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The problem with spam is...
Every day we all face the same challenge. Spam. It doesn't matter if you are a personal computer user or the IT head of a multinational company, limiting or totally preventing the distribution of spam to your computer(s) is now a daily task.
The sheer frustration that spam causes, combined with the number of lost work hours, adds up to the fact that spam is a very real problem for everyone involved. You have to filter through all the junk to find your own personal or work email. This alone is quite annoying. When you consider the security risks of spyware, Trojan horses, dialers, and attempted identity theft, spam becomes much more than just a nuisance—it becomes a minefield for any computer user.
So what can you do to block spam? The first step every user should take is to simply limit the number of people who know their personal email address. If you have a work email address, use it for work. This simple move can reduce your spam problems by 50%.
But what about all those online forms I need to fill out? No problem. Use a free email service like Hotmail or Gmail for this purpose. Treat it like a disposable account that you can use as a buffer between your real personal email address and the rest of the world. Let it fill up with spam and then log in once a week and delete everything you see.
Your password. It's amazing how many people set their email account password to abc123 or something similar. These passwords are incredibly easy for spammers to guess and would give them easy access to your email account. Your email account password must follow corporate standards of being between 6 and 8 characters and alphanumeric (a combination of numbers and letters). Make it longer if you can. Using a weak password is just asking for trouble.
If you're already getting a ton of spam, you'll need to invest in a spam blocker. There are free spam blockers you can download and their paid equivalents too. A great spam blocker can cost you as little as $30 and you will see an immediate reduction in the amount of spam you receive.
In addition to installing software on your computer (especially for Mac users, since your options are limited), you can sign up for one of the web-based challenge response spam blockers like Mailblocks or SpamArrest. Both services are ideal for someone who is constantly on the go. Plus, because they're web-based, there's no software to install, making them perfect for Mac or PocketPC/Palm users.
Taking a proactive anti-spam stance is the next step. If you receive spam email from individuals, please check the email headers and report any offensive email to the hosting company or ISP involved. Never, ever respond to spam directly. This simply confirms to the spammer that your email address is active. Also, never click on any hyperlinks in any spam email; this again confirms its existence and may cause a virus to be downloaded directly to your PC. Filter spam, report abusers, delete remaining spam.
Spam can be stopped. Not by some corporate giant or genius programmer. It can be stopped by each of you individually. Spammers rely on the widespread availability of email addresses and on people responding to these emails or clicking on links within the emails. The sooner people stop reacting emotionally to spam and simply filter, report, and delete offending mail, the sooner the lucrative mass mailing market for spammers will dry up.