4) Remove your email address from your website. If you list or link to your email address, you can expect to be spammed. Thus, remove them wherever possible and use web-based forms instead. This will drastically cut down amount of spam you receive if you have a website.

5) NEVER buy anything from a company that spams. Do not visit their sites or ask for more information from a spam email that you have received. In fact, not responding to spam is single most effective way to not get scammed on Internet.

6) Filter your email. Using spam filters is key to managing your email effectively.

7) Consider subscribing to a spam prevention service. Make sure that any software or system you select gives you control of which email you get and does not automatically erase messages. Also, safeguard your newsletter and discussion list subscriptions. If you, your ISP or web host use spam filters or white lists, be sure to let them know that you want to receive messages from any newsletters or discussion lists that you subscribe to.

8) Report spam to agencies that maintain statistics. Such agencies generally compile statistics that may be useful in setting policy. One trusted anti-spam organization where you can report spammers is Anti-SPAM League. Learn how to become a member for free by visiting www.AntiSpamLeague.org.

9) Report fraudulent or otherwise illegal content to appropriate authorities. While fraud per se is an issue separate from spam, unsolicited email often contains offers for illegal or fraudulent products.

10) Contact your Internet Service Provider. Although this is unlikely to affect amount of spam you receive since it is not their fault that their system was attacked from outside, ISPs want to know about spam attacks, either to learn how to protect their system, or to set policy.

11) Contact sender's Internet Service Provider(s). Most ISPs in world forbid their members to send spam. Therefore, if your complaint is valid, then there is a good chance spammer will lose connectivity.

12) Demand restitution from spammer. If you continually receive spam from a single source, you have a right to demand repayment for time and resources spammer used.

13) Initiate legal action against spammer. This should be a last resort, as legal action is troublesome and expensive. However, well-executed legal action may do more than just get one spammer off your back: it may lower amount of spam on Internet in general.

By forcing unsolicited and objectionable materials into our mailboxes, spam impairs our ability to communicate freely and costs Internet users billions of dollars annually. You do not have to put up with it: your best recourse is to protest to those who dump their trash on your disk drives! Organizations such as The Anti SPAM League give you chance to report spamming companies and individuals and access valuable information on how to control spam problem. The Anti SPAM League serves as a resource to identify companies on internet that are safe to do business with through its trust seal program. Also, to target which companies are trying to capture your personal information for use of unsolicited mass marketing. Take a step forward in battle against spam. Learn how to become a member for free by visiting www.AntiSpamLeague.org

Liability

Spam can force organizations to deal with lawsuits filed by employees for creating a hostile working environment. Spam containing pornography, insulting content or fraudulent phishing schemes can expose organizations that have not taken reasonable steps to combat such attacks. Employees unfamiliar with company policies may forward such content to fellow employees or even contacts outside company, resulting in sexual harassment or countless other liability lawsuits.

Each organization’s exposure to such lawsuits varies, but large awards to plaintiff are not uncommon when they do occur. In fact, October 2002 issue of TechRepublic states that “the average jury award against employers in [sexual harassment lawsuits] is $250,000. That amount often triples when attorney fees and litigation costs are added to mix.”

Reputation Cost

The cost of spam to a business’ reputation is equally difficult to define. The cost is nothing until something catastrophic—like a phishing attack—happens. The average individual victim of identity theft loses about $500, and businesses lose an average of $4,800. By allowing phishing and spoofing attacks into your business’ network, your organization is exposing itself, its brand and its employees to enormous risk. If your organization’s trademarks or brand are used in phishing attacks, cost to your company’s brand is estimated at between $100,000 and $150,000.

What You Can Do Now To Stop Spam

Knowing risks involved in spam is first step to solving problem. CipherTrust’s FREE whitepaper, “Controlling Spam: The IronMail Way” describes issues that put your email system at risk. Download it today to learn more about how you can stop spam, secure your email system, and protect your company and employees from email-borne threats.

Part II of this series will describe issues involved in determining ROI for anti-virus software and services as they apply to email.