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Tricks to fool spammers
by David Sharp of Sharpwit
Web Consultants
The first line of defense is not to publicly release your e-mail address
or fill out any forms that offer "free"
items or announce you are a "winner" of such and such a contest (many sites will
dangle something in front of your nose for
the price of a valid e-mail address; many more will ask for it before allowing
you to download software) to programs that
travel through links on your web page but collecting e-mail addresses as they go.
The key to beating the spammers, then, is
to make sure your address never appears on the 'net.
- Newsgroups:
Always fake(mung) (new word mung) your e-mail address when you are signing into
a news group. When you have left
the newsgroups you can change the return address back to its correct form.
- Enter E-mail here scams:
When you go to various web sites you may see a nice looking box inviting you to
type in your e-mail address and win a
free gift, join a mailing list, or get a special offer. Don't do it!! They are
only after your e-mail address to mail "stuff"
too.
- Sign-ups for Service:
Many sites require you to fill in a form with your name, e-mail address and
various other trivia before you can
participate in a chat, access certain portions of the site, get listed on their
search engine, or download software.
Essentially, they're getting you to "opt-in" by voluntarily supplying your
address, then considering this free license to
sign you up for 1000 of their (or their sponsors') commercial newsletters or
sell your address to other spammers. A search
engine listing is a good example. Most "Add URL" thingies come with a form
asking for your e-mail address. They don't need
your e-mail to index your home page but the sale of it (e-mail address) to
others is a revenue generator for the search
engine company. Whenever someone wants your e-mail as part of a sign-up, ask
yourself what purpose having your address on
file serves; what business they have with it.
- Online directories
Try very hard NOT to get listed here. It is actually a gold mine for all
spammers and their next best source of e-mail
addresses to spam
- Your Own Web Page:
This is rapidly becoming the greatest source of e-mail addresses. Spam-bots can
harvest here forever.
For the reader who is already "technically-savvy" reader and assumes he/she a
web site (either for business or
personal) and he/she is familiar with some of the technical jargon associated
with web site development.
If you feel confused by the "spam detection" consult your web master as any web
site can be Spam proofed.
- One Spam evasion tactic is to use an "image" rather than a "text link" to
show your e-mail address. Humans can read
it but "spam-bots can't.
- Another Spam evasion method is to use Java script (a programming language
used in web sites to carry out a variety of
tasks and specific instructions within the web page) to display your e-mail
address (see http://www.cexx.org/spamguide.htm)
The article "Tricks to fool spammers" was submitted by:
Sharpwit
Web Consultants © 2004 D.Sharp; First Canadian Serial Rights.
See our virtual community at
www.castlegarbc.ca
or www.columbiariver.ca
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