FTC Outlines Tips to Avoid Spam

As per a news released by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and North Country gazette published it on October 18, 2008, the Commission asks online users to stay protected from spam mails. It also urges users to forward such e-mails to spam@uce.gov, in case they suspect any message to be deceptive or sent by spammers.

According to reports, FTC utilizes its spam database to carry out law enforcement procedures against people sending spam or deceptive e-mail.

Discussing the spammers' operation modes and spamming tactics, FTC commented that a spammer purchases a catalog of e-mail IDs from a broker, who gathered the addresses by harvesting them online.

If anyone's e-mail ID surfaces on a Website posting or in a chat room, or in the membership directory of an ISP, it might make its way to the spammers' catalogs. Following this, the spammers employ special software with which they send massive volumes of e-mails to the compiled addresses.

However, to raise awareness among internet users how to avoid spam messages, the FTC issued an advisory giving some excellent privacy and security tips.

FTC said in the security advisory that do not respond to a spam mail or a pop-up message asking for financial or other personal information. It is advisable to avoid clicking links embedded on the e-mail though the link seems to arrive from the recipient's bank. Also, the FTC recommends users not to copy such a link and paste it into their browser. According to the agency, phishers or spammers create links in such a way that they appear to go to a particular Website, but actually divert the user onto a different site.

FTC further adds that some e-mail spammers call over the phone using an automatic message, or dispatch e-mails pretending to be sent by an agency. The e-mail message often asks the recipient to contact at a given phone number to update her/his account details. FTC again urges to avoid making such calls.

Additionally, users must deploy firewalls and up-to-date anti-malware software, concludes FTC.

Related article: FTC Reaches Million-Dollar Settlement For Spyware

» SPAMfighter News - 10/27/2008