Spam took over one of my email addresses

[jcarter]

Just read the other thread about spam.
One of my addresses is getting bombarded, so I asked my webhost to up  their filtering. It helped but not much.
So they recommended this
https://customers.machighway.com/knowledgeb...icle&id=148
I asked if they had heard of Spamsieve, he said no.

So I guess I need to decide which, and I know you all recommend Spamsieve.

This is the first time any of my email addresses has been bombarded like this.
Everything from buying a small commuter jet, to stimulating my brain, just plain garbage, with no way to find out where it came from, or what site grabbed my email.

I wont buy or do anything till I get your advice here, as you all are the best,
Thanks,
Jane

[Paddy]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 10 2014, 07:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just read the other thread about spam.
One of my addresses is getting bombarded, so I asked my webhost to up  their filtering. It helped but not much.
So they recommended this
https://customers.machighway.com/knowledgeb...icle&id=148
I asked if they had heard of Spamsieve, he said no.

So I guess I need to decide which, and I know you all recommend Spamsieve.

This is the first time any of my email addresses has been bombarded like this.
Everything from buying a small commuter jet, to stimulating my brain, just plain garbage, with no way to find out where it came from, or what site grabbed my email.

I wont buy or do anything till I get your advice here, as you all are the best,
Thanks,
Jane

Jane, is it absolutely essential that you actually KEEP this email address? Could you, even with a little work (emailing any legitimate contacts that actually use it) change it to a NEW address? This is by far the most effective way of getting rid of spam - abandon the address. I'm assuming that since it's via MacHighway, it's an address attached to your domain? If so, you should be able to easily create a new email address for yourself and carry on. Just don't choose one of the obvious ones like "info@", "admin@", etc. etc. Also, don't use your name by itself as in "jane@"** or they'll guess that eventually as well. If you have their "small" plan, you've got 20 email addresses, if the medium, you've got unlimited email addresses.

**um....I see you already have that one, and it's hiding in plain sight on your site, so if that's the one that's being spammed, it's no wonder. Spambots cruise websites looking for the "@" - and they look in the code and the text. If it's there, they find it. You have two alternatives - obscure the "@" with ASCII characters, which is surprisingly effective, or, use a contact form that doesn't have your email address anywhere IN it. The former requires that you substitute "& # 64;" without the quotes or the spaces - if I type it correctly here, the browser will turn it into an @. Please read this: https://www.projecthoneypot.org/how_to_avoid_spambots.php Note: you will have to hand code the HTML on your site.

Short of that, I'd train Mail to dump the offenders with various filters: things that aren't addressed to you, key words etc. I wouldn't pay my ISP another $5 a month for spam filtering, that's for sure (and of COURSE he was going to offer something that would cost you more!)

As for avoiding spam in the future, that's where Gmail or Yahoo become useful if you don't have access to unlimited email addresses or want to make use of Gmail's quite good spam filtering. Get yourself a couple of Gmail addresses to use for anything other than communication with friends and family. I have a tier of them - very trusted (amazon et al), not so trusted (sites that I've not dealt with, email newsletters etc.) and not at all trusted. The last one is a Yahoo address I rarely check and don't include in Mail.

Then, be very, very, careful about where you use your email address. If any of these email addresses become totally "polluted" you simply shut them down and get new ones.

[jcarter]

Thank you!  I was a bit leery about paying for that service, but have been watching you all recommending Spamsieve.

Yes it belongs to one of my domains. I really need this email address, jane(at)jcdouglass(dot)net as its one of the family ones. It would be very difficult to have to change it.
 Its the one we can send very large jpg, psd, and mov files thru.

The MacMail filters work perfectly, all of this new spam goes into my junk folder on the computer, but it clogs up my iPhone. And I have to delete them one by one.
The computer is easy, I just highlight the spam folder and hit delete once. Whether its 3 or 33, I can get rid of them very quickly. So maybe I will just have to deal with it.

Odd that this one is not the one I use for shopping, its just a family email.
(I dont use Gmail much.)

Would Spamsieve help? Or would it just duplicate the job that MacMail does,,,,, I can easily just continue to delete the spam folder a couple times a day.

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

Would Spamsieve help? Or would it just duplicate the job that MacMail does

In my humble opinion, it certainly would! The two methods are totally different.

Mail allows you to set up specific rules (although there may be some ways to include 'wild cards' or some kind of variables). You are the one who sets up each and every rule and it's details. That takes time and if you make it too strong, you'll have to edit it or you may miss emails from valid senders.

