Spam and spam-replying - answer in the right direction!

[erik.nordh@neuro.umu.se]

A note from your list supervisor about spam and spam-replies!

Once again some spam messages have managed to enter the list, in spite of all automatic and manual attempts to stop this type of traffic on the list. Although it may be an effective way to promote business, it's nevertheless a waste of time for the (by de






finition reluctant) recipients, and it consumes a lot of Internet bandwidth, which can be used for better purposes!

The reason to spend more words on this matter is to remind those of you who are not completely familiar with the detailed function of the Net of how to act, in order to minimize the irritations when a spam appears on the list. To do this you first need to






 know a few things:

Spam (a word originating from an Monthy Python TV-episode!) is sent according to a list of addresses, usually compiled from many different sources on the Internet.  It's usually sent from an "anonymous" address, provided by people who have realised that y






ou can make money out of sending messages which can not be replied to. The actual address usually "disappears" after the mail is sent - hence there's usually no one to direct your annoyance or anger to.

Some , more "seroius", spammers provide an Internet-address to which you can send a message to "un-list", and this is where mail-programs and  mailing-lists can make bad things worse. A mailing list message contains different forms of sender address infor






mation; in the text-message itself (where the "non-existing" original spam sender appears), and in the header of the message (where the address of the computer running the mailing list appears).

DO NOT USE THE REPLY FUNCTION to automatically reply to ANYTHING appearing in your mail program before checking who is the last sender of the message!  

If the message was sent from the address 'clin_neurophysiol@listserver.umu.se' . the reply will go to the list, where no one can do anything to stop the spam. If you replyin this way (and this also goes for the command 'remove' or similar) the message wil






l just start a new circle of irritation and replies. Reply directly to the address given in the text, and your message will be sent to the people responsible for the spam. At best you will get a reply, but usually just an error message that the address is






 not valid. (It goes without saying that for me to try to remove the "starting address" 'clin_neurophysiol' is just a waste of time...)

There are few ways to counteract - best is to send snail-mail, or to fax or phone directly to the company responsible for the spam. A few (hundreds of?) of irritated letters will probably do the trick...

Regards