[SC-Help] Re: Giving them my email

[Martin Edwards]

Mike Richter wrote:
> Erin wrote:
> 
>> I'm new to this whole thing. Is it a very bad idea to put in the 
>> message "Take my email, emailwhere at spamwasreceived.com, off your 
>> list!"? I actually want to get my email off these lists instead of 
>> having to block them. Even if one spammer gets knocked offline, my 
>> email is still on whatever list is floating around out there. Is it 
>> not a better idea to have my email marked as potentially dangerous if 
>> you send spam to me?
> 
> 
> Please read Mike Easter's post for long-term guidance. I hope to provide 
> you here with simple answers to what appear to be your questions with 
> some underlying truths (!) to guide you in the future.
> 
> Spammers are not benevolent entrepreneurs seeking your best interests. 
> As a class, they are lying, cheating scam artists playing on your 
> gullibility. Their only interest is their enrichment and they will take 
> exactly those actions - legal, moral or otherwise - which enhance that 
> interest.
> 
> They have no incentive to remove your name from their mailing lists even 
> if they promise to do so. In fact, an e-mail to the spammer verifies 
> your address and enhances the value of that address. In practice, it may 
> "elevate" you to the status of preferred victim because of that 
> verification. (A notice from SpamCop does not have that effect directly 
> but in some cases can verify.)
> 
> There is an exception of little practical interest. Occasionally, a 
> clueless company will spam in good faith and ultimate simplicity. 
> Requesting removal then is arguably a positive move, though they are 
> likely to have learned already by blocklist that their action was unwise 
> and to have scrapped the list they used.
> 
> Mike

I'd go along with that.  In a small minority of cases, I feel that 
people are jsut trying to get a business going and do not report.