Home > Technobuddy > Archives > 2006 > August > 01 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USThe people who murdered e-mail
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
E-mail used to be a genuine delight for me. Its been a fine way to keep in touch with friends all over the world. And, for better or worse, it’s also a way to time shift … unlike a telephone call or a visit, I can talk on my own schedule.
All that’s still true but my in-box - even with a spam filter - is a sad collection of spam, hoaxes and e-mails from well-meaning acquaintances telling me about some get-rich scheme or sending dire warnings of a new virus that’s powerful enough to eat a full-sized truck in one sitting. Some of these e-mails come from highly-educated people who, in the real world, are unlikely to be fooled by a tall tale. But when that story is transmitted by e-mail all their common sense goes out the window.
That’s why I tell my friends to check out these ‘too good to be true’ stories at www.snopes.com. In most cases, you can debunk a hoax e-mail in just a minute or two. When it comes to warnings about viruses, this page at Symantec can be a big help in separating the real from the insane.
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Viruses, spam, adware, etc.
Comments
By Marc
August 1, 2006 02:26 PM | Link to this
I just sent an email to everyone in my address book about this blog and telling them to read it,post a response, and then forward the email to 5 of their friends or they will be struck with bad luck!!
Seriously, I couldn’t agree more. Rarely bother checking email anymore. Getting back to the personal phone call. Much better!
By frank123
August 1, 2006 02:35 PM | Link to this
I agree. There are a lot of people that resend this stuff and it just clogs up the e-mail box. It is like they want to let everyone know, “I’m still here and still relevant”. They should instead spend the time to send a nice e-mail about what they are doing.
I don’t bother resending this junk. If there is an attachment or link, I don’t bother even open it.
By Bill
August 1, 2006 03:14 PM | Link to this
It’s sad isn’t it? And I’m not wild about the e-mails I get that are just long collections of jokes, or forwarded inspirational messages. Frank123 is right, I would much rather just get a e-mail about how someone is doing rather than 100 jokes and cartoons.
By John
August 1, 2006 03:28 PM | Link to this
One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was to tell my Aunt not to forward jokes, stories of miracles, and miracle cures for everything from polio to myopia. I put it off for months, but when I finally got up the nerve, she just said O.K. and all I get from her now is family news that I want.
Now if only I could get that guy who believes he’s the Guru of penny stocks to quit bombarding me with tips!
By Bill
August 1, 2006 03:45 PM | Link to this
Same here John, my favorite uncle - and he really is my favorite - used to send collections of jokes. Now here’s a guy that I love and admire, a great electrical engineer who has lived all over the world, so I truly enjoy hearing what he has to say. And yeah - finally - I explained that I didn’t need the jokes but really enjoyed e-mails from him so they stopped. I’m smiling as I type this because maybe you can figure what happened next … he started sending the jokes to my wife.
By JH
August 1, 2006 05:48 PM | Link to this
I think the e-mail concept is great, but people just do’nt get it. As it’s fast they want everybody to seewhat they felt was important. I can stand family and friends, but the Viagra sales that are spelt V iAgRa, and MORGATee. If you cannot spell the product (nudge,nudge wink wink - know what I mean??) why are you sending this. Do you think I am going to click your link or buy your product?
By fer
August 1, 2006 06:09 PM | Link to this
JH — The words are misspelled on purpose so that spam blockers will not pick them up.
By Cletus Snow
August 2, 2006 01:50 AM | Link to this
I hate the junk and garbage I have 3 e-mail addresses, one is an open address for bovine excretement the second is pretty restrictive the third is for family and very close friends,I change it about once a year. this seems to make it easier for me,I can just let the ones who want to murder e-mail murder all they like then I can delete them all into one mass grave and answer the real ones.
By Dee
August 2, 2006 07:11 AM | Link to this
I can’t belive how ridicoulously ignorant some people are. It would be irresponsible and selfish for ABC to make a film on the Holocaust and to deeply involve someone that is justifiably precived as an anti-semite. The issue of the Holocaust is too sensitive to allow such a thing. All if these fools talking about “Forgive and you will be forgiven” or worse “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” ot totally stupid! That has to be as stupid and the statments that Mel Gibson made. That has nothing to do with the issue dufus! He can be forgiven but its still not appropriate to have him involved in a film covering sucha serious and sensitive matter. This is an extreme example but you wouldn’t let a child molester work in a daycare…his actions can be forgiven just not forgotten.
By Tim
August 2, 2006 08:41 AM | Link to this
I follow the two address rule. One for mailings like AJC’s travel and dining; then a permanent one for private use. I know the less restrictive one is more likely to get spammed and 419 junk. That is ok, it’s no big deal if I dump the account. I just resubsribe to my favorite newsletters.I know that free mailings have a risk; it’ s fine with me.
Dee I didn’t realize your computer was on the fritz.
By Dave
August 2, 2006 08:45 AM | Link to this
I started using snopes.com quite some time ago when it became apparent that the “too good to be true” emails where just that. But try as I might to educate my co-workers about checking the source of emails and their truthfulness, I have had the same results as Mr. Husted. These well educated, professional people will fall for some email message or story that was forwarded to them, they won’t check out the validity of the message and they will send it along to their “buddies” either because they feel that it’s true (it’s in print so it must be true!! right??) or else they believe (or want to believe) in the overall context of the message. So frustrating. Email in so many ways really has become a major pain.