Spamsieve works differently. First, it has a built-in list of rules that it automatically uses. But when something come in that you consider SPAM, you simply 'tell' the app to block/dump that kind of message. It looks at the entire message, not just the sender's address but even the text in the body and many other items common to emails. This way, the app "learns" more about what you consider SPAM. It takes time to help the app do this 'learning' but it becomes less and less time as it builds up its rules.

Be aware that what you call SPAM may not be classified that way by others. My wife tends to put any commercial message into the SPAM box and often tells Spamsieve they are SPAM. But that is like throwing the baby out with the bath water! Just about any commercial site you 'register' on or order from will want to send you email. That's the reason they always (99.999% of the time, anyway) ask for an email address. But that isn't the definition of SPAM.

'Rule checking' is where a big difference between Mail's rules and Spamsieve shows up:
In Mail, you'll have to take time to decide what to change in the rule you may have created or make one that allows a particular sender to be accepted. In Mail, you'll also need to decide where to place that rule, it uses rules in a linear fashion; it starts with the first one in the list and compares each message to them, one at a time. The first rule that affects the message is the one that is applied. If the rule you edit create about a particular message is below the one that actually dumped a message, it will never have a chance to be used. Any tweeking you do in that second rule may be for naught, a rule higher in the list may be the one that you need to edit. "Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to figure out what that earlier rule is." That could really be a lot of work if you have lots of rules!

Spamsieve works by assigning values to different things it looks for. Many ISP SPAM detection methods work similarly. A message is scanned and each suspect piece is assigned a value (that can change as the app/service 'learns' from your input) and the total is then used to decide what to do with the message. (This is a very simplified explanation, of course) In effect, the app is doing the work of searching for similar rules and making adjustments for you. That's what you are paying for when you buy the app. And that's not a monthly bill! I'm sure there have been upgrades/updates for Spamsieve in the many years I've used it but it would probably compute be only pennies a month, if that much! Nor have I received any sales fee for recommending the app!

[Xairbusdriver]

I have a "donotspam@..." address. Not because I think anyone would pay attention to it but for the same reason Paddy recommends getting and using as many addresses as possible.

Additionally, to hopefully track who sold (or provided) this addy to anyone else, I usually add the name of the company or site where I use it to register. Many sites allow you to sign in with either an email address OR a user name. If a user name is allowed, that's where I stick the site or company name; why give them your real name?

[Paddy]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 10 2014, 09:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you!  I was a bit leery about paying for that service, but have been watching you all recommending Spamsieve.

Yes it belongs to one of my domains. I really need this email address, jane(at)jcdouglass(dot)net as its one of the family ones. It would be very difficult to have to change it.
 Its the one we can send very large jpg, psd, and mov files thru.

The MacMail filters work perfectly, all of this new spam goes into my junk folder on the computer, but it clogs up my iPhone. And I have to delete them one by one.
The computer is easy, I just highlight the spam folder and hit delete once. Whether its 3 or 33, I can get rid of them very quickly. So maybe I will just have to deal with it.

Odd that this one is not the one I use for shopping, its just a family email.
(I dont use Gmail much.)

Would Spamsieve help? Or would it just duplicate the job that MacMail does,,,,, I can easily just continue to delete the spam folder a couple times a day.

Actually, Jane, it would be quite easy to change an email address you use for family and friends. Just email them all and tell them to stop using it and give them a new one to use instead. The conditions under which the existing one operates won't change with the new one - assuming you simply choose a new email address with that domain. You'll still be able to send the large files etc. It's far easier to send out an email to your friends and family than to go around to a bunch of sites you buy things from etc. to change your email address/subscriptions. You can keep the old address for a few weeks until you're sure everyone has both been notified AND aware. Besides - if these are family/friends, they no doubt have alternate methods of contacting you should they not start using the new addy as requested. If you choose that route, whatever you do, do NOT put an autoresponder on the old address. Sure - it may seem tempting, as a surefire way of letting people know your new address - but it also will tell every single one of the spammers the new address as well, entirely defeating the purpose of changing to a new address!

Spamsieve is good - but I'm of the opinion that it's a bit like applying a bandaid (a big and quite effective one) to a problem instead of getting at the root cause, which in this case is the fact that a particular email address has become spam-afflicted.

Also, is that email address anywhere on the jcdouglass site? I know it's not on the front page, but if you've put it ANYWHERE on any page, it's possible it's been searched by spambots.

And....if it's not there on your site, it is right here: https://sites.google.com/site/capecodnevilshute/members . Found it by Googling your email address. So, guess what - even if you're being careful, someone else is NOT. I have no idea when that site went up or who administers it, but they've done you all a great disservice by putting your email addresses out there for all to see.

