Tonye, the reason your spam bounces back to you is that usually spammers "spoof" the return addresses - that's one of the reasons that Spamcop exists - if we could just look at the headers and say "aha" and report the spammers, it would be much easier! But, generally, you can't. Run your spam through spamcop.net and report it - that's a start in getting these abnoxious twits shut down.
However, I have found the most effective way of eliminating spam is not to get it in the first place:
1. Change your email address. A bit of a pain, but worth the effort. Once you've done that, follow the rest of "Paddy's Rules":
2. NEVER, ever, ever leave one of those checkboxes checked that allows vendors to add you to their "affiliates" lists for "notification of special offers that might interest you". Doesn't matter who it is - don't do it. And unless the vendor states explicitely that they never sell their lists or provide information to other vendors, don't sign up for their "notifications" either. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the airlines, all appear to be ok - but always read the privacy statements.
3. Never, ever respond to a spammer's "if you want to be removed from this list, email us" - it's almost always a surefire way to just get on yet more lists - "hey - here's a live one!".
4. Read the fine print - some so-called "free" services, including free web hosting can dump you onto "affiliates" marketing lists. These may be big name legitimate companies - like Dull, but it doesn't make it any less annoying.
5. Never put your primary email online. Anywhere. If you have a website, do not use or enable "webmaster@yourdomain.com" as the email address. For a contact email address, always hide it from email spiders - there are several methods - the easiest of which is to use "and sign, number sign, 64" instead of the "@" in the html code. (remove the commas and put in the proper symbols - I can't type it here or it will turn into an "@"!) There are also several other methods and one little freeware program called Spamstopper X which generates code to essentially accomplish the same thing.
6. And although this didn't produce spam, it produced something just as annoying - telemarketers! NEVER sign up for any of the services where "we'll have the three firms you'v chosen contact you with a free, no-obligation whatever" - I made this mistake when refinancing our house recently. I signed up at MonsterMoving.com for 3 companies to provide me with quotes. Big mistake. Within 10 days I was getting call after call from OTHER companies offering to refinance my house. Sometimes 3 or 4 a day! I contacted MonsterMoving via email and told them in no uncertain terms that I was appalled that this had happened and to remove me at once from any and all lists. They did - and the calls have now stopped.
7. If you have friend(s) with the bad habit of sending on hoax emails, complete with millions of forwards and all the associated email addresses, remind them nicely that they shouldn't do this - nobody knows where these emails might land and his/her friends wouldn't be pleased to find themselves added to some spammers list. Also point them in the direction of
www.snopes.com. I still can't believe how many of my seemingly otherwise intelligent friends have been so eager to tell me that Bill Gates is giving away his fortune.
8. If you must sign up for something that exposes your email address to the unknown (the internet, or simply unknown others, as in an mail list) use an easily discarded web-based email addy from somewhere like Yahoo. Not only can you dump it if it becomes problematic, you also don't have to cope with any spam landing in your primary email program, since you have to use a browser to retrieve your mail.
9. Don't use hotmail or aol. Two of the most spam-ridden ISP's out there.
There may be some other things I've forgotten to mention, so if anyone has anything to add...fire away.