By Bill Husted
August 2, 2006 08:48 AM | Link to this
The biggest spammers lately - at least in my in-box - have been ones boosting stocks.
It’s, of course, a scam. But here’s the funny thing. I was having dinner at a Decatur restaurant this past weekend and overheard some folks at the next table talking about those e-mails.
One guy said that he had actually made some money day trading by taking advantage of the one day boost given the stocks by the scamsters. (I sure don’t recommend that, trying to take advantage of a quick boost and then drop is a sure way to the poorhouse).
By Jack
August 2, 2006 09:08 AM | Link to this
I have a couple of favorite aunts and uncles who also send me those emails full of jokes, etc. and I don’t want them. BUT, it shows they are thinking of me, and they enjoying doing it, so I just hit the delete button. Their feelings and happiness are a bit more important to me than the millisecond of inconvenience of hitting the delete key.
By Adam
August 2, 2006 11:00 AM | Link to this
I have an uncle and mother-in-law who send the joke, inspirational, etc. emails. I have created folders and rules so that their emails are never in my inbox. I also have a separate email address that is mostly just for them. Yahoo does a great job catching most spam with few false positives.
By Single Mom
August 2, 2006 12:04 PM | Link to this
CAN YOU SET UP DIFFERENT FOLDERS WITH AN AOL EMAIL ACCOUNT?
By kt
August 2, 2006 12:24 PM | Link to this
I am guilty of sending out joke emails, to me it makes the work day a little less boring. I also have an Aunt that sends every forwarded inspirational message & joke that she receives. I dont mind reading, then deleting. I have 3 email address as well, one for work, one for jokes etc & one for personal use.
By abc
August 2, 2006 02:22 PM | Link to this
You can minimize the spam you receive by reining in your own Net behavior.
Don’t sign up for electronic newsletters. No matter what their Privacy Policy states, they all resell your email addresses.
Don’t use services such as evite.com, Ringo, etc. Bogus Privacy Policies aside, these services will even state in them that they won’t sell your address, but their 3rd party advertisers can.
Don’t put your email address on any web pages. Bots scan through forums, chats etc. and gather email addresses for spammers.
Don’t send e-postcards and try to emphasize to others that you don’t want them. They give spammers at least 2 addresses every time.
Don’t download and use free applications from the Internet unless you really, really trust the source, else you’ll get spyware installed under the covers that not only gives spammers your email address but every email addy on your PC.
Don’t participate in e-commerce if your email address is required.
That said, if you want to do all that stuff anyway but don’t like spam, use a free webmail account and ditch it when it gets too full of spam.
By 123
August 2, 2006 04:00 PM | Link to this
I have a relative who fills my inbox with garbage. She has been infected with viruses more than once due to her email behavior. The education route didn’t work. So I use a different alternative. I don’t actually download my mail on my computer at first. I download the mail header only. I then choose what will be downloaded and what will be deleted. The next time I hit send/receive, any mail from my relative (and any other garbage)is deleted off the server and never actually reaches my computer.
By abc
August 2, 2006 05:03 PM | Link to this
Another thing one can do is never try to unsubscribe or opt out in response to receipt of spam. That will only confirm to the spammer that your email address is operational and current.
By RE Palecek
August 2, 2006 08:18 PM | Link to this
Bill..I’m an avid reader of your Sunday articles.. Always good content there. Keep up the fine work..In the past 10 years Spam has not ever been a problem here .I may recieve 1 item per week but instantly use the Block Sender feature,which deletes it also.I recieve upwards of 200 messages a week from around the world and edit and cut everthing from mail I resend out ,except the message. This way I do not send the email addresses or ads of everone that was on that message…only mine.. If everone did this I’m afraid Spam and Junk mail would go out of business!!
By GOP County Chair
August 3, 2006 01:36 AM | Link to this
My New Year’s Resolution 3 years ago was to never send an email to multi people unless it is BCC. I never read any that have multi names and certainly never forward anything like that.
Thank goodness for Apple software and Bellsouth. They screen out junk so that I receive maybe 3 per week at most.
By Chief
August 3, 2006 08:30 AM | Link to this
Wondering Do GOP and I have the same Bellsouth? Get with it Dee? Thanks Bill for good work.
By Sara
August 3, 2006 09:46 AM | Link to this
I don’t get so many of the imminent disaster warnings since I kept hitting “Reply All” with a response that includes the snopes.com link debunking the e-mail. ;-) People also stopped sending me chain mail after they were informed that I broke chain letters intentionally. It’s funny how I’ve never saw any of the bad luck that was supposed to come my way!
By Bill Husted
August 3, 2006 10:05 AM | Link to this
Hi Sara, using the snopes.com link in the reply is a good idea. I think I’ll steal that one from you. It’s interesting how all the old cons and chain letters have moved from the print and ink world online.
By Keith
August 6, 2006 12:51 AM | Link to this
I have been useing the snopes page for at leas five years. I have also noticed that my inbox does not get as many dire warnings and hoaxes as it used to. I also send a reply all with the snopes link and a short message saying “This story is not true, or this never really happend here’s more info.” with the snopes link below that. I still get a hoax once maybe once a month but that is a far cry from the two or three a day I used to get from my family. And yes, most of the people who farword me this junk are highly educated people who just seem to lose all common sense when reading email.
By Bill
August 6, 2006 06:10 PM | Link to this
I think you’re right, Keith, including the Snopes link to the bogus offer does tend to help - you’re probably cutting down the number of hoax e-mails sent out by that person.