Irritating and continuous HTML image spam - US Share plugs

[Mountain Goat]

We've got one flavour of spam at the moment which I don't know how to attack, although my spam filter is highly tweakable.

It somes in with a nonsense text message (usually one word or clipped Subject fields) which, after a few seconds, changes to an HTML image (?) plugging/ramping an individual US share stock.

The guru at my email service (cotse.net) has recommended adding HTML_IMAGE_ONLY to the banned vocab list on our spam filter. I sort of see it would work, but then we would lose genuine stuff.

Examining headers etc.of the messages doesn't help as it's all fake anyway.

Can anyone advise how to deal with this nuisance? We're getting a dozen a day or so.

Goat

[Big Sis..]

Hi Goat,


Im receiving those as well at least 2 a day[3 already this morning]
If you do find a way to stop them can you let me know.

Just a thought as I dont think we share other websites could our email addresses been taken from here?

It will be interesting to find how many more forum users are getting Spammed in this way.

[Hells Bells]

I'm getting loads too. I'm not being spammed on the email I use for LMH though, and my gmail account is picking them all up as Spam now anyway. It was my Orange/wanadoo account that was the problem.

[Mountain Goat]

Ros
Will do. No, unlikely from LMH, as our emails are not visible, but I assume spiders could go through our site link buttons and hoover up any visible emails on display. Will try and come up with an answer.

My email service allows me unlimited email addresses so I can have a different one for each forum (say). i.e. lmh @ goatworld.com* for everything from here and then it can be blocked at a later date.

HelenB
Interesting with Gmail. Does Gmail dump spam in a visible trash can? Does its filter trash any genuine mail?

Goat

*Note to Gascony Goat - I made that up - but it's a seriously good site - with an active Forum....and Classifieds are unbeatable:

3 1/2 year old black/white fainting buck, proven breeder, loves his job, have kept his daughters so he needs to go $185

Proven breeder. This 3 year old buck is a son of the ennobled Pistolero. He has tremendous length & height. Has full dark red cape. 9 ennoblements in his pedigree.

[Big Sis..]

Thanks Goat,

Im not very up on any of this as youve probably realised.
So Im in your hands!!![hope you can carry me!]
[or should it be hoofs ]

Be interesting to see who else has been affected.

[Alan Knighting]

Goat,

Yes, G-mail has a separate Spam folder.

Why not sign up and play with the Help files and settings, it's free after all.

Alan

[Mountain Goat]

Alan, I did. My only reason for not using it full-time is that it didn't seem to offer multiple outgoing email addresses as an option, but I will investigate, as other features seem excellent, and that storage is amazing.

Goat

[Angel]

You think you got problems with spam, Goat? Just wait until you get over 400 spams a day... yes, four hundred... sometimes more.

That's how many I get for one of my sites that's been live since 1999.

I use Mailwasher before collecting mail from that account.

[Mountain Goat]

Angel
I'm sure there are better ways, but I get emails from 4 sites and 5 accounts all forwarded to our web-based email at cotse.net (about $5/month). It then goes through various spam filters (rejects can be inspected). We probably get around 100 spams a day, but only because we've got exposed email addresses. One of the sites got bombed last year, which was exciting, and I finally had to block it after getting 15,000 in 24 hours (some nutters took exception to Mrs G's professional stance on one of the sites - won't bore you with it).

Outgoing email can be from any address we want.

One day we need an expert and then we can block this current series we're getting.

Goat

[Alan Knighting]

Alan, I did. My only reason for not using it full-time is that it didn't seem to offer multiple outgoing email addresses as an option, but I will investigate, as other features seem excellent, and that storage is amazing.
Goat

You might find what you want in Thunderbird. Take a look at:-

http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/

Alan

[vrooje]

I am a big fan of Thunderbird, which has a spam filter that can be trained.

Unfortunately, those stock mails aren't likely to stop. National Public Radio and the New York Times both just ran articles about how those spam e-mails (those promoting stocks in particular) are actually effective in temporarily raising the stock prices. The prices stay high just long enough for the people who sent the spam mail to sell their shares, but not long enough for the people buying after reading the mail to make any money themselves.

And it's perfectly legal, since the messages always advertise stocks that are traded on unregulated exchanges.

On the one hand, the articles were interesting, but on the other, I'm sure the number of spammers in this particular niche is likely to increase, at least in the short term.

Anyway. Until you find a solution, I suggest the delete key!

[Mountain Goat]

And it's perfectly legal

*!*%&?

I thought you guys had eyewatering fines and drag spammers through the courts trailing those balls with chains on etc.?

Goat

[vrooje]

Ah, well, I should have clarified that it's perfectly legal from a stock market standpoint.

As for the vast majority of spammers, I think the bark of the government is far worse than the bite. Alas.

[Hells Bells]

MOuntain Goat, I have my gmail account set up for multiple outgoing addresses.

[Giddy Goat]

This has been happening to me too, so it does seem that the common denominator is LMH - it started about, ummm.... 3 weeks ago?

Off to join the chat room on Goatworld - maybe someone there has the answer....

I'll check out son of Pistolero while I'm about it...