[CS-FSLUG] How to keep from getting spammed?

[Ed Hurst]

Jerry Van Brimmer wrote:

[snip]

> runbox.com, they use a combination of spammassassin and dshield. I would like 
> to start posting on some of the Linux newsgroups, but I know that is one of 
> the prime harvesting fields for spammers to collect email addresses. So for 
> now I am avoiding them. So, I'd like to hear from everybody, what do you do 
> to avoid spam? If you do post on newsgroups, do you munge your email address, 
> or what do you do? If you have a foolproof system for avoiding spam, I'd like 
> to know about it. So, lets talk spam!

My posting return address is me at privacy.net -- the owner of the domain 
has given permission, having set the server to reject all mail to that 
address. Then, in  a signature block, I note that information along with 
a munged addy that folks can use to actually write me if needed:

    Return addy is spam trap, used by permission.
    Try soft edges =at= soft home d0t net

There are a few other tips, such as keeping your correspondence 
segregated with a handful of different accounts. I use my ISP, another 
that I pay for as part of a webhost account (Tim is cheap!), and two 
more from free providers that allow POP fetching and SMTP direct. I keep 
in mind at least two or three others if those are destroyed by spam.

Don't sign up for anything that you don't trust using a real addy. If 
you can identify a pattern in the spam, you might consider learning how 
to read headers and complain properly to the sources' ISPs. There are 
some good tutorials on that -- it's called "LARTing".

-- 
Ed Hurst
-----------
A Bible Site -- http://webs.tconline.net/softedges/
Linux & Unix Help -- http://ed.asisaid.com/
Blog -- http://ed.asisaid.com/blog/
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