Junk eMail (also known as "spam")

Our systems utilize blacklisting services (which identify sources of junk eMail) so we can block spam from systems that are known for perpetrating these activities.

If you received an error that mail was rejected by our systems because your ISP's mail servers are blacklisted, you can contact us directly by submitting the following form on the right-hand side of this page (please include a copy of the error message so we can assist you more efficiently)...

For other general contact options (that are not spam reports), please use our contact page.

Criminal aspects of spam

Junk eMail is one of many forms of "theft of service." Whenever someone sends junk eMail, the recipient actually has to pay for it to be transferred and processed, and then they have to waste their valuable time dealing with it. Unlike postal mail, where postage is paid in advance, both the sender and the recipient pay for internet mail. Some of the more obvious costs associated with spam are as follows:

Internet traffic - all internet connections have costs associated with them, and all information that passes through these connections has to be paid for by the ISP, who in turn charges their customers for it, thus spammers are stealing from the consumer. The end result is higher internet access costs for the consumer, or internet access costs not being lowered as they normally might have been if people refrained from sending spam in the first place.
Time consumption - the recipient of junk eMail will have to decide what to do with these messages, which creates time-consuming distractions that interfere with the usual course of their daily business. To recommend that the recipient simply delete the spam they're not interested in isn't a realistic solution because, in addition to the time consumption, it also doesn't address the issue of internet traffic costs.
System integrity - when users receive too much junk eMail, they naturally stop trusting their systems. Some users get more spam than legitimate eMail, which is undoubtedly a big factor behind the creation and on-going development of some of the spam blacklisting services.
Community danger - some junk eMail has been designed to trick the recipient into paying for non-existent products (including health products), join fraudulent schemes that may involve suspicious money transfers, massive mailings (postal and/or electronic), promotion of child pornography, Multi-Level Marketing/pyramid schemes, and many other illegal/unethical/immoral activities.

Some ISPs send a lot of spam on behalf of their clients, and in some cases the clients may not even be aware that their systems are sending it. It is important that ISPs take preventative measures to stop this from occurring. Internet users also need to make sure their anti-virus software is always up-to-date, and that they're not running any "SpyWare" which have been known to allow complete strangers control their computers remotely.

News articles that relate to spam...

Good-bye to middle class ISPs
http://www.inter-corporate.com/spam/classes.html: ... the internet will eventually be divided into two classes -- the "upper class" anti-spam ISPs who strongly oppose junk eMail v. the "lower class" spam-friendly ISPs who don't care ...

Novell Settles Claims Against Phoenix Spammer
http://www.hknua.org.hk/ssi/news/d221102.htm: ... Novell announced it has settled its claims in Novell v. Groves in which the defendant was alleged to have intentionally misused Novell's free e-mail service, MyRealBox, to send unsolicited commercial bulk e-mail, or "spam." ...

US warns Nigeria over online fraud schemes
http://www.idg.net/ic_951823_1794_9-10000.html: Online schemes operating out of Nigeria that have defrauded victims out of tens of millions of dollars have become so pervasive that the U.S. government has given the West African country until November to take steps to decrease such crimes or face sanctions. ...

News articles that relate to spam...
http://www.inter-corporate.com/spam/news/: A more complete listing of news articles about spam which we hope will help to encourage spammers to stop sending junk eMail.

Spam-fighting resources...

The Lumber Cartel, local 42 (Canadian branch)
http://www.lumbercartel.ca/: The Canadian branch of the Lumber Cartel is a grass-roots community-focused advocacy effort aimed at educating and providing helpful information about the issues surrounding junk eMail (a.k.a. "spam") and the scams promoted therein.

Basic Mailing List Management Guidelines for Preventing Abuse
http://www.mail-abuse.org/manage.html: A clear and easy-to-follow recommendation of best current practices for proper mailing list management. Mailing list operators should follow these steps to avoid getting blacklisted.

Choosing an anti-spam ISP
http://www.blars.org/isp.html: What is their abuse policy? Do they actually enforce it? Is their abuse mailbox read by humans in a timely fashion? Does their abuse staff have the authority to terminate their spammers promptly? ...

SPAMBLOCKED.COM spam-filtered mailboxes
http://www.spamblocked.com/: ... If you're fed-up with spam, spam, spam, and more spam, they offer spam-filtered mailboxes at very low cost. They use a combination of DNS blocklists, including the SBL and SPEWS, their own local blocklist, a killfile of known spam originators, and an extensive rule set to automatically identify spam by content. ...

Relevant entertainment...

Spam Wars
http://www.elated.com/spamwars/: Sick of spam? Let out your anger on Spam Wars, a Flash game that pits you against the evil "Sid the Spammer" in the ultimate spam battle! ...

Andy files a lawsuit
http://bruce.pennypacker.org/Andy/: A software developer named Andy Brunner launches a lawsuit in small claims court against an anti-spammer, and the court dismisses the case.

Junk mail in a bottle
http://www.inter-corporate.com/spam/junkmailinabottle.jpg: This cartoon demonstrates how useless and inappropriate junk eMail can be. Anonymous contribution.

Other useful information...

What is Wrong with Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)?
http://www.vandruff.com/mlm_intro.html: An excellent business analysis and commentary of the four major problem areas with Multi-Level Marketing / Pyramid schemes. Includes references to other useful resources and information for fighting MLMs.

The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF)
http://www.fatf-gafi.org/40Recs_en.htm: This specific link leads to a section within the FATF web site titled "The Fourty Recommendations." In particular, "Recommendation 12" could be useful to ISPs interested in setting up guidelines for qualifying new customers.

Other information on the FATF web site may also be helpful in determining if a spammer appears to be laundering money (if so, they should be reported to the appropriate policing authorities).