The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #88659   Message #1664564
Posted By: Bill D
08-Feb-06 - 05:26 PM
Thread Name: Tech: blocking e-mail addys?
Subject: RE: Tech: blacing e-mail addys?
well...what I have found is that the kind and amount of spam you receive often depends on the name on your email account. Some spammers employ a 'logical' program to send messages to every conceivable combination of 'normal' names at an IP......so if your email addy is a simple thing based on your name, they find it easily. I have two accounts with the same IP; one is sorta a common name that I use seldom which has 4-10 spams every morning, the other is a weird business name, and it gets almost NO spam.

It is nice to have your account reflect your name, but something like "gurka75ponder@stupidip.net" will get a lot less undesirable stuff. It's funny, but I get almost NO porn spam lately...maybe my ISP is learning to block it. Most of what I see is ads for drugs, dating services and sleazy financial services....(and I delete THAT before it ever gets to my mailbox by 'checking' it online using a mailreader that allows me to delete it if it looks wrong....LOTS of these out there.)

There are email blockers and checkers that use pretty smart 'Bayesian' filters, and gradually learn what you consider crap, but nothing can beat never having it sent your way in the 1st place!