Blogging’s fun but spam is just plain annoying.  If you’re a blogger, you’d be better off having some sort of working spam filter, as I do.  Some always slips through.

They’re getting pretty tricky though.  They’re good at attempting to automate comments that actually have something to do with the article.  Tricky, huh?  The most recent comment spam I received was on the article Should I Buy A New Or Refurbished Computer? and it said “refurbished computers might be based from an old technology but you can buy them in bargain prices.”

A few parts of this tipped me off that it was spam: it was awkward how they used “old technology” and the grammar mistake at the end.  To be sure, I run a test of my own.  I copy a good amount of the text of the comment and paste it into quotation marks in a Google search.  If Google comes up with a page full of results showing the exact same comment, then I know it’s spam, for sure.

Marked as spam, along with the rest of the “nice tries.”

To sum up my current response system to comment spam:

1. Employ a filter that works
2. Do a Google search
3. Mark as spam

What tips have you?

A while back I did a post all about the types of email SPAM out there and how to deal with them.  The funniest thing happened!  Recently I received three separate comments on that particular post that, as it turns out, are SPAM themselves!  Check it out:

How do I know they are SPAM?  You tell me.

Photo by Daniel Ventura

I got this email the other day (I found it today because it was filtered to my spam folder so I didn’t notice it right away).  I thought it was interesting for two reasons: I’ve actually heard of people being pulled in by emails like this, AND the story shared in the email is actually a neat story (they usually are).  Read it, remember the tactic, and NEVER be pulled in, it is ALWAYS a scam!

YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS MAIL WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGE
From: Lady Agatha Shaw.
A MAILING ADDRESS WAS SHARED HERE,
London , England .

I am the above named person but now undergoing medical treatment in London , England . I am married to Dr. Jim Shaw who worked with British Railway Commission in Chelsea England for over a decade before he died on 5th of July in the year 2003. We were married for fifteen years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for two weeks.

Before his death he made a vow to use his wealth for the down trodden and the less privileged in the society. Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home.

When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $10 Million (Ten Million Dollars) in a Vault with a Bank here in Europe . Presently, this money is still there. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next 150 days due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to an individual or better still a God fearing person who will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want an individual that will use this to fund and provide succor to poor and indigent persons, orphanages, and above all the less privileged in the Society.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of my Lawyer. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as the original beneficiary of this fund, through my Lawyer. I want you to always pray for me. My happiness is that I lived a life worthy of emulation.

Whosoever that wants to serve the Almighty must serve him with all his heart and mind and soul and also in truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for an individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act according to my specification herein. Hoping to hear from you.
Thank you and may the Almighty bless you.

This mail should be replied to my private email box:
E-mail: NOT SHARING THE EMAIL – sorry!

Yours sincerely,
Lady Agatha Shaw (Benefactor)

If you get email like this, just delete it.  They may make for interesting reading, but that’s about it!  Just another type of email SPAM.

Photo by Sumocat on Flickr

Wikipedia defines SPAM for us:

“Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages.”

Just like almost everyone else you talk to, I hate spam.  I hate it on all fronts.  I hate getting stupid sales calls.  I hate getting popups in my web browser.  I hate junk mail and junk faxes.  And I HATE SPAM EMAIL!

I get enough email already.  I like getting email.  I get email from friends and family keeping in touch with me.  I get email notifying me of all sorts of things from new comments on Facebook to appointments I would normally miss if I hadn’t put them into my google calendar.  And, occasionally I will get an email from myself rememnding me to do something or visit some website (corny, I know).  So, I DO NOT NEED SPAM on top of everything else!

In order to rid yourself of something unwanted in life, you must first identify it, then eraticate it.  As I see it, there are actually three types of email SPAM that bug me the most often:

1. Automated, unwanted spam with a known source, like advertisements from websites you’ve given your email to while signing up for various things, like newsletters or software registration.
2. Automated, unsolicited spam with an unknown source, like those Cialis ads that come out of nowhere or bank notifications from institutions you KNOW you’ve never done business with.
3. Email forwards, like those chain letters from your Uncle Marvin who sends along those emails warning him of some pitiful fate if he doesn’t.

Once you have identified the email as SPAM and have fit it into one of these categories, now you must irraticate it!  You don’t just want to delete it!  SPAM is like a weed which if you just cut off what is above the ground, it will spring back up again and again.  Don’t forget, SPAM is like a weed!

Each category of email SPAM needs a different method of irradication.  One method will not work properly with all of them and if implimented improperly, you may cause more problems!  Here are the methods separated by category:

1. Automated, unwanted spam with a known source: I think this one is the easiest one to deal with.  Most of these have a link somewhere in the email labeled “unsubscribe.”  Just click this link.  It may require you to enter your email somewhere.  Viola!  The emails SHOULD stop, meanwhile you can always create a separate email address for online sign-ups and registrations!  WARNING!  Before clicking any links, PLEASE make sure you know where the email is coming from!  If you don’t recognize where it came from, you’re dealing with the next category of email SPAM,
2. Automated, unsolicited spam with an unknown source: This type of SPAM, I believe, is the most difficult to deal with.  It may include misleading information, or worse, a virus or a link to one!  If you don’t recognize where an email has come from, PLEASE DO NOT EVEN OPEN IT!  If you DO find you’ve opened an email from an unknown source, PLEASE do not follow any links, even an “unsubscribe” link!  The results of such actions MAY be devastating.  Just play it safe and don’t open it.  All I would do when encountered would be to hit the “mark as SPAM” button in your email program or service and let it go.  Marking it as SPAM will at least help cut down on these.
3. Email forwards: These can be tricky to deal with because usually there is a real person behind them and it usually is someone close to you.  The question is how to deal with it without hurting feelings.  You CAN “reply to all” telling them to stop spamming you or they can forget getting anything from you for Christmas next year, but that can come across as harsh, mean, or down right draconian!  We want to find a more tender way of asking them to remove them from their chain mail list.  OR you can do what I do and attempt to filter emails with “fwd” or “fw” in the subject line and send them directly to the spam or junk folder.  I did a post a while back about email forwarding (check out the update, too!)  I particularly like this option because you can enjoy an ongoing relationship with your friend or loved-one AND free your inbox from those crazy forwards.  Plus, you can always keep an eye on your junk ro spam folder to see if you missed anything important.

There you have it!  While I’m sure nothing’s fool proof, your email inbox should be looking much less cluttered!  Don’t just sit around hating SPAM, do something about it!