitimacy before the message reaches an e-mail inbox. Socket’s spam filter blocks approximately one million spam messages from reaching its customers each day at an average of nearly 700 per minute. Consumers can also purchase spam filters as a part of most anti-virus software programs.

“Using a spam filter is the best way to reduce the amount of junk e-mail you receive,” said Sill. “A good filter can catch up to 99% of the spam threatening to take over your inbox.”

Along with using a spam filter, Sill suggests refraining from posting e-mail addresses on Web sites, as this is how many spammers gather their mailing lists. He also says users should not unsubscribe or reply to spam messages since this confirms the e-mail address as legitimate. Instead, e-mailers should forward the message to their Internet service provider or to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.

Spam e-mails can be annoying and possibly even dangerous. Fortunately, if the above precautions are taken, Internet users should enjoy a safe and convenient e-mail experience.

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