And last, but not least and even (potentially) much more damaging, it's in this list here: http://www.emaildatalist.net/1/download-em...-8353/8353.html which is a scummy business operating out of Vietnam - and NO, I would not recommend trying to "remove" your address there, as I wouldn't trust this site at all; they're in the business of providing email addresses to spammers, so why would they actually remove your email address? More likely, they'll just put it on a few other lists! In other words, that email address is now officially TOAST. Get rid of it. You will never get rid of the spam for the foreseeable future. Forget trying to do battle via Spamsieve - this requires taking that email address out to the back forty and putting it out of its misery.

You should still tell the admin of the Nevil Shute site that he/she has done a terrible disservice to all the members - that page should be taken down immediately, though in all likelihood, it's too late and all those email address owners are now experiencing spam.

[Xairbusdriver]

I agree with the majority of your last <post (#6)>, especially about getting rid of the abused email address, removing any address in any of her sites and using a form for contacts (there are free copy and paste codes available, here's a <basic one>, that keeps your addy from being in the html).

But I respectfully disagree that using Spamsieve is a "battle". I think that is just a bit of hyperbole? I cannot see any reason to not use it. While it wouldn't have prevented Jane's current problem (I certainly didn't intend to imply that), I still think it is much better than using Mail's rules for catching SPAM. Mail's rules are great for re-routing good messages. I add a new contact to a couple of my rules (a group of neighbors, classmates, etc.) every month or two. Spamsieve is great for handling unwanted messages, be they SPAM or just annoying senders. This is how I use these two methods. Others may not agree... at their own peril!

[jcarter]

Thank you all for explaining how these both work.
I am really pleased at the "rules" in MacMail, it seems to work perfectly and catches all the spam, directs it right into the spam box. And doesn't mess with the legit mail either. I have 8 rules.

This is entirely new spam that comes into this particular email box, and is all totally unrelated to anything Ive ever bought. Never ever used this one for shopping, except for Dell, and I get one a week from them. Its primarily used for sending psd, jpg, mov, and other types of large files within the family. And some other forums and a few other things, not many.

For example, I just sent a video from the kayak yesterday from my iPhone to my computer at home using this address we are discussing.

Actually its not on any of my pages inside of either of my sites. I sometimes use my Gmail for that, but its never been spammed.

OMG, right on the Nevil Chute site! I haven't used that for years, as they wanted me to fly to England and Australia with them. We started to communicate by phone, so I had totally forgotten about the site.

I just Googled my stuff, sadly, there is a lot of info out there about my pictures and stuff.  I had totally forgotten about using it on those other sites.
I did learn how to block Google from finding most of my pages, noindex, noarchive, nofollow, and that stuff in the meta name-"robots" head part of the sites.

Im going to read over all your info again, then see how many spams I get now. I called MacHighway and they ramped up their filters one more notch, and it seems to have cut down a lot so far. I only got one spam message today so far.

[Paddy]

QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jun 10 2014, 12:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with the majority of your last <post (#6)>, especially about getting rid of the abused email address, removing any address in any of her sites and using a form for contacts (there are free copy and paste codes available, here's a <basic one>, that keeps your addy from being in the html).

But I respectfully disagree that using Spamsieve is a "battle". I think that is just a bit of hyperbole? I cannot see any reason to not use it. While it wouldn't have prevented Jane's current problem (I certainly didn't intend to imply that), I still think it is much better than using Mail's rules for catching SPAM. Mail's rules are great for re-routing good messages. I add a new contact to a couple of my rules (a group of neighbors, classmates, etc.) every month or two. Spamsieve is great for handling unwanted messages, be they SPAM or just annoying senders. This is how I use these two methods. Others may not agree... at their own peril!

Methinks you might want to read what I wrote a little more carefully, Jim.

I wrote "Forget trying to do battle via Spamsieve..." - I wasn't saying that using Spamsieve was a battle, but that trying to combat this particular issue, where the email address in question has been thoroughly compromised, was a battle that was essentially unwinnable. Yes - you can filter out the spam, but you cannot stop it from appearing in the first place; that ship has sailed.

I'm sure it's a great product. I just don't get enough spam to warrant using it. (feet planted squarely on large hunk of wood)

[Paddy]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 10 2014, 01:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thank you all for explaining how these both work.
I am really pleased at the "rules" in MacMail, it seems to work perfectly and catches all the spam, directs it right into the spam box. And doesn't mess with the legit mail either. I have 8 rules.

This is entirely new spam that comes into this particular email box, and is all totally unrelated to anything Ive ever bought. Never ever used this one for shopping, except for Dell, and I get one a week from them. Its primarily used for sending psd, jpg, mov, and other types of large files within the family. And some other forums and a few other things, not many.

