This is something that I haven't exactly close paid attention to until recently...
I've always been getting spam in my e-mail in boxes, since I first put up my own website with dedicated e-mail address posted on the web two and a half years ago. I've used that address as my general-purpose address, my "spam magnet" if you will.
I also use the built-in mail filters for OS X's Mail.app, which have gotten very good at figuring out which messages are spam. However, until recently I wasn't confident enough in it concerning false positives to let the spam go without checking each message. Recently, I've told the automatic filtering to keep all spam out of my site completely, so rather than checking new messages (spam and otherwise) as they come in, I can shunt the spam off and scan the list every few days instead.
Since the spam has had the opportunity to collect in my junk box now, I'm getting a sense of just how much crap I'm getting -- 100+ messages a week.
I'm curious about what kind of volumes of spam other people here are getting... especially people with other personal websites -- Star Trek stuff, of course. I know that I'm not one of the hardest-hit in spam by any means, but I'm still curious about some real life figures...
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
I don't have a website but still get between 7-10 pieces per day, usually on my hotmail account. The filters on hotmail are crap.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
Since I got cable, I'm getting between 50 and 100 spam e-mails a day. I've never seen anything quite like it. I delete it in the morning, when I come in from work, after 8 or 9 hours, there are usually at least 50 new e-mails.
I'm using Opera's shareware. I think I'll buy it if it will filter for me.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Wraith: Hotmail doesn't count, it's crap and automatic spam-bait anyway. Seriously, I opened up a Hotmail account a couple of years ago for the sole purpose of using MSN Messenger (before I realized I could use my regular e-mail address). I *never* used it for *anything* and still got spam in it!
Kosh: 50 to 100 per day??? What kind of cable service are you on, anyway? That's crazy!
I've never tried to hide my website e-mail address, and there are plenty of "mailto:" links scattered around my site. Not a huge deal, IMO, it's a consequence of being open to contact from my visitors. It seems that most of the junk is the same stuff being bombarded at me again and again. I've tried bouncing messages, which doesn't work because they've spoofed the IDs, naturally. Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
Yesterday, I received 120+ spams... of those, only 10 weren't caught by SpamAssassin/Vipul's Razor (aka Cloudmark/SpamNet) or my filters.
(I have 18 total accounts, with 25+ addresses associated with them. Most of the spam goes to pleh.net, my old address at solareclipse, and my addresses at work.)
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Only 1 or 2 manage to get through my ISP's filters, but a lot more are sent to me. Especially if you include my now defunct hotmail address. It's horrible! If I would have replied to all of them, my penis could go from here to Jupiter and back, there's an entire continent of horny Asian teens lusting for me, I have made gazillions of dollars and have gotten every concievable university grade FOR FREE!
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
Oh spam, yes I know my friend Spam well. Miserable sod!
I get between 5 (if I'm very lucky) and 30 (worst-case) a day. The strange thing is, it's all sex related!:
Increase your size, hot girls waiting, watch them play . . . and on, and on, and on! I have just two questions for these morons:
1) Why am I getting these messages when I've not signed up to any of them nor have I visited their websites?
2) Do they think that I'm incapable of getting a girl on my own without the help from Viagra? I'm 23 for crying out loud! I don't need Viagra!!!
SIGH.
So how do I get rid of them? Do I click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom until they stop coming in or get a spam killer - if so, which one is the best? Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
"So how do I get rid of them?"
You don't.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
quote:Originally posted by Cartmaniac: "So how do I get rid of them?"
You don't.
Aww SHIT!!!!
But surely I can, I never asked for them therefore they must stop!
Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
I have 7 America Online screen names to deal with... so I closed 6 off to only accept mail from specific AOL screen names and the main account that I display here is my general box with at least 65 junk messages. A lot of them deal with refinancing and loans and the others are sex related. I believe that you can get a lot of screen names when you enter a chat room with AOL...
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote: Kosh: 50 to 100 per day??? What kind of cable service are you on, anyway? That's crazy!
Charter. I deleted some last night, but since I had negected to pay the cable bill for the ;ast two months, it was off this morning. I paid it at lunch time, and it was on when I get home. Only 20 e-mails since last night. It's been a good day.
