How E-mail Spam Is Blocked

1. Although you can respond to an unsolicited e-mail message and ask the sender to remove your address from the mailing list, this is often ineffective. Spammers usually hide their e-mail addresses, making them difficult to track down.

2. Plus, some spammers use programs that generate addresses randomly and send messages out looking for active mailboxes. Responding to one of these messages notifies the spammer that your account is live--and might actually increase the number of unwanted e-mails infiltrating your mailbox.

3. Many e-mail services provide spam filters. Some block messages from the specific e-mail address that you flag; others accept messages only from addresses that you pre-approve.

Sites such as www.despammed.com even give you a special e-mail account and screen your messages. They then forward messages that meet your filter criteria to your permanent account. Though such software can reduce the volume of spam you receive, it will not eliminate it. Spammers often change their e-mail address, forcing you to continually update your filter.

Internet service providers work similarly. Routers examine all incoming messages to block mass mailings. When a spammer is discovered, the offending e-mail address is added to the routing table. The next time the spammer attempts to send mail to the ISP’s subscribers, the router blocks the messages from going through the system.

4. Since blocking spam is never foolproof, it is often easier to avoid becoming a target. Refrain from submitting your personal e-mail address to online newsgroups or registering it on Web sites. Create a free e-mail account, using a service such as Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) or Hotmail (www.msn.com), to use as an alternative in such transactions.

If you have a personal Web site, limit the number of times you post your address online; some spammers search Web sites for personal e-mail addresses.