A spam killer idea for someone to write

[tedsmith]

I have an idea that one of you experts should be able to create. It is a "Spamkiller" that automatically sends a warning email every second for a predetermined time.
If you get say a viagra spam, simply find the email address of the firm selling the product (from their website).
First send them a warning email to remove you from their list quickly followed by say 5 identical emails. Warn that, if they don't comply within 24 hours, they will receive 1000 similar emails every hour until your name is removed. That should do the trick!
I have succesfully used this method without having to actually send any multiple emails.
I don't know how automatically multiple send using VB but I am sure someone else can? Any ideas?
regards Ted

 

[tsdragon]

I have several problems with this idea:

1) If you resort to this tactic you are making yourself guilty of spamming and/or denial-of-service attacks. Emulating criminals to stop them isn't really a good solution.

2) Much of the spam you receive isn't from the spammer directly, it's from some poor schmuck whose computer they have turned into a spam-sending zombie. Spamming them back isn't going to solve the problem.

3) If you're lucky enough to find a valid email address for the actual spammer, sending them 1000 or 10000 emails isn't likely to bother them much. They'll simply delete all of them (easy enough to do unless you change the subject, from address and body on every email).

4) In all likelyhood they will simply retaliate in the same fashion, and you'll have even more spam to deal with.

5) By responding to them at all you have let them know they have a valid, current email address. That can be worth money to them. Why help them out by letting them know the email address was good?

Although it can be galling, the best way to deal with spammers is to simply delete their crap and ignore them. And, of course, to lobby your government to pass (and enforce) anti-spamming laws.

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[mattKnight]

And sending email to spammers just validates the address as a genuine one, so you'll get more!

Take Care

Matt
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

 

[harebrain]

tsdragon,

Good points, but you forgot a few:

- If you retaliate with such a DOS attack, you'll likely be in breach of contract with your ISP and be cut off.

- The spammers might be out of reach of the FBI, but *you* aren't, and you'll be easy to find.

 

[BobRodes]

Reminds me of an idea from Abbey Hoffman's "Steal this book" from back in the rad 70's. If your mailbox is cluttered with junk mail, you can simply tape all the "business reply mail" around a brick and drop it in the mailbox.

 

[zarkon4]

That was covered in a thread from another forum.

http://www.vertical-visions.com/_temp/postagepaid/index2.html

 

[tsdragon]

harebrain: thanks, I knew I'd forget a few reasons, but if I'd gotten them all noone else would have anything to post!

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.