Spammers, Scammers, and the Filters That Protect Us
By Robert Thompson |
It never ceases to amaze me, the things that show up in my mail box. As an AOL
member, I have use of some of the finest spam filtering technology in the world,
but I still get at least three of the following, each week: The Nigerian Scam,
Unsolicited Hot Stock Tips, New Mexico Oil Strike Announcement, and Sexually
Explicit Come ON's.
Do you think they could let me send and receive
important business letters? Nooooo! Mention SFI, or have a link to an Affiliate
Gateway in your signature block, and suddenly, you are considered a garbage
eating dog spammer! Some things just aren't meant to be easy, but there are a
few things we can do to work around these problems.
Spam
Filters
I'm not going to get into this subject too much, except to say,
they are some of the finest and most frustrating tools on the Internet. Any time
someone sends an unsolicited commercial message, it should be blocked by the
filter. Spam filters assign points to different aspects of a message. Too many
points, and a message is filtered out. Where problems arise is when the filter
fails to distinguish between legitimate commercial messages and those that are
unsolicited.
There a couple of things that can be done to help insure
that important messages are delivered.
1. Don't use affiliate gateway
links in your signature block. Your message will be delivered. However, the in
bound filter will assign points if a reply has that link in it. The reply stands
a good chance of being blocked by the filter.
2. Avoid using all capital
letters in the Subject Line of your message. The spam filters will assign
several points to your message for this. If too many points are accumulated, it
goes in the trash.
Recognize a Scam
I'm sure most of you are
familiar with the Nigerian Scam, or one of the many variants. Some rich oil
executive or a bastard prince has just died a tragic death. If you would be so
kind as to sign a legal document stating He is your long lost cousin, and that
You are his only surviving relative, You will be paid 20% of the money safely
stashed away in a foreign vault. Blah! Blah! Blah!
This scam has been
around for years. However, many may not know that the Nigerian scam is actually
an effort to collect your personal information for the purpose of stealing your
identity!
Once these cyber crooks have a person's personal information,
i.e., Name, SSAN, DOB, Bank account info, they will systematically clean your
clock!
Not only will they empty any money from your bank account, they will
also apply for and obtain bank loans, credit cards, and checking accounts in
your name.
By the time you discover what has happened, you could be left
holding the bag for thousands of dollars in debt. Your credit rating will be
destroyed and you might have to deal with legal problems and bill collectors for
years to come.
The moral of the story is obvious. If it sounds too good
to be true, it is. And, it should be obvious that the Nigerian Scam is an
attempt to involve you in a fraudulent act. If you lie down with this dog,
expect more than just fleas. Expect to be spayed or neutered!
Hot Stock
Tips and Oil Strikes
These have been showing up in my mail box for the
past few months now. Again, this is an effort to prey on weak minded and
vulnerable people. When someone out of a job, or in need of a quick fix to a
financial problem, reads this, they figure, "what the heck, things can't be
worse than they are now." WRONG!
If you send in your credit card
information, You are a fool! You and all of your hard earned money will soon be
parted. The same with the New Mexico Oil Strike. Does anyone really believe that
companies like Halliburton need your thousand dollars to process the supposed
largest oil strike outside of the Persian Gulf?
One more thing about
these two scams. Be careful when you click on the OPT-OUT links at the bottom of
the page. A couple of these scammers have gone to new heights to steal your
personal information. Their Opt-Out links actually lead to a data collection
form.
You are led to believe that tyou need to complete the form in
order to opt out. Actually, your info was just stored in a data base, and you
can expect to receive several more spams/scams, only now, you really are Opted
In and the spam filters wont be able to stop this trash from arriving in your
mail box.
Conclusion
Spam Filters are terrific tools, I just wish
they could filter out the scammers and let the legit stuff through. Until the
technology can be developed to the point where it can distinguish between
honesty and flim flam, We will all have to be on our guard. Use a bit of common
sense when opening your mail. Be careful with the opt out links. They should be
simple and automatic. Never give data of any kind to someone you suspect of
being illegitimate. And finally, get your sexual kicks with your significant
other. Leave that trash completely alone and spend your on line time in the
pursuit of more important things. Earning a second income, writing an article,
or learning how to build your own site come to mind.
About the Author
Robert Thompson is
retired from the United States Air Force. Since his retirement, he has operated
several successful businesses. He is a proud Team Leader with SFI and operates
http://www.stayathomejobs.net Stay
at Home Jobs offers a wide variety of informative articles and features for the
home business entrepreneur. Membership is free. For a free copy of the Stay at
Home Jobs Newsletter, send a blank Email to News@badbobrst.par32.com
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