When I get around to it, I plan on asking Charter about using some kind of filter, but I suspect they are selling the addresses. I signed up a week before I could get the modem to work, First time I logged on, I had 180.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
The worst spam I ever got was through some bug (feature) in MSN Messenger which allows a popup over the internet. And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups. So send them a nasty e-mail using a different e-mail address. I got no reply, but suddenly that address is spammed
They called themselves PopupBarrier.com. I hope they die and burn in hell.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I no longer have an e-mail account, and thus get no spam at all. I am regressing.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
That is sooo 1983.
"But surely I can, I never asked for them therefore they must stop!"
In a perfect world, yes. We do not live in one.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Other things I have no access to anymore: electronic cash, in any form; checks. Soon it will be 1855 here.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
The Amish accept outsiders, I hear.
They do!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
I HATE how I fucking get Taiwanese spam. It's gibberish. You can't read it - so what is the point. The only way I've suspected it's from Taiwan is the .tw domain URLs pepper throughout the gibberish.
Only now have I started to get the 'make your penis bigger' e-mails.
It's annoying because it's on my student account e-mail. I even went to the IT center and asked them about getting rid of it - or getting a new address and they said they get the same spam and can't do anything about it - and that I can't get a new address!
BAH!
Andrew
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Other things I have no access to anymore: electronic cash, in any form; checks. Soon it will be 1855 here.
You weren't on "Frontier House" were you? Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
quote: The worst spam I ever got was through some bug (feature) in MSN Messenger which allows a popup over the internet. And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups. So send them a nasty e-mail using a different e-mail address. I got no reply, but suddenly that address is spammed
The worst pop-up attack I've ever had happened last week. I got a pop-up install screen (like the ones that ask if you want to download a language thing) It asked me if I wanted to download this software that scans my internet usage and generates pop-up ads based on what I might find interesting. I clicked no and tried to close the program...
I got 1 pop-up every second, and it would not stop, even after I restarted my computer. Turns out I had to go into the control panel and uninstall the program that I didn't want to install in the first place, all the while pop-ups coming up every damn second.
My worst ever spam attack happened when our Outlook Express inbox got hit with 12 porn ads, 5 "student loan", and 7 "you've won a million dollar" ads. In an hour. Turns out someone (most likely idiot sister) signed up to god only knows what, and our e-mail address got sold.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by Harry: The worst spam I ever got was through some bug (feature) in MSN Messenger which allows a popup over the internet. And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups. So send them a nasty e-mail using a different e-mail address. I got no reply, but suddenly that address is spammed
They called themselves PopupBarrier.com. I hope they die and burn in hell.
I get pop-ups now too, and from more then one company. Unless it's some kind of twisted joke from MSN.
I got 15 e-mails last nightafter delelteing the first 20, so thirthy five wasn't too bad for one day. MAybe this is slowing down. I've only recieved 15 since about 1 am this morning.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
Based on the spam I've gotten this past week, my penis would be 39 inches longer, my breasts would be a size LLL, I'd be rolling around naked in borrowed cash, and I'd have nine hot women fingering their Georgia O'Keefe's as they wait for me to visit their webcams.
My old AOL accounts were the worst about spam. Visit a chat room for one minute, and you've already been sold to six different mailing lists.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Don't I bloody know it... My 'normal' e-mail address doesn't really get any spam; I don't really use it to sign up to anything (except here)
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups.
Internet racketeering. What a wonderful world.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups.
Internet racketeering. What a wonderful world.
LOL
It's now 13:40, and I've recieved 25 so far.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
What's annoying me the most these days is that the bastards are finding ways to get around my spam detector... I download all the mail anyway, but I divert it to other folders so I don't have to look at it. (And I turn HTML off so the jerks don't get a hint that my e-mail address is valid anyway...) But lately, more of the e-mail has been slipping through the filters.
All I can hope is that that anti-spam law passes through Congress soon -- hopefully that can cut down on a lot of it, at least for a while until they all move overseas. Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
quote: The worst spam I ever got was through some bug (feature) in MSN Messenger which allows a popup over the internet.
This isn't a MSN Messenger thing - it's a service called Windows Messenger... same name, totally different things.
*muses* I could probably take one of the domains I have and start handing out email accounts to people, fully spam filtered...
