How to Stop Spam

Several months ago I listed several obvious and non-obvious benefits to owning your own domain name.  ((Photo courtesy of chotda))  One of the less than obvious benefits was a way to avoid and stop spam.  Two easy ways to do this are to:

• Set up a default e-mail address  to collect all the misaddressed mail.  Then, if you have to sign up for something or give out a valid e-mail address, you just make up an e-mail address at your domain.  It will go to your server and then be directed to your “catch-all” address.  If the made-up address includes the name of the place you gave your e-mail address to, then you know the source of your spam.  This is easy to fix by just creating a filter at the server for that one address.
• You can also create an address just for the purposes of giving out to sites/people you think will send you spam.  If you get too much, just delete the account.

In just the last two months I’ve been getting spam about:

• Why celebrities love the acai berry
• Free life insurance quotes
• Discount ink and toner
• Protecting my family against financial hardship

A while ago I sent an e-card to a friend of mine.  EVER since then I’ve been getting these spam e-mails to that address.  How do I know these e-mails are from that e-card website?

All of these spam e-mails are being sent to:  happy.birthday.from.me@pdrater.com !