Also, use more than one e-mail address, and keep one "clean." Many netizens find that this technique turns spam flood into a trickle. Use one address for only spam-safe activities like e-mailing your friends, or signing on with trustworthy businesses. Never use your clean address on web! Get a free address to use on web and in chat rooms.

If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new e-mail account. When you do, you'll start with a clean, spam-free slate. This time, protect your e-mail address!

---------------------------------- STAY OFF SPAMMED LISTS IN THE FUTURE ----------------------------------

Want to surf web without getting sucked into spam-flood? Prevention is your best policy. Don't use an easy-to-guess e-mail address. Keep your address clean by not using it for spam-centric activities. Don't post it on any web pages, and don't use it in chat rooms or newsgroups.

Before giving your clean e-mail address to a business, check company out. Are sections of its user agreement dedicated to anti-spam rules? Does a privacy policy explain exactly what will be done with your address? The most considerate companies also post an anti-spam policy written in plain English, so you can be absolutely sure of what you're getting into.

---------------------------------- THINK YOU'RE NOT A SPAMMER? BE SURE. ----------------------------------

Many a first-time marketer has inadvertently spammed his audience. The first several hundred complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop him in his tracks. But by then, spammer may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP, and a bad reputation that it's not easy to overcome.

The best way to avoid this situation is to have a clear understanding of what spam is: If anyone who receives your mass e-mails did not specifically ask to hear from you, then you are spamming them.

Stick with your gut. Don't buy a million addresses for $10, no matter how much seller swears by them! If something sounds fishy, just say no. You'll save yourself a lot in end.

---------------------------------- THE FINAL BLOW ----------------------------------

The online world is turning tide on spam. In end, people will stop sending spam because it stops working. Do your part: never buy from a spammer. When your business seeks out technology companies with which to work, only choose those with a staunch anti-spam stance.

Spam has a long history in both food and e-mail sectors. This year, Hormel Foods opened a real-world museum dedicated to SPAM. While museum does feature Monty Python SPAM Skit, there's no word yet on an unsolicited commercial e-mail exhibit. But, if all upstanding netizens work together, Hormel's ham in a can will far outlive Internet plague that is UCE.

2) Spammers, if they can be identified, can be sued. This is fairly rare, as it is difficult to prove actual damage, but you can sue them and win. And if you are an ISP or host, you can definitely get them to dig into their pockets for resources they wasted.

3) If a spammer annoys wrong person, he could find himself harassed. For example, people have been known to send back email bombs, perform denial of service attacks or simply get phone lines canceled.

4) If a spammer gets his domain added to any of various "black holes", then he may find that he cannot send email at all.

5) Depending upon how vile material, law can come down upon a spammer. This is especially true with scams and pornography of most degraded kind.

6) Most spammers do not realize there is always a way to find out where email came from. It does not matter how well they attempt to cover their tracks - they do need to make it possible to order something and thus they can be tracked - even if it means physically visiting their business with a search warrant.

I hope that helps clarify what happens to spammer in short or long run. Spam does cause damage, and spammers, especially largest and worst offenders, should be prosecuted to fullest extent of law.