Help! A Sudden Flood Of Spam Mail

[LaoPo]

Help!! A sudden Flood of Spam mail

I don't know why but since yesterday I receive an enormous flood of Spam Mail in my unwanted mailbox. I think I received about 800-1,000 mails already and the counter is now around 450 and the day (Europe) isn't over yet with 6 hours to go.

I ran a SPYBOT check as well as AVIRA (Free version) and they deleted some minor problems but the increased spam flood still goes on.

Before I received some spam mail also but not in the amount I received since 2 days.

The vast majority are stupid mails from (the same?) viagra/cialis sellers (I suppose) but I haven't even been looking on such sites so I wonder how this happened?

Oh, and the occasional mails about prizes of $ 1 to $ 150 Million i won of course

What can I do to prevent and stop this?

Any help is much appreciated.

LaoPo

[MikeWill]

Unfortunately, you can't do much...

Never reply to the spam.

If all your spam goes to the same email address, replace it. You can also use some spam filters (Google Aps has a good one).

Sorry for not being helpful enough, that's online life. And BTW, the amount of spam you got isn't too big compare to what I'm getting (~10 times more).

[bangkokcitylimits]

Maybe the Viagra they offer is cheaper then when you buy it in the shop !

Add this signature to your emails:

NEVER use this e-mail address for groupmails if you don't know how to do this properly, to prevent private e-mails starting to circulate on the internet often ending up on the valuable list of a spam company. When sending group mail always use the 'BCC address field' only then addresses are protected from being visable to others, in the 'TO address field' you enter your own e-mail address. Many thanks from someone who hates spam like you do !

When you see an e-mail that says forward this on to '10' of your friends, or sign this petition, for good luck, or whatever, it almost always has an e-mail tracker program attached that tracks cookies and e-mails of the people you forward to. The host sender gets a copy each time it is forwarded and then is able to get lists of active e-mails adresses to use in spam e-mails, or sell to other spammers.

You can do your friends and family members a great favor by sending this information to them, you will be providing a service to your friends, and will be rewarded by not getting thousands of spam e-mails in the future !

[bangkokcitylimits]

What also helps a lot to prevent this in the future...

Many people have just one email address an use this for everything and everybody. That's not very clever and not the way to deal with the wellknown dangers on the internet.

Myself, I have a whole pyramid of connected email addresses: On top is my one and only personal Gmail address for friends and family, and a few selected companies and professionals. This Gmail address is connected with 3 other Gmail addresses below (all easy to manage from the same main account, as Google offers multiply login) but they are also forwarded to my main account. This 2nd level addresses are for my company, for customers and affiliates, and beside this mail gets forwarded, I also store it here. Another one of the 2nd layer is for all kind of memberships of selected organisations, messageboards and services.

Beside this addresses for 'selected' people, organizations, message boards and services I have also a series of Live/Hotmail accounts for people, friends and family, organizations, message boards and services of the second level, those whom I not trust fully. Also managed via the first Live/Hotmail account, as with Live/Hotmail you can connect 5 accounts together.

Beside this I frequently use a 'disposable email' service such as http://mailinator.com/ to register for all kinds of offers and actions from companies of whom I really not want any other mail then just this single time.

Result: I never have one single spam mail in my most important Gmail account. I learned also by experience and it's very easy to set up and manage, it even saves time.

[rfukata]

http://privacycheck.komando.com/

there may be some info on this site.

[Xircal]

Download Mailwasher I think the screenshots are self-explanatory, but if you get stuck using it, post here and I'll explain what you have to do.

[NanLaew]

The OP needs to check if his ISP has done anything different to warrant this surge of spam.

For example, I have used att&t's worldnet ISP since it started and had separate accounts similar to bangkokcitylimits example where one-off addresses and the like came to a specific, disposable address.

All these years, I never got more than half a dozen or so spam emails each day in the 'junk' email inbox. A few months ago att&t fobbed off their email management to yahoo.com and, well... need I say more? At least 50-60 spam emails daily in the junk folder. Luckily, there's been no spam popping up in the regular accounts yet.

[Dellboy218]

If you use the likes of Hotmail or Google you can get into their websites and add a 'rule' which can stop or delete messages form any email address you nominate or, go to www.comodo.com. Comodo have a complete suite of free security products including a spam filter.

[Pib]

Unfortunately, you can't do much...

Never reply to the spam.

If all your spam goes to the same email address, replace it. You can also use some spam filters (Google Aps has a good one).

Sorry for not being helpful enough, that's online life. And BTW, the amount of spam you got isn't too big compare to what I'm getting (~10 times more).

Sounds like the OP was getting around 1,000 spam emails per day. And you say you get approx 10 times more (ie., 10,000 spam emails per day)?

[bangkokcitylimits]

Unfortunately, you can't do much...

Never reply to the spam.

