July 25, 2006
New commenters need to be approve first
People who would like to leave comments to any of these posts on this blog need to be approved before their comments will appear.
I log on about once a day to remove potential comments that aren't anything but spam. Those of you who are spamming using the comments section, should understand your posts will never appear on this blog.
...unless I start approving spam posts, which is highly unlikely ;-)
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 10:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 08, 2005
Where are your spammers coming from?
I would have to say that just about 85% of the people who spam me are using a yahoo.com account.
How about you?
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 06, 2005
Are you a Zombie?
No, of course you're not. But your computer could be. "Zombie PCs are computers that have been infected by malicious code that allows spammers to use them to send e-mail," according to Tom Spring, of PC World. Anyone who uses a cable connection and whose computer is always online makes a perfect target.
Mr. Spring says:
Have you been labeled a spammer? You may be able to find out. First determine what your Internet protocol address is by using a site like WhatIsMyIP.com. Next punch your IP address (or your domain name, for business users) into DNSstuff's Spam Database Lookup site to see a list of antispam companies that recommend blocking your e-mail.
If you feel you might be infected, head over to tips.littlehosting.com for some tips on protecting yourself.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 09:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 01, 2005
How reading spam can help weight loss
I know, you will probably think I'm joking, as I do often. But...I'm not.
The article on the CBC website says:
Spam, or unsolicited e-mail, can be healthy if it convinces you to change your couch potato ways and eat better, a Canadian researcher says.People who were e-mailed tips promoting healthy behavior tended to increase their physical activity levels and lose weight, his team found.
Now print off 10 copies of this message, skip the mayo, and you're ready for lunch!
Whoops! Sorry, I guess that was reading spam, not eating spam
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 09:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 08, 2005
*IMPORTANT* Please Confirm Your Account
I've been getting what seems like a number of stupid spam emails with this subject line: *IMPORTANT* Please Confirm Your Account.
The emails go on to say:
Dear Valued Member, According to our site policy you will have to confirm your account by the following link or else your account will be suspended within 24 hours for security reasons. http://www.homebusiness-websites.com/confirm.php?email=steve@homebusiness-websites.com Thank you for your attention to this question. We apologize for any inconvenience. Sincerely,Homebusiness-websites Security Department Assistant.
Naturally the URL does not exist. If it did, it would mean I would have had to place the file on my server.
This must be one clueless spammer. Anyone else getting these?
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 06:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 11, 2005
Are you OK with spam this year?
A new report published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project says:
Email users get more spam, but the harmful impact of unsolicited messages is diminishing for them.
It also goes on to say that "And in a first-time measure of "phishing," or unsolicited email requesting personal financial information, 35% of users say they have received such email, and 2% have responded by providing the information.
Although this report implies that spam isn't being minded as much as it was a year ago, it would appear to me that the the threat has increased. Phishers getting a 2% response is a serious threat to the everyone's security.
It also goes on to say:
Compared to a year ago, fewer email users now say that spam is undermining their trust in email, eroding their email use, or making life online unpleasant or annoying.
I would have to dis-agree with this. I find that my clients and I are having to make more use of the telephone this year, to make sure messages have been received.
Would you agree or dis-agree with this report?
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 08:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
Manitoba Telephone System (MTS) harbor spammers
My experience with Manitoba Telephone System (MTS) has shown me that they protect their spammers, and would rather have sites block their IP range then terminate a spammers account.
For roughly two months, I have continually telephoned them and forwarded the spam messages about an annoying spammer to Curtis Prystupa who works in their abuse department.
The have told me they have identified who the spammer is, but have refused to deal with it.
Residents of Manitoba need to consider this before choosing them as a service provider. This means users will find themselves unable to connect to websites as more an more companies will be blocking their IP range.
This is what ruins a service provider. Harboring known spammers is bad business.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 01:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
Who's a spammer?
Spam! There doesn't seem to be any getting away from it these days. Even with over 1500 personal email filters set in place, countless IP addresses banned from my discussion forum and blog, spam still gets through.
Then I send out my double opt-in newsletter to what most would consider a handful of subscribers and the next thing you know tech support from my hosting company is notifying me that they have received a spam complaint on my account.
I emailed them back and suggested they take a look at the opt-in process. There is absolutely no one on my list who did not request to be on it. And then I showed them them what is at the very top of the each newsletter that goes out:
You are subscribed to this list because you asked to be on it. It is a double "opt-in" list, so if you did not confirm first message that was sent to you, you would not be on this list. If you want to unsubscribe, please use link at bottom of this message. If for some reason you are unable to click the link, reply to this message with the subject UNSUBSCRIBE and I will personally see you are removed from the list.
Some people can't click a link. They can't read, and they don't have the technical skills to reply to a message. We have to suffer fools who were able to buy a computer but probably should have spent their money on a home course that teaches them how to read.
