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Spammers in the works

Technology service providers much share some of the burden for internet security

Jonathan Margolis explains how to spot the dangerous rubbish that flows into your inbox and how to deal with it

Is spam email avoidable?

Spam is unsolicited junk mail, just as annoying, but much less benign, than the rubbish that comes through your letterbox.

Some 80 per cent of emails sent are spam, which clogs up your internet mailbox, will frequently ruin your computer - and has been known to ruin unwary people's lives. It is perfectly avoidable, though, as you'll see.

What kinds of email spam are around, then?

Malicious spam comes in three categories. The first is dubious sales offers, typically for pharmaceuticals like Viagra (either fake or non-existent) or unlikely surgical procedures, which almost certainly will never be carried out.

The second category is the fake personal appeal to your greed. Usually from Africa, these scams promise riches if you help launder money. Needless to say, they will do no such thing.

Third are emails to exploit your forgetfulness - reminding you of a long-forgotten offshore bank account and saying if you would kindly reply with your account details, they will send over your balance. If you were foolish enough to comply, as many people have, you could lose all your money.

The newest form of spam, however, offers share tips in junk, penny companies; the sender of this 'pump and dump' mail hopes to get thousands of people to buy a stock he already owns, then to sell it himself when the price goes up. When you try to sell, however, the shares will be valueless again.

Last - but not least - there's the innocuous looking email that, when opened, releases a dangerous virus into your computer. These come mostly from the Middle East, and are designed to damage Western economies. Best avoided, then.

So how can it be avoided?

With great ease, you will be pleased to hear. Most email programs contain spam filters which will weed out rubbish by spotting key words - obscenities and the like.

Spammers aren't notably bright; it's not a very lucrative business and they rarely strike gold - but they are clever enough to take avoiding action. They will refer to Viagra, for example, as V**gra to avoid spam filters, and some of this junk will get through.

The key thing is to spot it early - and not to open it under any circumstances. However curious you are, opening junk can unleash a virus, so just don't. As for spotting spam, almost all of it comes from criminal elements in Russia, the Middle East and Africa, plus the less educated strata of American society. As a result, it is almost uniformly illiterate.

Another wise measure is simply not to open emails from anyone you don't know. A new breed of spammers has tried heading emails with a friendly "How are you doing?" or "Re our conversation". Delete these emails unread unless you know the sender.

How do these spammers get my email address?

Buy guessing. Spammers use software that works through billions of possible combinations of name and address type until, unless you are very lucky, it finds you. The worst thing you can do is to reply to a spam. The temptation to wing off a Victor Meldrew-style reply is tempting, but they won't read it, and it will trigger excitement in Spamland simply to know that you exist and are likely to read their poison.

 

The opinions expressed are those of the author and are not held by Saga unless specifically stated.
The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, medical or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.