Genealogy Chat

Nina I would have to say no, the originator of a virus tainted e-mail, to the common folk, would pretty much be impossible to find. There is technology that can trace it back but not readily available or understandable to PC users. Judy

Also remember that if you have details on Gencircles, Rootsweb etc, UKBDM and many of the surname listings on Genuki, your email address is on view to anyone.

How do I stop spam? Keep your PC's anti-virus software up-to-date and install a firewall. Unprotected high-speed Internet connections are vulnerable to infection by viruses that are programmed to open gateways, also known as proxies, to relay spam. By not keeping your PC secure, you may unwittingly be a courier for spam. Give your primary e-mail address to friends and family only. Give a different e-mail to others on the Internet. Although this second address will likely receive unwanted e-mails, it is more disposable and can allow you to better control the e-mails you receive. Do not post your primary e-mail address in newsgroups, bulletin boards or chat rooms. Spammers use software programs, often referred to as spiders or bots, to search for and harvest e-mail addresses on public forums. To prevent this, use a secondary e-mail address or alter the primary address so that it is not deliverable in that format. For example, if your e-mail address is [email protected], you could post it as [email protected] or "test _ account at comcast dot net". Do not post your primary e-mail address on a Web site. Spiders also scan Web sites for e-mail addresses. You can alter your e-mail address to help protect it but remember that e-mail harvesting software can read HTML code, so be sure to remove the "mailto:" tag. Do not reply to unsolicited e-mails. If the e-mail does not appear to be from a trustworthy or legitimate source, delete it without replying. A federal anti-spam law called The Can Spam Act, went into effect January 1, 2004, requiring a functioning "opt out" link or a legitimate "reply to unsubscribe" e-mail address. Some unscrupulous spammers have ignored this law and continue to trick recipients into unwittingly responding to a fake "opt out" link, which actually verifies their e-mail address as a valid one. Therefore, it is still strongly recommended that recipients of unsolicited e-mail carefully consider whether an "opt out" or "reply to unsubscribe" seems legitimate and act accordingly. Consider using an alternate e-mail address when signing up for services, filling out forms or taking surveys on the Internet. Read the privacy policy of these sites. Keep in mind, if the service is "free" they often need to generate revenue in some manner and advertising is often used to do this. When signing up for a mailing list, read the terms and policies. Signing up should result in wanted or solicited e-mail, but the list provider should disclose whether signing up will result in the sale or trade of your e-mail address to other parties. Let friends and family know that you do not wish to have them share your e-mail address. Make sure your e-mail address is difficult to guess. Don't use a common name or common words. It is not uncommon for spammers to use software programs to generate random user names based on common names and words in the dictionary. In addition, common e-mail addresses may have been used previously and my still be on old mailing lists. Check "sent mail" folders for suspicious messages. Take responsibility for your PC by checking your "sent mail" folder regularly to ensure that all sent mail is really being sent by you and not by a spammer using an open gateway (proxy) on your computer.

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