If you're already receiving a ton of spam then you'll need to invest in a spam blocker. There are free spam blockers you can download and also also their paid equivalents. A great spam blocker can cost you as little as $30 and you'll see an immediate reduction in amount of spam you're receiving.

Over and above installing software on your computer (especially for Mac users as your choices are limited) you could sign up for one of web based challenge response spam blockers like Mailblocks or SpamArrest. Both of these services are ideal for somebody who's on move a lot. Also because they're web based there's no software to install so they're perfect for Mac or PocketPC/Palm users.

Taking a pro-active anti spam stance is next step. If you get junk email from people then check mail headers and report any offensive email to hosting company or ISP involved. Never, ever reply to spam directly. This simply confirms to spammer that your email address is active. Also never click on any hyperlinks in any junk email - this again confirms your existence and can lead to a virus being downloaded directly onto your PC. Filter spam, report abusers, delete remaining junk email.

Spam can be stopped. Not by some corporate giant or genius programmer. It can be stopped by each of you individually. Spammers rely on widespread availability of email addresses and for people to reply to these emails or click on links within emails. The sooner people stop reacting emotionally to spam and simply filter, report and delete offensive mail itself sooner lucrative market of bulk email will dry up for spammers.

How do these Trojans get onto your computer? As in most cases they come from porn, warez or similar sites. One of first spam zombie trojans to appear became available via a link on sites promising viewers free access to a porno webcam. One click later and Trojan is installed on your computer ready to send out spam. Phatbot and Proxy-Guzu are two of more common Trojans used for purpose of turning your computer into a spam zombie.

How can you check if your computer has become a spam zombie? Make absolutely certain that both your anti-virus and firewall software have current detection signatures and have been completely patched and updated. Working online without taking these necessary security precautions is simply asking for trouble.

Internet Service Providers are under huge pressure to quarantine IP address of any computer which has been turned into a spam zombie. This is done on basis that ISP risks their entire IP range being blacklisted or banned by some spam filtering services or companies.

The very least you owe yourself is to run a full virus and spyware scan on your computer today. You might be unpleasantly surprised at what you'll find lurking there.