Is it reasonable to add the FTC to your reporting

[mll]

It seems to me that now that the FTC has the "CAN spam" responsibility it might be reasonable for a user, perhaps optionally as part of their profile, to add UCE[at]ftc.gov to the list of people notified that an E-mail is spam.

Also as part of the profile, one might want to see if there was any way to add one's representative to the list so that they might consider the amount of spam that their constituents are getting and that implementing a real DON'T spam system might be worth while.

--

Mike Liveright

[Jeff G.]

You can do it yourself, but the FTC has asked that it not be the default for all Users (they couldn't deal with the firehose of reports last time).

[HillsCap]

I'm using the Outlook SpamCop Reporting VBA code by Leon Mayne, in Outlook 2000. Leon and I are actively working on bettering the code, and will eventually create an Outlook add-in, so even newbies can use it without having to know VBA.

I've modified it so I'm sending spam reports to:

uce[at]ftc.gov

spamrecycle[at]chooseyourmail.com

junk[at]brightmail.com

spam[at]sendusspam.com

abusereport[at]spamabuse.org

and I've put my SpamCop reporting address in the .BCC, so it's hidden from other recipients. It's working great... basically three clicks to report spam, from beginning to end. I've also added code that prevents reporting the SpamCop AutoResponder emails as spam (I was tired, and not paying attention to which folder I was in, and accidentally reported one), and I'm working on adding a whitelist that checks the sender of the spam against your Contacts, so you don't accidentally report someone you know, who's email happened to accidentally end up in you spam folder.

In addition, I've added a text blurb at the end of the spam report attachment. Right now, it reads, ""This spam email has additionally been reported to the Federal Trade Commission."

This accomplishes two things... it fixes the 'Would Send' issue with SpamCop, and if the reports go to the actual spammers (or to an ISP that is knowingly supporting the spammers), it serves as notice that they should think twice before sending us spam.

It appears to be working... I've reduced our monthly spam receival rate by over 300 spam messages per month, so far, still trending down.

You can see a .gif image of our rolling monthly spam receival rate here:

http://www.hillscapital.com/images/spamrate.gif

Interestingly, you can see a large uptick in the spam receival rate at the beginning of January, immediately after I began reporting to SpamCop. Apparently, the spammers tried to fight back by sending me more spam... not a very effective technique. That would be somewhat akin to giving enemy combatants more ammunition because they were firing at you.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in helping Leon and me to make OutlookSpamCopReporting the best Outlook spam Reporting utility there is, let me know. I'd love to have every person running Outlook also running OSCR.

Personally, I'm sick to death of the perverted junk these scumbags send me, and can't for the life of me figure out why they would want to continue sending me this stuff, knowing that not only will I NOT buy their junk, but that I'm reporting them, as well. They've got to have brain damage, or something.

Oh, and I love the new forum... that old method of help was kind of clunky to use. This forum should help to attract a lot more people to SpamCop.