Thread: How do you stop scam emails?... help I'm a computer dummy

I just add them to spam.

Open an account with gmail and redirect all your mail there. Gmail is the best in filtering junk and spam.

+1 for Gmail.

I was getting a fair bit of spam for a while there (maybe 6 months ago) but with a few filters set just about all of it goes straight to the Spam folder now, rather than the inbox.

what they mean by blocking a domain is if you are getting repeated spam from [email protected] you can block everything from @yyy.com (because the crafty buggers change the xxx to zzzz, aaa etc.

In Gmail, you set a filter to block (yyy.com) - that's exactly what you type, parentheses and all.

Gmail is pretty good in it's other features actually. You can still use your current email address and have it directed to your Gmail account, so you don't have to tell everyone you have a new email addy.

Once you have a Gmail a/c (if that's the way you go) then there'll be plenty of help available here for what may seem to be the tricky bits.

Gmail is good but not perfect. I still get some spam past the filter and some genuine emails trapped by the filter but not many. Maybe a couple a month. But is is one of (if not) the best at filtering.

John

Thanks for the replies and info. I will talk to my other half about a gmail account.

I reckon they have me on their list as worth targeting again because, like a sucker, I started to respond to their initial email.

Many thanks
Twosheds

Originally Posted by twosheds

Thanks for the replies and info. I will talk to my other half about a gmail account.
I reckon they have me on their list as worth targeting again because, like a sucker, I started to respond to their initial email.

Yep definitely, My son works in IT security and says that anyone that responds, even in a cheeky way, gets "special attention" and put on a list as someone who responds.
I recommend you change your email address ASAP.

I've had a number of email addresses since ~1990. The oldest one was a work based address which I used to get most of the spam through eventually running to several hundred a day mostlythese quarantined by our work servers. Eventually all our work email addresses were changed and the staff email address list was made non-bot-trawl-able and the spam stopped but eventually built up to around 30 a day by the time I retired. Then I dropped my work address and started a new personal address and am down to 1-2 per month.

Same thing for my mobile - I had a work based mobile and used to get calls from all and sundry, disgruntled staff and students - long since departed from my workplace. Loony members of the public wanting to tell me about their perpetual motion machines and the paranormal. Dropping my work number got rid of all those crazies and I know it's inconvenient but if it got half as bad again I would change it again.

One of the first jobs my son had in IT security (as sort of a legal hacker) was to write a hidden program and put it on a bunch of attractive USB sticks and scatter these in the carparks of the clients that had contracted them to test penetrate their IT systems.

The idea was to test how many staff would pick the USB sticks up and check them out on work computers. The hidden program would simply contact the IT security company via the internet and tell them who has compromised their company's security. Moral of story - Do not pick up and use memory sticks in a car park. In fact how do you know if the USB sticks in a store have not been compromised?

Some ISPs have an option to turn on a spam filter for your email feed. To find this without spending ages on the phone to support, try accessing your ISP from your web browser - just enter the basic address on the address bar - it will look something like www.woodworkforums.com for instance. Somewhere on the page that appears should be something that says 'Customer Support' or something similar. Keep rummaging around until you find the page that lets you change your account settings and look for any mention of e-mail - that is where the button should be to turn on spam blocking. Your e-mail settings may be off on a page or menu all or their own, just keep looking.

Having used both GMAIL and Bigpond equally in the last twelve months I think one is as good as another for controlling spam but the advantages of GMAIL can't be argued against.

+1 for gmail, best thing I ever did

You guys do know that using Gmail means you have zero privacy, don't you? Google collects, analyses & resells your information; and the level of that analysis is quite scary as is the level of detail in the profiling that is built on you based on this data.

That T&C document that you probably didn't read & simply clicked "I accept" included the following:

"When you upload, or otherwise submit, store, send or receive content to or through our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content ... The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services. ... Our automated systems analyse your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customised search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection ... This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored"

Facebook is worse.

When you don't pay for the product, you ARE the product.

They can read my email as much as they like it doesn't worry me one bit. Anyone using the internet should get used to having no privacy and anyone who thinks differently is living in dreamland. Anyone who uses social media such as FB is certainly not interested in privacy so gmail won't worry them.

The OP mentioned specifically paypal scams. Easiest way is to forward the email to [email protected] and let Paypal deal with them. They get their just deserves and the emails stop after reporting a few subsequent attempts. They became infrequent after a while.

I can describe how to deal with all the other scams and virus/trojan deliveries if you wish. It takes a few minutes to copy the email Header and pick out the last received address to locate the ISP, then send the ISP the copied header with a short polite note. Dodgy emails become a drizzle rather than a torrent. Just ask if interested.

Heres one that snuck through the scam filters.

The give away was the email address that had nothing to do with Aust Post.

Attention

Your package has experienced an exception and has been returned to the AusPost office. To collect the parcel please print out the shipment confirmation and visit AusPost facility.

Tracking #:	AU7962917
Weight:	1.22 kg
Reason:	Not deliverable as addressed

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When we temporarily provide personal information to companies who perform services for us, such as specialist information technology companies, mail houses or other contractors to Australia Post we require those companies to protect your personal information as diligently as we do. Strict contractual and other quality assurance measures are used to ensure your personal information is protected. .

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Penalties are imposed for storage of the parcel if you fail to collect it within 30 days. The detailed information about storage is available at our website.
Please note: You might be required to show a valid govermental ID.