SPAM, Scams and Other Time Wasters.

SPAM, Scams and Other Time Wasters.

SPAM has a number of definitions ranging from "it’s email I don't want to get" to "unsolicited commercial email sent using a bulk mail processor." However you define it SPAM is a fact of life.

Advertisers use spam because it's a cost effective way to reach millions of people. Even though the response rate is extremely low, it doesn't cost materially more to reach a million people than 100,000 people. If only .1% of those contacted by the SPAM results in a sale, the program is very cost effective.

Scammers called phishers use spam to scare people into giving up personal information. Phishing is the use of an email that looks like it came from a financial institution. The email says that your account has been put on hold because of unusual activity, is being suspended, reviewed or needs verification. You're then asked to go to a website and reaffirm your account, by entering your password, username, full account number or social security number. The website's url will mimic the real financial institution's url.

The website looks nearly identical to that of the real financial institution, but of course isn't. After the information is collected, the phisher uses the information to drain the account, set up new credit cards, buy merchandise, and steal your identity.

Scammers use the Nigerian "I need you to invest 45 bajillion dollars because my uncle has been arrested by the Nigerian government and I need to get the money out of the country" scam.

SPAM is also used to manipulate penny stock investments. The investor buys a stock that is priced at 10 shares to the penny. They then send out a few million emails that announce that the stock is going to go up in the next day or so because of a publicity promotion, merger or whatever. If enough people believe the email, buy the stock, and the stock goes up, even to a penny a share, the investor has made a nice profit on the stock.

You can save time and protect yourself from SPAM by using SPAM arrest programs but no matter how reliable the program is, some SPAM always sleazes through the cracks.

In addition to anti-SPAM program you should have an email organizer program like E-mail Sorter Wizard. E-mail Sorter Wizard lets you sort through and organize your e-mails. Its comprehensive filing system can help manage inbox folders and sent mail. You tell the program to send any spammy looking email to a special folder. Users who are on the move, constantly receiving and sending e-mails will find the features in extremely beneficial.

You need more than one weapon in the war against SPAM