The Good and the Evil

By default, Outlook 2003 blocks all HTML content that is referenced by an external location. Many junk e-mail senders put an image URL in the e-mail message. The image URL notifies the junk e-mail senders' Web server when you read or preview the e-mail message. This type of image URL is also known as a "Web beacon." An example of a Web beacon image URL is:

<img src="http://myserver/cgi-bin/program?e=your-e-mail-address-here" />

If you preview or open an e-mail message with this type of an image reference, this action may make you a target to receive more junk e-mail messages.

To prevent this type of Web beacon, where an HTML e-mail message contains references such as links and banners to an external URL, the Outlook 2003 HTML viewer does not automatically render the external content. Instead, when you view the e-mail message, areas in the e-mail message that should have a picture appear as a red X placeholder.

Click here to download pictures.
To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download
of some pictures in this message. 

1. Open Outlook
   
2. Click Tools menu
   
3. Select Options
   
4. Click the Security tab
   
5. Click Change Automatic Download Settings button
   
6. Select when you want pictures downloaded
   
7. Click OK OK

Labels: General, Spam, Tips

While you still have any

• We should Boycott 7-11
  
• That California Bill AB 2651 Outlaws Christian Foster Parents?
  
• There are Formosan Termites in Mulch from New Orleans?
  
• Bush won an honest election

Labels: General, Spam, Tips

Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud

"A renowned psychiatrist from UC Irvine was duped into squandering at least $1.3 million of his family's fortune on a Nigeria Internet scam, according to a lawsuit recently filed by his son.

The son, also an Orange County doctor, said his father - Dr. Louis A. Gottschalk - gave as much as $3 million over a 10-year period in response to an Internet plea that promised the doctor a generous cut of a huge sum of cash trapped in African bank accounts in exchange for money advances.

Gottschalk - who at 89 still works at the UCI campus medical plaza that bears his name - said in court papers that the losses were caused by "some bad investments."

Guy Gottschalk is asking a judge to remove his father as administrator of the $8-million family partnership that was set up for tax purposes after the death of his mother in 1993. A hearing is set for March 14.

The suit alleges that Louis Gottschalk destroyed bank records to cover up the amount of his losses.

"While it seems unlikely, even ludicrous, that a highly educated doctor like [Gottschalk] would fall prey to such an obvious con, that is exactly what happened," wrote Guy Gottschalk's attorney in court papers."

Labels: Spam, Tips

How to read the code

"This document is intended to provide a comprehensive introduction to the behavior of email headers.

It is primarily intended to help victims of unsolicited email ("email spam") attempting to determine the real source of the (generally forged) email that plagues them; it should also help in attempts to understand any other forged email.
It may also be beneficial to readers interested in a general-purpose introduction to mail transfer on the Internet. "

"The ability to read and decipher email headers is a useful skill to learn for tracing messages to their original source and diagnosing many other problems. Headers may contain a lot of information but the most important information will always be contained in every email header."

Labels: General, Spam, Troubleshoot

A tutorial

"Many spoof emails look very real. While there are some telltale signs, it can often be difficult to identify fake emails. Whenever you get an email about your PayPal account, the safest and easiest course of action is to open your browser and log in to your PayPal account directly without clicking any links in the email.

Warning signs that an email about your PayPal account are fake include a generic greeting, a false sense of urgency, and links that don't include "https://www.paypal.com" immediately before the first "/".

Labels: Spam, Tips, Tutorials

Why let the sleaze balls have all the fun?

• Spam Archives
  
  

  "A number of far-sighted people have been saving all their spam and have put it online. This is a valuable resource for anyone writing Bayesian filters."

  
  
• How to Spam
  
  

  "The links on this page are to companies that provide the infrastructure of spam. It's fairly disgusting reading, but a quick scan will give you some ideas about filtering."

  
  
• Spammers' Stories
  
  

  "These articles about spammers are very helpful in understanding how to stop spam. For example, complaining to the ISPs that spammers use does seem to inconvenience them.
  
  And best of all, so does filtering. In one article below, a spammer complains that filters have increased his costs 1,000-fold. That's exactly what we want to hear. New laws and policies may stop spam. Making it unprofitable certainly will."

  
  
• Better Bayesian Filtering
  
• Filters that Fight Back
  
• Will Filters Kill Spam?
  
• Filters vs. Blacklists
  
• Filtering Research
  
• Spam Resources
  
• Spam Links

Labels: General, Spam

Get over the attachment

"Many of the most common computer viruses and other malicious software are spread through e-mail attachments. If a file attached to an e-mail message contains a virus, it's often launched when you open the file attachment. No matter what e-mail program you use or what version of Windows you're running, you can help avoid some viruses by following a few basic rules. If you use the latest version of Outlook or Outlook Express and if you use the latest version of Windows, there are a few unique enhancements and default settings to help keep you from accidentally infecting your computer with a virus.

• 5 tips for dealing with e-mail attachments
  
• Dealing with e-mail attachments in Microsoft Outlook
  
• Dealing with e-mail attachments in Outlook Express"

Help avoid computer viruses that spread through e-mail

Also:

Microsoft video:
Defending against viruses and worms

Slipstick.com:
Protecting Microsoft Outlook against Viruses
Viruses Affecting Microsoft Outlook

Labels: General, Spam, Troubleshoot, Virus

and Other E-mail Pests

• Keep your e-mail address private.
  
• Never reply to spam.
  
• Use great caution in complaining.
  
• Never buy products advertised in spam.
  
• Don't forward chain mail.
  
• Your bank never asks you to "confirm" your account!

Getting Rid of "Spam", a Spam Primer
by Randy Cassingham
The basics of spam, how they got your address in the first place, and what to do now.

Cassingham also publishes This is True and The Stella Awards .
(The name "Stella Award" has been applied to any wild, outrageous, or ridiculous lawsuits -- including bogus cases )

Also:
Spam Abuse.net

Spam Laws.com
David E. Sorkin

• United States
  
• European Union
  
• Other countries

The Spam Weblog

Federal Trade Commission:
Operation Spam Zombies



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outlook

Labels: Spam

What does it look like?

Labels: Spam

Hand over the keys

Take a phishing IQ test at SonicWALL Phishing IQ Test

Also:

Anti-Phishing Phil

(These are BabyPhat socks. As far as I know they're both real and pfat)

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outlook

Labels: General, Spam

An added tool

• Send email to Gmail
  
  
• Forwarding
  
  
• Gmail spam control
  
  
• Centralized Email
  
  
• Additional email storage
  

"As well as a backup, it means you can easily access your messages via Internet terminal or mobile phone. Gmail is easily searched online or indexed offline using Google Desktop Search."

Here's the article from Office Watch:
Gmail as your spam filter

Here's GMail's Fetch gadget:
How to set up Mail Fetcher



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outlook

Labels: Calendar, Spam, Tips

Vouch for your friends

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
   
2. On the Preferences tab, under E-mail, click Junk E-mail.
   
   
3. Click the Safe Senders tab.
   
   
4. Click Add.
   
   In the Enter an e-mail address or Internet domain name to be added to the list box, enter the name or address that you want to add. For example, you can add the following types of addresses:
   
   All@Once.com
   @Once.com
   Once.com
   
   
5. Click OK. .

Labels: Spam