Posted by Daryus Aden (Member # 12) on :
Disable Windows messenger, if its driving you nuts.
quote:Originally posted by Omega: And it was a popup saying that I could protect myself from these popups by using their software. But THEY were the only ones using these popups.
Internet racketeering. What a wonderful world.
LOL
It's now 21:50, and I've recieved 47 so far.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
23:19
I've hit 50 for the day
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"...nine hot women fingering their Georgia O'Keefe's..."
I don't know about you, but that's not an image I'd want to associate w/ sex.
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
75 so far today.
Posted by Charles Capps (Member # 9) on :
Over the past 7 days, I have recieved 871 spams, only 57 of which weren't caught by the filters.
124 per day. Jeez.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
2 in the last week.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Yay! My first Nigerian money scam spam!
quote: Dear friend,
I am soliciting your confidence in this business; this is because of its nature as being utterly confidential and top secret. Though, I know that a business of this sort will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that this transaction is 100% safe. We have decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction as we have been reliably informed of your discreetness and reliability in executing businesses and or transactions.
Let me start by introducing myself properly to you. I am Mr. Vincent Kawa Credit Officer with the chattered credit bank Lagos, Nigeria. I came to know you in my private search for a reliable and reputable person to handle this confidential transaction, which involves the transfer of huge sum of money to a foreign account requiring maximum confidence.
THE PROPOSITION:
A foreigner, Late Engr. John Creek (Snr.), was an oil merchant with the federal government of Nigeria during the regime of the late General Sanni Abacha, until his death sometime ago in the Kenya Air Bus (A310-300) Flight KQ430. Banked with us at chattered credit bank, Lagos and had a closing balance as at the end of September, 2000 worth #16,200,000.00 (Sixteen Million two hundred thousand British pounds), the bank now expect a next of kin as beneficiary. Valuable efforts have been made by the chattered credit bank, Lagos to get in touch with any of the Creek's family or relatives but to no success.
It is because of the perceived possibility of not being able to locate any of Engr. John Creek (Snr.)'s next of kin (He had no wife or children that is known to us). The management under the influence of our Chairman and members of the Board of Directors, which arrangement has been made for the fund to be declared unclaimed and subsequently be donated to the trust fund for arms and ammunitions to further enhanced the course of war in Africa and the world in general. In order to avert this negative development, my trusted colleague and I now seek your permission to have you stand as next of kin to late Engr. John Creek (Snr.) so that the fund #16.2 million will be released and paid to into your account as the beneficiary's next of kin. All documents and proves to enable get this fund will be carefully worked out. I found it more convenient to commence on the transaction since our affiliates in Europe can pay us. We are assuring you that your Involvement in this business is 10! 0% risk free.
You shall retain a percentage that will be agreed between us while the rest be for us the originators of the transaction, for investment purpose as you may direct in your country. As soon as we receive an acknowledgement of receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business proposal, we would furnish you with the necessary modalities and disbursement ratio to suit both parties without any conflict including every other detail you may wish to know. If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not take undue advantage of the trust we have bestowed in you. On receiving your reply,
I shall give you a call to finalize all arrangements for a hitch free transaction PLEASE, APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT DOING BUSINESS OVER THE INTERNET IS RISK. ENDEAVOR TO SEND YOUR CONFIDENTIAL TELEPHONEAND FAX NUMBER IN YOUR REPLY TO THIS MAIL.
Regards,
Mr Vincent Kawa
I'll think I'll reply with a link to that Something Awful article...
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Oh, and I'm going to send him a www.pinstruck.com mail.
Posted by Cartmaniac (Member # 256) on :
I get those all the time... because I hold 47 University Degrees and I have MUCH SUCCES IN BANKING!! Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
For some reason, I apparently need a mortgage. With SUPER LOW INTEREST!!! Yay.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Well this is what I supposedly need or require or want: what ever it says:
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Seriously, I opened up a Hotmail account a couple of years ago for the sole purpose of using MSN Messenger (before I realized I could use my regular e-mail address). I *never* used it for *anything* and still got spam in it!![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
What kind of cable service are you on, anyway? That's crazy!![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
My 'normal' e-mail address doesn't really get any spam; I don't really use it to sign up to anything (except here)