One of the people I network with in a small homebusiness group is Clarissa 'kiki' Frampton who says shes is a member of NIBA Consulting & Investigations, Blaine WA 98230, 360-371-8854 and had this to say about the group:
That's what I was saying, Bobbi Madonna who is a publisher of LOGON Ezine and the NoSpinZone who is owner of Dynavert Ad Agency and NIBA...Within her NIBA membership we ARE fighting back...but we need to do more...I am a member of the NIBA and use this in my ezine:
Please be advised that this newsletter is protected by National Internet Business Alliance and will not tolerate false spam accusations. It is a federal offense to falsely accuse an individual and/or company of sending unsolicited email. If you signed up from a website agreeing to receive 3rd party email, it is not spam. You could face a penalty of $500 per hour for downtime plus legal fees if a webmaster or publisher is shut down because of false accusations.
All subscribe requests are kept with IP address, date and time stamp.
NIBA Consulting ∓ Investigations
Blaine WA 98230
360-371-8854Protecting your business is our business.
http://niba4u.com/consultBobbette Madonna, CEO/publisher
Steven Boaze, Chief Investigator
Patricia Creasy, Research Manager
Apparently this group will go to bat for you if you have been shut down and try to find out who complained and if they can't get your account restored they will try and find you a different but suitable provider.
You know... if you got shut-down, and it took you a week to find another provider, get your domain name moved to different DNS servers, and install your website on this new account...$500 per hour for downtime could turn into a signigicant amount. What I don't understand is how you would go about finding legal representation that could have this enforced.
Still, I think rather then deleting subscribe requests, I will setup a filter in my email program and save each one. If nothing else, you can forward these to your host when you receive a spam complaint.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 09:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 01, 2005
TrackBack Spam
I deleted a lot of TrackBack Spam from my blog today. I thought I was special until I read I wasn't the only one having this problem. Tris Hussey said:
"Yesterday I had 42, this morning I had 99."
Cindy from www.candygenius.com/spampop seems to know what is going on, who it is and how to block this individual and suggests putting this in your .htaccess file:
# pineapple baby - comment spammer - shhhhh
RewriteCond %{HTTP:VIA} ^.+pinappleproxy
RewriteRule .* - [L,F]
Hopefully that will put a stop to it for now.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 02:59 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
Search engines fight comment spam
Google, MSN, Six Apart and Yahoo plan to support an HTML tag to keep comment-spam postings out of search engines.
Read the story here.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 07:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 05, 2005
Spammers Missing the Mark
Isn't the idea of spamming to send your message to thousands of people in order to sell something? Or do spammers send these messages because a) they can, and b) they just want to annoy as many people as possible?
I've noticed a lot of spam lately with intentional miss-spellings, but this one I received yesterday takes the cake. Have a look:
ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFA4ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFEBÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFCE ÿFFFFB1ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFEDÿFFFFBBÿFFFFE7ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD7ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCE ÿFFFFB1ÿFFFFA4ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFED ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFCEÿFFFFBCÿFFFFAD (ÿFFFFB1ÿFFFFA4ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFED)ÿFFFFB9ÿFFFFD7 @ÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFCE ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFA5ÿFFFFB1ÿFFFFE2ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFD4ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9. ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFBB ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFBA ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFF8ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFB3ÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFC8 ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFDAÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFE1ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFDFÿFFFFBFÿFFFFA1ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFAD ÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFEEÿFFFFBFÿFFFFA1ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFAD ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCF ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFFDÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFA4ÿFFFFC3ÿFFFFA5ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCCÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFFCÿFFFFBFÿFFFFA1 ÿFFFFB9ÿFFFFDFÿFFFFC3ÿFFFFEBÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFCDÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFD4ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9. ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFEDÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFC7 ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCF ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFD6ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFD2 ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCCÿFFFFBFÿFFFFDCÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFC7 ÿFFFFBEÿFFFFEEÿFFFFB6ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFDAÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFE1ÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFB5 ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFAEÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFED ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFD6ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFF6 ÿFFFFBEÿFFFFCAÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9. ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCF ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFBB ÿFFFFBFÿFFFFF8ÿFFFFC4ÿFFFFA1 ÿFFFFBEÿFFFFCAÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFE9 ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFCE ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFADÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFAF ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCCÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFBB ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFD4ÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFC2ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD8 ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFD6ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFBCÿFFFFBFÿFFFFE4. ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFCEÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFA6 ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD8ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFD6ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC3ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFE9 ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFE7 ÿFFFFB9ÿFFFFDFÿFFFFBCÿFFFFDBÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFBB ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFBEÿFFFFCAÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFE7 ÿFFFFB6ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFCEÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFDEÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFD6ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFD2ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFA6 ÿFFFFBFÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFB1ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFBBÿFFFFE8ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFA6ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFBFÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCF ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFD2 ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFD2ÿFFFFC6ÿFFFFEDÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC3ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFF5ÿFFFFB6ÿFFFFF3ÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFB5 ÿFFFFBEÿFFFFE7ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD8ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFA6 ÿFFFFBAÿFFFFCEÿFFFFC5ÿFFFFB9ÿFFFFB5ÿFFFFE5ÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFAEÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFDAÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9 ÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFFCÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFD1 ÿFFFFBDÿFFFFBAÿFFFFC6ÿFFFFD4ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFA4ÿFFFFC3ÿFFFFA5ÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFBB ÿFFFFC1ÿFFFFD8ÿFFFFBCÿFFFFF6ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB8ÿFFFFE7 ÿFFFFB3ÿFFFFEBÿFFFFB7ÿFFFFC2ÿFFFFC7ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB0ÿFFFFDAÿFFFFBDÿFFFFC0ÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFCFÿFFFFB4ÿFFFFD9. We do not have any personal information except your E-mail address. This is sent only one time. If you do not wish to receive this email click "Receiving Reject " and send me your E-mail address.
