[SpamCop.net - protecting the internet through technology]

[SC-Help] Re: Unstoppable picture spam.

Asterix asterix at no_where.net
Thu May 18 01:40:04 EDT 2006


Mike Easter <MikeE at ster.invalid> wrote:

> Asterix wrote:
> > Mike Easter
> >> Asterix wrote:
> >>
> >>> Please tell me how to report spam without opening it (and make sure
> >>> it's spam.
> 
> >> If I want to see why an item
> >> was tagged, I can examine its header Xlines by looking at its
> >> message properties without opening it.
> 
> > As I a) want full control of what I report and b) always report
> > through the web site, there is no way I can avoid opening the spam.
> 
> If you are saying that your software prohibits you from reporting spam
> without opening it, I can't very well tell you how to report spam
> without opening it.

I didn't say my software prohibits me - it's rather Spamcop's web form.
Eudora lets me forward the spam to a sumbission address without
inspection, but then I completely lose control of where the reports go.
Examining the X-lines is of limited or no interest for that purpose. 

I'm more concerned about not reporting "innocent bystander' 
- and/or joe-job - web links in the body. 
And making sure that real spamvertized links get parsed.
How can I do *that* without opening and reading the spam?
Or just use the web form at all without opening the spam?

> > Besides, your reply says abolutely nothing about how to *report* spam,
> > which what I asked.
> 
> No, you asked "and make sure it's spam" in addition to not saying what
> method you were using to report.

The last part was my mistake - I use the web form exclusively.
However, I feel you *should* have seen what I meant - i'll try to
rephrase it:
"How do I report spam without opening it - being sure it is really spam
I'm reporting?" 

> > And you don't say *why* you discourage opening
> > spam, though I think I have an idea.
> 
> I think I'll go into that on Nigel's post instead of here.

As far as I can tell you didn't. You just repeat  *what* you don't
recommend - not *why*. As if spam inspection was some kind of black
magic that only you can master. 
And you didn't tell Nigel that the site http://www.thestocktongroup.com/
is alive and kicking (maybe it wasn't yesterday) whether Spamcop
resolves the link or not. Actually it does today - to my surprise. 

I thought it might be on a "bulletproof" domain that block DNS queries
from SC. Sometimes I get the feeling that some spamvertized sites are
not online - or even in DNS - until a day or two *after* the spam is
sent. Quite an elabotate scheme to dodge reports.

-- 
I recommend Macs to my friends, and Windows machines 
to those whom I don't mind billing by the hour


More information about the SpamCop-Help mailing list