Genealogy Chat

Do other people suffer from the amount of SPAM that I do? After returning from a two week holiday I had over 800 e-mails waiting for me, most of them were SPAM. I have Norton anti-spam on my computer, and most SPAM now goes into a special folder where I can delete them. But the SPAM still has to be downloaded, then after the folder is emptied I then have to delete them from the deleted folder. Does anyone know if there is a way SPAM can be blocked completely? When I installed Norton Anti-Spam I (wrongly) assumed that it would STOP the SPAM - all it does is divert it to an anti SPAM folder, you still have to download it and then delete it . . . . what use is that?

Most ISP's provide a webmail service, where you can log on to your email account via the internet. You can then delete messages on there without having to download them to your PC first. If you have this option, you could log on and delete your spam before you download your wanted mail via the usual mail program. My ISP automatically blocks spam for me - I never even see it. May be worth asking your ISP if they have a similar scheme.

Yes I think I can delete via my ISP (NTL), I only wish they would block them first like your server does.

Brian Ntl aren't very brilliant. You can go to the tools bar and choose message rules and then set up a system so if certain words (viagra, for example) appear, the message is automatically deleted. But it is a faff and I find that when I've done that I get messages with "vi*gra" in them. Very irritating - apparently about 80% of e-mails are unwanted/unsolicited. What a waste! nell

Nell - I completely agree!! I did have a different anti spam sometime ago where I had to put in the words I didn't want to see in an e-mail, but as you say these people get round that. I was told (by an NTL engineer!) that if you put, say a full stop, comma etc. in your e-mail address it helps. Apparently the automated e-mail "senders" struggle to overcome them . . . . I don't know.

Haven't heard of that one Brian. My work email has a "dot" in it, but I used to get about 40 spam emails per day, until the company implemented a spam-blocker.

Richard - Oh! . . . so much for the NTL engineer's knowledge!!!

While we're on the topic... Sunday's Observer mentioned (http://observer.guardian.*co.uk/focus/story/0,6903,1386242,00.html remove the *) that the e-mail currently doing the rounds belatedly trying to match up the little candinavian lad with his family (it was achieved long since) carries some sort of virus which makes you more vulnerable to spam. Of such sick folk is the spam world made. We use Can-It (see http://www.roaringpenguin.*com remove *)) which collects the duff-looking mails and just sends you a message to say it's trapped x number of messages which you look at on the site to see if you want them or not. You tell it to white-list addresses or domains or whatever if you know they're ok. Seems to be working ok Christine

BT Y a**oo have an excellent system where the spam gets directed to a 'bulk folder' on their website. You can visit the website and check it to see if any real mail has been wrongly put there. Then you can delete it or just leave it to be automatically deleted after a time you chose. On average I get 400 a week in the bulk folder but NONE downloaded onto my Outlook Express. It takes the system a little while to 'learn' what is spam for you but after that its very, very good. Anne