For example, I just sent a video from the kayak yesterday from my iPhone to my computer at home using this address we are discussing.

Actually its not on any of my pages inside of either of my sites. I sometimes use my Gmail for that, but its never been spammed.

OMG, right on the Nevil Chute site! I haven't used that for years, as they wanted me to fly to England and Australia with them. We started to communicate by phone, so I had totally forgotten about the site.

I just Googled my stuff, sadly, there is a lot of info out there about my pictures and stuff.  I had totally forgotten about using it on those other sites.
I did learn how to block Google from finding most of my pages, noindex, noarchive, nofollow, and that stuff in the meta name-"robots" head part of the sites.

Im going to read over all your info again, then see how many spams I get now. I called MacHighway and they ramped up their filters one more notch, and it seems to have cut down a lot so far. I only got one spam message today so far.

Jane - my main point is that the jane@jcdoug.... email address is now on spammers email lists as per that link I provided. And it's in plain sight on the Nevil Shute site, so really, it will continue to get spammed, probably in ever-increasing amounts. Unless you get off that Nevil Shute site and somehow fall off the email spammers' lists, that address will always be a spam magnet. It's up to you, but I'd dump it so you don't have to worry about it.

As for the other links etc. on Google - I wouldn't worry about them. I only found them through knowing what to look for. The only thing I'd make sure of is that any photos you care about are watermarked and that if you're using Wordpress or any site plugins etc. that all are up to date and less vulnerable to hacking. (I did see that you'd messed around a bit with Wordpress somewhere along the line)

[Xairbusdriver]

To Paddy: OK, I understand more better.

And we both agree about dumping that address. How and where it got collected is almost irrelevant. Please follow the advice on hiding it in your web site(s)!

QUOTE("Paddy")

it's hiding in plain sight on your site

How else can we put it?

"The horse is out of the barn".

"The milk is spilled".

"Just do it"!

"Git 'er done"!

"Bite the bullet"!

"Send the message"!

"As seen on TV"! wrong thread...

[jcarter]

I guess I will have to get rid of it.

And to find out who I have to notify that Im taking it out. This is the part which scares me, as I dont know how to do it properly.

I got a viagra spam and that nails it, it will have to go.

Tho the amount of spam has dramatically been reduced from the notch that MacHighway took down.
Maybe I will ask them to knock it down one more notch, and if that does it, I will let it go for a couple more days.

I will work on this tomorrow,,,,thank you for the education about spam, its the first time this has happened to me.

[Xairbusdriver]

If you have been using a password manager, it should tell you if you registered anywhere with it. Your email app should tell you if you still have any messages sent from it or replied to it. As has been mentioned, you just need to tell your important friends and family that you'll be 'killing' it and they should use the new one you specify. Those you miss will contact you by other means, if they really need to get in touch. There are still postal services available in MA, correct? Most people have a phone of some kind, also. There are even other ways to contact you on the interweb (Twit, Faceblob, etc.) Your worryingthinking about it doesn't solve the problem but your actions can.

[Paddy]

QUOTE(jcarter @ Jun 10 2014, 07:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess I will have to get rid of it.

And to find out who I have to notify that Im taking it out. This is the part which scares me, as I dont know how to do it properly.

I got a viagra spam and that nails it, it will have to go.

Tho the amount of spam has dramatically been reduced from the notch that MacHighway took down.
Maybe I will ask them to knock it down one more notch, and if that does it, I will let it go for a couple more days.

I will work on this tomorrow,,,,thank you for the education about spam, its the first time this has happened to me.

First off, go into Cpanel for your website and create a new email address. Don't forget to use a good strong password.

Test the new address to make sure it works - add it to Mail, etc. Send yourself email from your other email addresses and send email FROM the new email addresses to your other email addresses.

Then, send out an email to all your friends/family who typically use that email address to contact you asking them to stop using the old address and start using the new one. Then, make sure you've changed any subscriptions/etc. that you've used it for as well (ie: if you've used it here at TS, you'd want to change it to the new address.)

Meanwhile - move any email (both from the inbox and from the sent folder) that you want to retain from the old address to two new folders in the "On My Mac" section of Mail. You could call them "Old jane@jc... Inbox" and "Old jane@jc... Sent" or whatever you like. Delete anything you don't want to keep, of course.

Then, once you've waited a week or two and are fairly sure that your near and dear are using/aware of the new email address, go back into Cpanel and simply DELETE the old email address. Done. It no longer exists. Gone to meet its maker. Pushing up daisies. All email sent to that email address will now bounce.

[jcarter]

Thank you all!