LOL...glad they claim it is a one time mailing. If I receive it a second time I doubt that I will understand it any better. Maybe this spammer is having a bad day. What do you think?
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 31, 2004
Vanquish Vanquish
Twice this week while sending email to people who had emailed me, I encountered a service called www.vanquish.com. This is software that makes claims to being:
The next generation in anti-spam technology. The first and only proven solution that stops spam cold by empowering you to instantly punish the spammer!
When you email someone using this service you receive a message back that asks you to click a special link to confirm your email address. Well... this is all-right I suppose...
Certainly the amount of growing spam is a concern for all, and one can't be blamed for taking sensible pre-cautions. It was fully my intention to honor this request, which I really didn't have any other choice. See... the recipients don't get your email if you don't go through this extra hoop.
But see what is happening with this service which charges a yearly subscription of $24.95, is that there isn't any guarantee that it won't block legitimate email.
Each time I tried to confirm my email address I was greeted with this message:
The recipient of your email uses Vanquish to limit the amount of spam reaching his mailbox. Your email address was not recognized. Normally, this web page offers a way for you to demonstrate that your mail arrived from a real address and a real person.But the challenge has already expired, and your email has been cleared from the system. Please refer to the date and subject in the reply that you received and RE-send your original message. You will receive another opportunity to authenticate your address.
Just how many hoops and failed attempts to contact people using this service will people endure to try and get their message through? This was enough for me.
In the past, I've had people subscribe to my newsletter which is double opt-in, and I've gotten similar messages back. I don't recall, if these used the same service or something different. These confirm requests have all been deleted, and these people have not been added to my mailing list.
No one likes spam! Still it's a shame that anti-spam tools and services can have a negative impact on your business.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 02:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 22, 2004
UPDATE: Security alert for PhpBB users
Santy worm now hunting through AOL and Yahoo!
...just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
eWeek announced a security alert concerning PhpBB. You might want to read it to make sure you are not a risk if you have PhpBB installed.
Cnet reports it has infected 40,000 Web sites but Google has reported:
On Wednesday, a Google representative told ZDNet Australia that though Google users were not at risk from Santy, the search company had started blocking attempts by the worm to replicate."We are aware of an Internet worm that exploits a vulnerability in third-party Web servers that use PHP bulletin board software. While the worm does not put Google users at risk, we are working to help stop its propagation by blocking queries to Google that are generated by the worm," the representative said.
You may not be at risk, but if you run an older version of Php, it might be worthwhile to check out.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 02:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 13, 2004
Geeks bearing Gifts
It seems every place you turn on the Internet you see a number of marketers who have banned together to offer you enticing info-products and software as gifts for Christmas. Of course there is a small catch.
Gary Ambrose offers a few tips for sorting through the material. He claims in an hour you could download 10,000 pages of various products and services which stacks up to a lot of reading. But he warns....
"If you see the same thing mentioned over, and over, and over in all the free ebooks you downloaded … do you think you might actually be on to something?I’m going to be brutally honest with you ... The majority of the stuff you download from these free giveaways is going to be absolute garbage. And I’d be willing to bet that at least one of the three or four ebooks you pick to print won’t be worth the price of the paper you printed it on ..."
So which did I choose?
None of them! Don't want them! Sorry folks!
See... of course this is a way for several marketers to get you on their mailing list. That isn't a bad thing, really. Except for the price they are asking. To cough up my email address so you can place it on your list is worth more then your free gift.
I think it's time to revise this tactic of luring your subscribers in with free gifts. With people's email inboxes being so choked full of spam, the last thing anyone wants to do is to add another 400-500 extra email to their list of email and spam they must sort through. I have personally set over 1600 filters on my email accounts, and it only made a small dent in the amount of spam I receive.
So...
Build a relationship with me. Offer instant access to your freebie, make it a good one, and ASK me to consider subscribing to your newsletter, if I find it useful. Give first... don't expect your subscribers to.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 08:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 07, 2004
Nigerian letters
If you are living in Canada and have been receiving some of these Nigerian scam letters there is a group called The Phonebusters National Call Centre (PNCC) which is is a joint partnership involving the Ontario Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The PNCC is very interested in receiving copies of any 'new' versions of Nigerian letter.
Please see this site for more information and instructions.
Posted by Steve MacLellan at 11:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack