spam death count | funny spam I have received | how to kill spam (in plain english) | how to hurt spam, the fun way | advanced lessons (links to other sites)

how to kill spam (in plain english)

killing spam is not as hard as it may seem. Try these simple tactics below to find places to complain to, and if that doesn't work, move on to the next piece of spam. Some spam is more unscrutable than others. Leave it to the experts.

step one: gather your contact infomation.
There are several places to look for contact information to find where to send compliants. Here they are from easiest to hardest:

Look for a "remove" address. This so-called "remove" address serves as a confirmer of live addressses. So never reply to this address, just use it to complain to the host of the remove address.

Look for a link to a website. Try visiting the website. If it hasn't been shut down by other spam complainers yet, then report the spamming web site to its host.

Look in your expanded internet headers. This is more challenging, so bypass this step if you don't feel ready yet.

First, you need to set your e-mail program to "show all internet headers." Check your e-mail program's help to find the specific way to do this.

Then, you need to look at the header information, particularily at the "received from" lines. Here's some more detail on how to do this: http://combat.uxn.com/tracing.html

step two: complain to the spammer's providers.
Most providers explicitly forbid spamming and will delete a spammer's account when they receive a bunch of complaints. Here's how to contact the providers:

the quick method: simply forward the spam, including all internet headers (unfortunately you may need to do a copy and paste) to abuse@[insert_provider_name_here].

the more accurate method: register your e-mail address at http://www.abuse.net, following the directions on their site. (You will need to e-mail them, then reply to the e-mail they send back to you with the words "I accept" in the first line of your reply). Then, whenever you get spam, simply forward it (including all internetl headers) to [insert_provider_name_here]@abuse.net. Abuse.net will automatically route the e-mail to the correct providers. Because they do a great job of tracking this info, your complaint is much more likely to reach the correct party.

You won't always get a response when you send a complaint. Not all ISPs have time to reply to you. But don't worry, for the most part your complaints are being heard.

But if you're really obsessed, try the advanced page to learn more ways to trace and fight spam.