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Spam Emails

Spam is the name given to unsolicited and unwanted email. It is believed that globally this currently constitutes 70-80% of internet email traffic - and is growing faster than "real" email. So far, most attempts to limit this major annoyance have had little impact.

Here we are using spam in a somewhat more restricted sense to mean unsolicited email attempting to sell a product and/or service.

Some common spam emails

Chain Letter Spam

Chain letter spam is an offshoot of traditional paper mail chain letters. It generally asks the receiver to send the email on to other email addresses, either threatening dire consequences if not passed on, or promising a donation or payment.

The reality of these messages is that they are simply a nuisance mail that clogs up inboxes. It is not practically possible to track the addresses that a message has been sent to, so don't expect any money from Bill Gates, or any "curse" to befall you. Be especially wary of any that ask you to add your email to the bottom of a list, as this provides just another opportunity for spammers to get your email address.

If you receive a chain letter by email, simply delete the message. If you know the sender, you may like to let them know that they perpetuating spam. If you don't recognise the sender, you are better off deleting and ignoring the message.

Petitions Spam

Email petitions don't work. It is not possible to track the number of people who have read an email, and it is too easy to fake results.  Email petitions are basically another form of  Chain Letter Spam.

Also, any message requesting that you add your email to the bottom of a list and send it on potentially exposes you to further spamming. If someone you know has forwarded you an email petition, you should politely direct them to this page, and delete the message.

Advertising Spam

Spam originated as people trying to sell things via email. Any email that you have not specifically requested from a company, should be treated as spam and deleted.

Unless you requested the email in the first place, do not follow any kind of "remove me from your list" instructions, as this merely lets the spammer know your email account is actively being read, which will result in more spam being sent to that address.

Also, you should never buy anything from a spam email. If you really must buy a product you've heard about from spam, find a local distributor to deny the spammer any profit from their activities. Clicking the link in an email can inform the spammers that the account is active and result in more spam being sent. It also validates spamming as a sales technique which encourages further spamming by companies.

Pornographic Spam

Increasingly, a lot of spam contains pornographic or otherwise offensive images. Unfortunately the problem is so wide spread, that there is little the authorities or ITS can do.
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