Reading Email Headers

HOTLNC

HOTLNC

Charter Member
Paid Member
I don't know how it is with you guys, but I get a ton of spam and links to XXX rated sites. All of this stuff comes from spammers, bypassing the spam block I have activated. My email address with HOTMAIL seems to be the worst. My email address with the Dark Side is a close second worst.

By reading and understanding information contained in the email's header (right click on the email and select Properties, then select DETAILS) you can generally find out who is spamming you. Or at the very least, find the offending IP Address. 99.99 times out of 100, the FROM address is bogus.

Here is a link to a paper that is very useful: http://www.stopspam.org/email/headers/headers.html
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

Spam previously was a minor annoyance, now it is a major impediment to communication. I installed a Norton spam filter a year ago. Initially it worked quite well, blocking 2/3 of the spam, but lately it seems the spam senders are figuring out how to get aaround those filters. I get upwards of 200 pieces of spam a day. I often miss messages from new legitamate senders. Fortunately, Outlook has rules for incoming messages, so people who often send me e-mail have their mail sorted into a specific box, so I rarely miss those messages.

There should be a law that spam must have a specific word in the title, such as "Ad or Solicitation" so a filter can easily sort it out.

Alexander
President
Lincolns of Distinction
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

Jerry,

Thanks for the link. I'm willing to learn anything I can to reduce the stuff. I mostly get debt relief, offers of loans, debt consolidation, anything to do with money management.

Just in case anyone else plans to print it, it's 16 pages.

Lee
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

... 99.99 times out of 100, the FROM address is bogus.
Click to expand...

Some cybersoul has been using one of my addresses for spam or perhaps a virus. The other day I was deluged with 90+ 'undeliverable mail' messages. Good grief.
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

What is really strange is when you get Spam-mail from YOURSELF! I have senior moments, but not that bad!

A lot of my junk mail is “Increase your size and satisfy your wife…” According this type of email, I’m 3 to 5 inches too short to do any good. And the whole world knows about it. But, the whole world wants to help me with herbal remedies.

The remainder is hidden spy cam sites and “free passwords to free xxx sites.”

I get very few mortgage and refinance spams.
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

The spam I get is typically from dental insurance providers, "hot, wet amateurs", and Nigerian expatriates who ask me to help them gain access to their inheritances (which have been confiscated by corrupt high-level officials) by using a bank account opened in my name.
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

You guys need ad-aware6.0, download it. makes a big difference. Btw, 98% of the time, they type of ads you get is based on the sites you visit ;)

Download ad-aware and scan your computer, it will delete all these tracking cookies you receive that track every website you go too. it solved it for me. I used to get 20Spam emails.. now 3 a day, big improvement.
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

Here are two websites that allow you to look up the "offending" web site address.

http://ww1.arin.net/index.html

http://www.whois.org/

The first site listed seems to have more detail in it. Names, addresses and phone numbers, etc. I traced one of the Viagra ads and ended up in Melbourne AU. A Worm virus infected email came from HOUSTON, some PC user's group. I resisted the temptation to call the listed guy and tell him thanks.
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

That would be my problem, what to do after I traced them. I couldn't have that information and not do something with it. I detest it so badly that I would run the risk of doing something that would jeopardize my freedom, especially if they're nearby. They're in the same category as telemarketers. x( x( :(
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

Most providers will accept complaints about a client using their service to spam or whatever. THEY can then search their files and find out who is doing it, if they have the time that it was done and other details. Typically, they will shut a spammer off when they find out they are abusing their services.

That's about all anyone can do. Doing anything more will bring us down to their level. Do we want to wallow in their pigsty?
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

Another thing you can do is report the outgoing servers to a list of known spammers, that way their servers get blocked. Several large organizations (MSN, SBC, AOL) block servers off their lists.

I've seen it happen more than a few times where people I work with can't get mail from other people, and if you search the "known spam" mail servers, they've ended up on it.

mail-abuse.org is one of them, I can't remember the other, but search on "spam server" or "smtp spam" and you should get a few of these.

another thing to remember is every form on the web you put your e-mail address into is a database where it is being collected to be sold. I have several e-mail addresses that I use, and the ones that I don't put into forms or use for ecommerce get no spam... ZERO. yeah, I have to check multiple accounts, but I only check one for messages from family and friends and NEVER get spam.

Another key DONT is reply. Many of these systems generate random addresses to send to, but if you reply you are a "confirmed" mail address and they can sell you back out for more $$$ and you become a bigger target.

Scott
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

While everyones suggestions here are pretty sound, the one big problem you have is most mail headers from REAL SPAMMERS are forged in some way. Most of the information you get is not correct, sometimes the spammers real IP is in there but that is also questionable. When you can get their IP, it's some damn host on the other side of the world usually in China or Indonesia (thats where most of mine comes in from).

The only truely good way to block spam is at the server, and the only way to do that is host it yourself or get a host that is actively filtering for real spam.

We just rented a box from the same host that is hosting mark8.org, and have setup some initial customer web sites, a few of our own, and a nice mail server. We're now successfully filtering most of the incoming spam and ALL of the viri that are coming in. I love it. I've never found a web host I was truely happy with, so we've decided to just start doing it ourselves! So far I'm damn pleased with myself :).

If anyone needs a site hosted I'd be happy to do it for you :) Our level of redundancy isn't what I want it to be yet - I will have a T1 online locally at my home when it's all completed and will run some backup mail & hosting services there as well.

I'm real excited about it all :).
 
RE: Reading Email Headers

I just read in the paper today that earthlink won a major court decision against the spammers. It's gonna cost the bastids big bucks when they get caught in the future. Sounds good on the surface but in reality it'll probably just move their HQ's overseas.
 
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