[SpamCop-List] Re: How can I report SPAM *without* opening the e-mail?

[Michael Brennan]

Andy Miller wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I use MS Outlook. I'm happy to do the Options-Headers thing and report all
> headers but I really don't like actually opening the SPAM mail. Sure I have
> virus scanners but still I don't like opening mail that was unsolicited and
> from an unknown source.
> 
> I read somewhere that forwarding from Outlook wasn't "good enough" but even
> if it were the operation of forwarding would open the e-mail.
> 
> Can't I just send in a report with the whole *unopened* e-mail as an
> attachment?
> 
> Thanks,
> Andy


Andy,

I use Outlook Express for e-mail (I'm using Netscape for this
newsgroup).   From the main window of Outlook Express, highlight the
suspected spam message and select Message/Forward as Attachment.

It's better if you do not configure your main mail window in OE to
preview.  I compensate for that by going offline before handling any
spam.  This doesn't always work as desired -- OE has a bad habit of
default-selecting the next mail and previewing or even opening it, when
another mail is filed or deleted; I wish I could turn that feature off,
but there you are.  It makes trying to look at goodmail while online a
risky proposition, since the accidentally-previewed spam may contain
HTML with an IMG SRC web beacon that will activate when the message is
previewed, and give the spammer an "opened" receipt, which is just what
he's looking for, to put your e-mail address on his next "5,000,000
Premium Sucker Addresses" CD-ROM.   

Better just to pull the plug and deal with mail offline.

Hope this helps.

Michael