Number 250 - March 2004

Controlling SPAM!
Information from APCUG
You've Got Mail    Yes, you have mail...for mortgages, diets, "enhancements", money making, specials, freebies and on and on. Tired of it? Read More below: You've Got Mail!    From all kinds of people you never heard of before, but they want to help you lose weight, make more money, win a lot of money, predict your future, and enhance your performance...    It has all kinds of names, some call it "opportunity", some call it "opt-in", some call it outright fraud, the Federal Trade Commission calls it Unsolicited Commercial Email (or UCE for short). Most of us call it "SPAM".    Spam has reached such epic proportions, and the spammers have taken such bold measures to obtain, use and sell your email address that the Federal Trade Commission held a public forum April 30-May 2 totally devoted to UCE, or SPAM. The forum featured noted panelists, each with a unique expertise in both email and the distribution of SPAM and its relation to online fraud. Visit the FTC Site on the Spam Forum    The FTC also maintains a special area of it's site devoted to SPAM, with lots of tips for keeping your email box clean, reporting spammers,	reporting fraud, and even how to secure a mail server against spammers.    Visit It Here:www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/index.html    Meanwhile...here are some quick tips to help you keep your email accounts free of SPAM:    1. Never use the "unsubscribe me" link in a SPAM email. This only validates your email address to the spammer.    2. If you subscribe to newsgroups, or visit online chat rooms, use a different email address to sign up or subscribe.    3. Never give your "real" email address to any website until you have read their Privacy Policy. If they don't have a policy, don't give your address.    4. Carefully read website terms make sure you "uncheck" the boxes that allow the site owner to sell your address.    5. Learn to use email filters in your email client.    6. Remember if it sounds too good to be true......It Is!
Number 250 - March 2004