Hi! So, a few years ago when I was naive, I used an online pharmacy site and my real name, address of course, and email addy (I now use a "disposable" address generator for most web activities) to order something. It has come back to haunt me in that I get about six or more "pharmacy" spams per week from a wide array of domains/addresses, with my real, full name in the title... and can only imagine it will get worse, even though it's been so long (it didn't even START until at least a year after I had done this). AND! A few have even called me at home, a very recent development. I also worry about the fact that I used my credit card for that purchase... The exp. date would have changed by now (big deal I'm sure), and the security code thing *may* have been a new implementation since then. And I was hoping maybe any site that has an account to process the major credit cards doesn't get to see the number themselves, that the https layer you go into takes place with the cc processor or something? (Probably very wishful thinking.) Nothing has happened in all these years so I don't know if I'm still or was at risk on the cc aspect, and should bother changing the number now... Somehow I also feel like this could make me a more likely target for identity theft attempts, since they already have so much other info about me... Kinda wandering off the main issue with this but... I see advice like not to open spam because the address might be confirmed for the spammer that way... But what diff could that make, do they EVER really take the time to remove apparently-defunct or unresponsive addresses from their lists?? And if it never bounces back isn't that confirmation in itself?? Wouldn't even deleting or using your ISP's "Report Spam" button often confirm for spammers that your address was good, with those sneaky programs out there that can report to senders exactly what you did with an email (from delete to print to forward)? I saw that Mailwasher Pro now works with AOL... But am still not sure its ability to bounce back spam as if your address is invalid helps much, since as spammers morph names, wouldn't they know that unless you're 'faking it' the email would have usually bounced back immediately? But maybe they just don't track/match up all of the above kinds of details, even though they could. I use AOL mail so I can't see headers without opening and then add them to my block list... and with AOL, what you block only goes into your spam folder anyway, you do NOT even get the option to have anything bounce back as if the address was bad (grrrr!). Bottom line, my options? Would a program like Mailwasher benefit me in any way for appeasing the real-name issue? I know that changing my email address (which I've had since 1996, boo hoo) would seem most logical... But if I *don't* start getting volumes of this real-name spam, that couldn't help with the implications of my real name being in drug-pushing spammer hands... Any ideas (yeah, legally change my name too right ;)? I know I'm probably just stuck, live 'n learn...

first ignore spam - and trash, then if you still get it, have mail tag it to move to trash, then try scanning for viruses and adaware and empty temp folders as well, also throw out/delete any saved emails that are spam that may still be active, compress all email folders, if you have a firewall or anti spam, may also try blocking the addresses of specific senders, also check with sevice provider to see if they can help. :)

Get a new credit card and change the email address that is getting spammed if you want to be dead sure. No point bouncing back, addresses are usually spoofed and if you do manage it you might suffer their wrath. I think what you meant was NEVER use the opt out button because that just confirms you are still there. They are most unlikely to remove you. Unless you have some nasty already on your machine then they won't know you are reporting to your server. Contrary to general opinion I never found Mailwasher very good (although it was ages ago). I found it just as tiresome as message rules but at least, with cunning, the rules "eventually" work - I now only see about 5% max of the spam that is sent. There are good spam filters around these days so someone should be able to advise. DerekW

Yeah, would never use 'Unsubscribe,' but was rather thinking in terms of the standard "clear .gifs" in spam that report back... all the way up (or down I should say) to specialized programs that can tell anyone who uses them exactly what you did with an email... from how long you had it open and how many times you opened it to many other things (tis true! Also read angry reviews of such apps in reputable online publications)... So if using one of those apps, am sure they could tell if you 'reported spam' too (though maybe not in those words). As opposed to just deleting or never reading. It's probably different with mail read online I guess. For example, between AOL members, you can see if and when another read or deleted; or if they slipped and reported it as spam (that would TOO be by mistake! ;), the status says 'Ignored' (as opposed to 'Unread'). I think these apps would be similar in some ways, only not limited to within the same ISP. They can even "dissolve" an email out of someone's box after they've read it! But I also read that many ISPs block the technologies that allow such intensive tracking to work, so that it wasn't expected to be useful widely or for long. But I still don't get how even just never opening helps anything, in 'normal' clear .gif situations... no bounce-back = good address does it not? None of that is really related to my original question of course! I guess beyond anything else I am just trying to decide if it's worth it for me to use any separate email program... I have never used Outlook nor really seen the value of it (I don't get volumes of spam, and AOL blocks a lot too). And AOL mail stays on the server always unless you open it, so that isn't an issue, but you can't see headers without opening either, so no clues except the type of mail icon... Hey btw... I saw your post about Googling your own email addy and... um, let's just say, two webmasters down, one to go; and one Deceptive Redirect report filed with Google to try to get rid of the fourth one, that is frozen in the description of a page that goes somewhere entirely different now... ;-) Here's a big subject switch but since I've got my bud Derek on the line... Is there any vulnerability in having IE open while online but not using it? I ask because if so, having AOL would be the same thing. I sign on then use FireFox, but AOL's IE browser is still sitting there open. I do have just about everything on disable or prompt though.

Yep, I guess your first para could just be true unless you download emails then go offline (as in OE). Then all you have to worry about is whether they have put some program into your system - unlikely without opening attachments. I suspect there is a bit of exageration and paranoia with some of this stuff. Same sort of thing applies to report backs I suppose (one reason why I avoid online email). With OE you can also check headers before opening. You could always use a link in a new email for reporting spam. For them to monitor "all your email" then your machine would have had to have been attacked already. Sure, you are right "no bounce-back = good address". I drifted off the point somehow and was thinking of folk who bombard spammers with emails and so forth. I do believe (sadly) that many IE vulnerabilites can still affect you even when you are not actually using IE, so it's still worth collecting all the updates. If you only use IE on very rare ocassions you could just push the security & privacy up to max and leave it there. This is a very good safeguard. I have made an icon in the links bar to put me straight to IE security tab so that I can adjust it more quickly. As you don't normally use IE you probably don't need it. Can explain if you do. Hey, I might be one of the few who does this LOL (never seen it mentioned). DerekW

As always, thanks for your thoughts Derek! Not sure what I was thinking here... I guess if I do want to put a dent in various things like this I do need to just change my email address, get a new credit card... and someday just go for it and switch from AOL too... Especially if I ever get broadband or DSL again... Was just reading about the dangers of the VPN one creates with AOL on such connections. (Shall I just clear out ALL subjects on my mind on this thread?? Nah, impossible, tip of that iceburg not even seen yet! ;)

It's a bit of a minefield these days and broadband helps them too. You have you try not to get too paranoid I suppose (the credit card/email addy change being the ultimate if you ever feel it has come to that). Good luck. DerekW