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Spam
Reporting on the Latest Frauds, Scams, Fake Lotteries, Spams and Hoaxes

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Spam Emails and Spamming

Do you receive lots of junk email messages from people you don't know? It's no surprise if you do. As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers find unsolicited commercial email - also known as "spam" (Sending junk mail electronically is called "spamming")  annoying and time consuming; others have lost money to bogus offers that arrived in their email in-box. Scams may find you via your email address. Treat unsolicited emails with the same caution you would junk mail.

And don't think for a moment that the "sent from" or "reply to" addresses are real.. or really who sent it.  See this page about spoofing!

If you are interested in the costs and psychology behind spam, see this page!

How to protect from getting spam

  • Don't click on the "unsubscribe" links in the email if you don't recognize the sender or company sending the mail. That simply confirms your address is real to the spammer
  • Don't ever reply to spam - again, that simply confirms your address to the spammer. Never write back and ask to be taken off the list
  • Don't offer your email address to any websites that don't have a privacy policy
  • Don't publish your e-mail address on any Web site or discussion forum. If necessary, obfuscate e-mail address: for example, write an e-mail address as "myname at mycompany dot com."
  • Use a separate e-mail address (such as a free Yahoo, Hotmail or Gmail account) to sign up for newsletters, online posting, trade shows and anything you respond to on the internet. If the mailbox gets unwieldy, you can delete it or filter it more aggressively.
  • Use anti-spam software.
  • Try to filter your email - a link at the scam busters site will show you exactly how to do this. Or your ISP might provide a filtering service or be able to tell you how to set one up yourself.
  • Don't ever buy anything from spammers.
  • Don't write to or give your email address out to clueless folks, whether they are friends or family.  Inevitably, those people will fail to use up-to-date firewalls, ant-virus, anti-spyware, and they will visit dubious scam websites.  Sooner or later, their pc will become infected, and the virus or worm will harvest all of the email addresses in their Outlook or other email client.
  • How to Stop Spam almost forever! You don't have to face an inbox full of porn, spam, scams and junk every day.  Here's how to stop it.

What to do if you DO get spam:

  • Don't unsubscribe immediately. After a few weeks, compare the messages you want to unsubscribe from and look for common traits, such as common strings of text that you can use to block further mail.
  • Do complain to your internet service provider (ISP) and to the spammer's ISP - and remember to include the junk mail's entire header
  • Check here for a list of companies that use spam to promote their products - never purchase anything from these companies.  Send us a copy of spam and we will add the company to the list.
  • If the spammer is a US address, email your spam to the spam recycling centre at spamrecycle@ChooseYourMail.com (they will forward the message to state and federal authorities
  • Click here to see a list of spam email, with images of the actual email and their website.  You can use this to compare against the spam you receive and report them to the FTC!
  • Do set up a private email address for friends and associates and use a free web-based email address (like Yahoo or Hotmail) for any interactions you have with other websites and companies

Spam - What it is and what to do about it!

This page has information about the Federal Trade Commission's recent law enforcement actions against deceptive commercial email and spammers' responsibilities under the CAN-SPAM law. In the "For Consumers" section, you'll find tips on how to reduce the amount of spam email in your in-box.

FTC Spam Consumers page  FTC Spam Business page  FTC Spam Reports page  FTC Spam Rules and Acts page FTC Spam Press Room page FTC Spam Resources page  FTC Spam En Espanol page  FTC Spam Hot Topics File a Complaint with the FTC

Spammers and examples of Spam

Where to report spam

Country Spam Reporting Addresses

If spam is connected to a company located in one of these countries, you should report it to the relevant address.

Australia

Belgium

Brazil

China

Denmark

  • spam@fs.dk
  • Forbruger ombudsmanden (Net-tjek). Include a short background of your complaint; and your name, address and email address. 

Germany

Hong Kong

Korea

Netherlands

Malaysia

United Kingdom

United States

California

Missouri

Virginia

 

Limiting Spam

Spam Scams

Protecting Your Personal Information

Other credible sources of information:

For More Information

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

 

Copyright CFR 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009  - Definition of scam, fraud, etc. -  Legal disclaimer / corrections / complaints  -  Privacy Policy
Names used by scammers in the examples on this page and others often belong to real people and businesses who often have no knowledge of nor connection to the scammer's use of their name and information.  Sample scam emails and other documents are copies of the scam to help potential victims recognize and avoid it.  You should presume that any names used and presented here in a scam are either fictitious or used without their legitimate owner's permission.
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