If all your spam goes to the same email address, replace it. You can also use some spam filters (Google Aps has a good one).

Sorry for not being helpful enough, that's online life. And BTW, the amount of spam you got isn't too big compare to what I'm getting (~10 times more).

Sounds like the OP was getting around 1,000 spam emails per day. And you say you get approx 10 times more (ie., 10,000 spam emails per day)?

Know a guy in Europe who uses a program that bounce the spam mail back to sender the number of times you set e.g. a 500 times. The sender get his mail back a 500 times. No idea what program it was. This is nice if the sender used on of his existing addresses (and otherwise it has little effect) Maybe it was mailwasher.

Edited October 10, 2010 by bangkokcitylimits

[MikeWill]

Unfortunately, you can't do much...

Never reply to the spam.

If all your spam goes to the same email address, replace it. You can also use some spam filters (Google Aps has a good one).

Sorry for not being helpful enough, that's online life. And BTW, the amount of spam you got isn't too big compare to what I'm getting (~10 times more).

Sounds like the OP was getting around 1,000 spam emails per day. And you say you get approx 10 times more (ie., 10,000 spam emails per day)?

It comes to even more than 20,000 spam emails on a "good" day. But fortunately, it all goes directly to the spam folder, so no real problems.

[MikeWill]

Know a guy in Europe who uses a program that bounce the spam mail back to sender the number of times you set e.g. a 500 times. The sender get his mail back a 500 times. No idea what program it was. This is nice if the sender used on of his existing addresses (and otherwise it has little effect) Maybe it was mailwasher.

It had no effect at all to the spammers. It only affects the used bandwidth for all of us. It is a bad practice.

"Never reply to the spam."

[bangkokcitylimits]

Know a guy in Europe who uses a program that bounce the spam mail back to sender the number of times you set e.g. a 500 times. The sender get his mail back a 500 times. No idea what program it was. This is nice if the sender used on of his existing addresses (and otherwise it has little effect) Maybe it was mailwasher.

It had no effect at all to the spammers. It only affects the used bandwidth for all of us. It is a bad practice.

"Never reply to the spam."

Yeah right and sometimes spammers use a botnet of pc's and email addresses of innocent people who will get even more trouble then.

In the past I got a new e-mail address every 6 months that auto-forwarded the non spam to the new address, that's an easy solution. Soon as all your serious contacts have got your new address just delete the old one.

[LaoPo]

Maybe a naive question but isn't there a free spam-mail control program ?

My own host (since 7 years) offers a spam control but it's € 3,95 month or 165 Baht/month and I really don't know if it will stop the spam mails. They claim "always a clean mailbox..." Really ?

AVIRA offers a good program: Avira AntiVir Premium at € 19,95/year or Baht 832/year. Anybody experience with this program ?

I have now the FREE AVIRA version but obviously not enough.

Sometimes I have the feeling that some anti-spam and anti-virus software developers have a 24/7 spam/virus spitting machine themselves in order to sell more of their products...who knows?

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

http://en.wikipedia....feature_summary

A clear summery of the ANTIVIR programs.

In fact one has to buy the best program to include anti-spam...

Any comments please?

LaoPo

[bangkokcitylimits]

Maybe a naive question but isn't there a free spam-mail control program ?

My own host (since 7 years) offers a spam control but it's € 3,95 month or 165 Baht/month and I really don't know if it will stop the spam mails. They claim "always a clean mailbox..." Really ?

AVIRA offers a good program: Avira AntiVir Premium at € 19,95/year or Baht 832/year. Anybody experience with this program ?

I have now the FREE AVIRA version but obviously not enough.

Sometimes I have the feeling that some anti-spam and anti-virus software developers have a 24/7 spam/virus spitting machine themselves in order to sell more of their products...who knows?

LaoPo

I used Avira Antivirus but I hated it, replaced it even before the paid year ended by Avast, which is 100% free and great to work with. An antivirus has not much to do with spam, unless you click on links to infected webpages, for a good spamfilter you are better of with http://www.mailwasher.net/

Free for 1 email account.

Edited October 10, 2010 by bangkokcitylimits

[Pib]

Unfortunately, you can't do much...

Never reply to the spam.

If all your spam goes to the same email address, replace it. You can also use some spam filters (Google Aps has a good one).

Sorry for not being helpful enough, that's online life. And BTW, the amount of spam you got isn't too big compare to what I'm getting (~10 times more).

Sounds like the OP was getting around 1,000 spam emails per day. And you say you get approx 10 times more (ie., 10,000 spam emails per day)?

It comes to even more than 20,000 spam emails on a "good" day. But fortunately, it all goes directly to the spam folder, so no real problems.

