SPAM! How do YOU deal with it?

papasmurf ^ | 5/17/07 | papasmurf

[papasmurf]

I have 5 networked pc's here and a "floater" laptop, running a mix of XP Pro, Win2K, and Ubuntu.

My subscriptions for A/V, Firewall, and Anti-Spam are all up this month. Currently, I use paid-for full version/suites of ZoneAlarm and AVG. I also have MS Defender, and Ewido. I have a regular maintenance routine I perform once a week using spyware blaster, Opt Out, Spyware S&D, Black Light, and Crap Cleaner. I also use a registry monitoring app, and sysinternals process explorer.

I haven't had an infection in well over a year, and then it was so mild I've forgotten what it was.

I do have a moderate problem with SPAM. I have about 7 email accounts that I use regularly, and receive about 50 spams a day, on average. AVG and ZoneAlarm spam filters leave much to be desired.

So, I know there are some really high tech FReepers here, and I was wondering what you are using and/or actions you might recommend.

Thanks

papa

[reformed_democrat]

Do you use Mailwasher?

I've used Mailwasher for years -- this is the third computer to have it installed. It's simple -- the mail stays on the server and gets deleted from there. It never gets to your computer.

I have MS Outlook set up to receive when I click the "Send/Receive" button. You set that up in the "Options" section of Outlook. Open Mailwasher, look over your e-mail, blacklist the obvious spam, delete the stuff you just don't want to receive (Uncle Harry's 15th version of "The Priest, The Rabbi, and the Bartender" joke, etc.), hit "Process," and Mailwasher will open Outlook when it finishes getting rid of the trash.

Once Outlook opens, click "Send/Receive." The e-mail you want is then downloaded.

It's not necessary to set up Outlook like that. I've done that because I share this computer, and sometimes my loving family forget to run Mailwasher before opening Outlook. This way, they can't accidentally download a virus.

[SunkenCiv]

In addition to the FReeper’s comments in #2, Google mail has an excellent spam filter already built in. Works extraordinarily well. I have my broadband acc’t forward everything to the Goog because without that 20,000 spams accumulate about every four months (that’s over 100 a day).

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for that sneakemail tip!

[papasmurf]

I have a paid for account at fastmail.fm. It's a pretty awesome setup. I was thinking of doing what you and # 2 said with that. I'm not a big google fan.

Thanks for the advice.
:O)
P

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Thanks for that sneakemail tip!

No problemo.

Sneakemail has a great many tools for emailing. One allows you to send completely anonymous email to anyone and it is untraceable to the sender...barring a court order that is.

Though...why anyone would want to do something like that is beyond me.

[MassMinuteman]

4) don't let them get your email address in the first place. Use something like stingbox.com which lets you use an alias email address rather than your own when signing up for stuff online. They can't solicit/scam you if they don't have your real email address to begin with!