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- What is spam?
- Spam is the
term used for unsolicited electronic messages, usually transmitted to a
large number of recipients. Spam is also known as 'unsolicited
bulk e-mail' or 'unsolicited commercial e-mail'.
- Typically,
though not necessarily, spam mail has a commercial focus, promoting or
selling products or services. Messages promoting fraudulent schemes
(e.g. pyramid selling & get rich quick schemes) and offensive
content (e.g. pornography) are also referred to as spam.
- Undoubtedly,
spam is a growing nuisance for e-mail users and can be disturbing
especially when its content is offensive. Besides this, spam consumes
bandwidth and computing resources resulting in transmission delays of
genuine messages.
- Why am I receiving spam?
- Spammers
(the originators of spam) use a variety of methods to obtain e-mail
addresses.
- From
newsgroups, bulletin boards, Web pages & chat rooms -
Spammers use software that analyses the content of these Internet
sources to generate lists of e-mail addresses.
- From
mailing lists - If you purchased something online or
registered with a Web site, your e-mail address may have been added to
a mailing list that has then been obtained by spammers.
- From
forwarded messages - E-mail chain messages, such as jokes and
virus warnings, may reveal extensive lists of e-mail addresses in the
message header. Spammers use these messages to generate their mailing
lists.
- How can I avoid spam?
- Once your
address is on a spammer's mailing list, it can be difficult to have
your address removed. However, there are some actions you can take to
minimise the amount of spam in your mailbox. The Computing Services
Centre recommends the following set of guidelines to help users deal
with spam:
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- Never
respond to unsolicited e-mail asking to unsubscribe or have your e-mail
address removed from the mailing list (unless such e-mail originates
from trusted source). A response confirms that your e-mail
address is active, and consequently you are likely to receive even more
spam.
Note that
sometimes your reply fails to reach its destination because some
spammers use non-existent e-mail addresses to disguise their identity.
Messages
(e.g. technical announcements & e-newsletters) sent by
reputable organisations may include unsubscription instructions. If you
are positive that such messages originate from trusted sources, then
you can follow these instructions.
- Safeguard
your university e-mail address. Your IT Services e-mail
address is being provided for academic and university-related work
only. Be selective on where you register this e-mail address when
online.
Use a
separate address (e.g. Yahoo or Hotmail) for posting to newsgroups and
bulletin boards, and performing online transactions that may involve
your address being passed on to a third party. Do not initiate or
forward chain e-mail. Users are encouraged to follow the netiquette
guideline when sending mail to a large group of contacts.
- Filter
incoming messages. Most e-mail programs (e.g. Mozilla,
Netscape Messenger & MS Outlook Express) have message filtering
facilities. You may configure your e-mail program to filter incoming
messages originating from particular senders or having particular
keywords to a separate folder other than your inbox folder.
- Turn
on the spam filter facility provided by IT Services. The spam
filter enables users with an IT Services e-mail address to manage spam
mail more efficiently. More information about the spam filter available
here.
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It
is practically impossible to completely eliminate
spam from reaching your mailbox. However, you should be able to
minimise on spam if you follow the guidelines indicated above.
- Last
updated: 13-Aug-07
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