I'm just trying to figure out how your email address got on so many spammers mailing list. You must have spam rejection rules setup that reject all but very specific email addresses. Seems many valid emails from your financial institutions, various subscriptions you might be signed up for to get notices/news/etc., and a vary of other emails could easily end up in your spam folder. Frequently I see companies/agencies who send me emails/subscriptions/notices/etc., I have signed up for change their email domain/address...seems for you in situation like this many valid emails would end up in your spam folder. Just don't see how you could effectively use your current email address if getting 20,000 spams per day. Heck, also seems your email inbox would always be receiving emails/spam and getting bogged down with all kinds of chances for viruses. Buy hey, if it's not a problem for you, then it's not a problem. Cheers.

[LaoPo]

Maybe a naive question but isn't there a free spam-mail control program ?

My own host (since 7 years) offers a spam control but it's € 3,95 month or 165 Baht/month and I really don't know if it will stop the spam mails. They claim "always a clean mailbox..." Really ?

AVIRA offers a good program: Avira AntiVir Premium at € 19,95/year or Baht 832/year. Anybody experience with this program ?

I have now the FREE AVIRA version but obviously not enough.

Sometimes I have the feeling that some anti-spam and anti-virus software developers have a 24/7 spam/virus spitting machine themselves in order to sell more of their products...who knows?

LaoPo

I used Avira Antivirus but I hated it, replaced it even before the paid year ended by Avast, which is 100% free and great to work with. An antivirus has not much to do with spam, unless you click on links to infected webpages, for a good spamfilter you are better of with http://www.mailwasher.net/

Free for 1 email account.

...Avira was advised here on Thaivisa by a few members and being a digibete I followed them...And, also, being a German respected company I thought I was well off but it seems my spamfilters (if there are any) are as leak as a broken dike.

Thanks for the good advice

LaoPo

[electau]

My ISP has a secure function on the login web page, this deletes 80 to 90% of spam e-mail this could be 1000 to 1500 per month deleted before downloading.

Set the email eg Windows Mail or Outlook to "open headers only" I also set the spam filter to high on windows mail program, get one or two spam a day. Never reply to spam e-mails.

[bangkokcitylimits]

Maybe a naive question but isn't there a free spam-mail control program ?

My own host (since 7 years) offers a spam control but it's € 3,95 month or 165 Baht/month and I really don't know if it will stop the spam mails. They claim "always a clean mailbox..." Really ?

AVIRA offers a good program: Avira AntiVir Premium at € 19,95/year or Baht 832/year. Anybody experience with this program ?

I have now the FREE AVIRA version but obviously not enough.

Sometimes I have the feeling that some anti-spam and anti-virus software developers have a 24/7 spam/virus spitting machine themselves in order to sell more of their products...who knows?

LaoPo

I used Avira Antivirus but I hated it, replaced it even before the paid year ended by Avast, which is 100% free and great to work with. An antivirus has not much to do with spam, unless you click on links to infected webpages, for a good spamfilter you are better of with http://www.mailwasher.net/

Free for 1 email account.

...Avira was advised here on Thaivisa by a few members and being a digibete I followed them...And, also, being a German respected company I thought I was well off but it seems my spamfilters (if there are any) are as leak as a broken dike.

Thanks for the good advice

LaoPo

I suggest start making a new email address, set the old one on forward, the spam will stay in the old account and today you will be freed of any spam.

No hassle with Mailwasher programs or complicated security settings. The new account just use it selective and connect few forwarding 'b' addresses to keep it clean.

Success ;-)

[bangkockney]

Is the spam being properly marked and filtered as spam or is it clogging up your inbox?

Are you using webmail only or a mail client to access email?

Also, who is your email provider?

Edited October 13, 2010 by bangkockney

[Chicog]

Get a GMail account (which does the best job of filtering spam and malware since they bought Postini), and read it in Outlook.

It won't stop your spam coming in if they harvest your email address from somewhere - but at least it generally junks it.

Your address could have been taken from the address book of someone else's (infected) PC.

[LaoPo]

Thanks a lot for all the answers. Much appreciated !

It's strange, but the flood of spam mail suddenly DE-creased to a normal acceptable level (since 1 day) without me changing anything in my settings or email address yet.

I have no clue as why that happened and dimished.

Anybody?

LaoPo

[siamect]

Thanks a lot for all the answers. Much appreciated !

It's strange, but the flood of spam mail suddenly DE-creased to a normal acceptable level (since 1 day) without me changing anything in my settings or email address yet.

I have no clue as why that happened and dimished.

Anybody?

LaoPo

Even spammers have limited resources and do some maintenance of their mailing lists...

Martin

[MikeWill]

Thanks a lot for all the answers. Much appreciated !

It's strange, but the flood of spam mail suddenly DE-creased to a normal acceptable level (since 1 day) without me changing anything in my settings or email address yet.

I have no clue as why that happened and dimished.

Anybody?

LaoPo

God's ways are inexplicable.