More spam mail

[Blaze]

Agreed Spardo. It's generally easy to see when it's a spammer. Even if the sender's address seems genuine, there might be a tiny change. If you tap "Reply" the sender's address will come up, often with no bearing on what you thought you received.

[Hotrodder]

I think vigilance is the only answer to scams. Changing your email address is counter productive surely. Your address is out there for a reason, so that people you want to get in touch with you, can do. And it is not so simple as circulating a new address to all your friends, there are people you don't know who you might like to get an email from.

If I was getting a huge amount of email spam I wouldn't hesitate to dump the address and circulate a new one to those entities that need it. I can't imagine anyone that I don't know wanting to get in touch for any reason other than to benefit themselves, not me. I don't believe in the concept of the "free lunch".

[elsie]

I think the Gmail spam filter is the best free e-mail filter. As I've said before, I send (forward) all my e-mails (from several different e-mail addresses I'v eaquired over the last 20+ years) to a specific Gmail account I've set up for the purpose of filtering spam. I don't use that Gmail account for anything else. I then forward all the valid e-mails from that Gmail account to a separate account I've set up with my internet provider (ISP). When I reply to messages that ISP account sends messages with the From: e-mail address set as my main e-mail address not the separate ISP e-mail address, so that account name is never used either. I do check the Gmail account periodically as it can be over-sensitive and block some incoming e-mails if they appear suspicious (which I then have to forward manually). But that blocking can be corrected and those e-mail addresses added to a "white list".

[niemeyjt]

The ideal way to do it - I think Elsie does something along these lines - is to register your own domain e.g. spardo.fr

Then create a unique account for each service - e.g. amazon@spardo.fr, darty@spardo.fr etc - although better still to use something less associated like 123456@spardo.fr for amazon and 123457@spardo.fr for Darty etc.

It is a faff at first - but not only can you blacklist individual addresses, but you also know who leaked them.

edit: looks like my post crossed with Elsie's.

[ajm]

I think vigilance is the only answer to scams. Changing your email address is counter productive surely. Your address is out there for a reason, so that people you want to get in touch with you, can do. And it is not so simple as circulating a new address to all your friends, there are people you don't know who you might like to get an email from.

Why would you want an email from an unknown source? Most people don't answerr the phone if they don't recognise the number so why emails?

[elsie]

The ideal way to do it - I think Elsie does something along these lines - is to register your own domain e.g. spardo.fr

Then create a unique account for each service - e.g. amazon@spardo.fr, darty@spardo.fr etc - although better still to use something less associated like 123456@spardo.fr for amazon and 123457@spardo.fr for Darty etc.

It is a faff at first - but not only can you blacklist individual addresses, but you also know who leaked them.

edit: looks like my post crossed with Elsie's.

Yes, I do have my e-mail set up that way but wanted to give a simple solution.

The organisation I use for my domains allow automatic redirection of e-mails. So they get sent to a single e-mail address. But I still send all the e-mails off for a Gmail spam check.

[hughnique]

Apart from the spam e-mails I am now receiving phone calls, and they don't think we have to eat, and avoid those times, certificate for insulation I have had done ????, and now they are offering me training, Madam I am 72, the only training I need is how to lay still in the coffin. BRRRRRRR

[Blaze]

We rarely get rubbish calls these days, because we never answer them. We don't have any sort of blocker except our answerphone and if they don't leave a message, they don't exist. These salesmen prey on people who are unable to let the phone ring "Oh it might be important" If it's important/genuine, they'll leave a message !
If you answer any of these salesmen, it's possible that your number will be passed around as an easy target.

[Sparkle]

@hughnique I remember a joke about laying in a coffin but that's on another thread

[Spardo]

I think vigilance is the only answer to scams. Changing your email address is counter productive surely. Your address is out there for a reason, so that people you want to get in touch with you, can do. And it is not so simple as circulating a new address to all your friends, there are people you don't know who you might like to get an email from.

Why would you want an email from an unknown source? Most people don't answerr the phone if they don't recognise the number so why emails?

Not so much now, though there might be long lost friends who manage to track me down that I would quite like to re-connect with (this happened just the other day from a schoolmate from over 60 years ago), but when I was transporting dogs my address was often passed to people who needed my services but who I didn't previously know, some of whom then became friends.

As regards phone calls and emails, with calls you are ambushed and don't know how to treat the caller at first, with messages you have time to assess whether you want to take the contact further or not.