Tips On Reducing SPAM
Anti-SPAM Tools
Determining Where The Message Came From
Anti-SPAM Resources

Where did that SPAM come from?
So you have been spammed and you want to find out where it came from and complain to their service provider. First thing you need to do is make sure you are complaining to the correct party. Just because the message was from billybob@hotmail.com does not mean the message originated at hotmail. Actually this is just one of the ways spammers attempt to cover their tracks. By using bogus addresses.

What you need is to look in to the header of the message. Here you will find a multitude of giveaways often showing the IP address the user was logged in at, as well as the server the mail was relayed from.

In Pegasus Mail, choose "READER" from the options menu bar. Listed as an option is: "Show all Headers".

In Netscape Mail, choose "OPTIONS" from the options menu bar. Listed as an option is: "Show Headers" --- then choose full headers

In Eudora Mail, open the message. Under the title bar are four options. The second from the left is a box which says "Blah, Blah, Blah." Click on that and all headers will be shown.

In Outlook Express, open the message. Choose "File" from the options menu bar. Listed as an option is: "properties". Another window will open, showing two tabs. You want to choose the one titled "Details". Then cut and paste the headers into the message you want to forward.

In Pine, "h" displays full headers and "f" will forward the message which you are currently displaying. (NOTE: you must have headers enabled to view them)

If there is a mail program which you use, and is not listed above, tell us and we will try to find out how to read full headers from there.

Okay great, now I have the headers. What do I do with them?
Before you head off on your hunt for pink meat, you might want to check out spam.abuse.net. Known as one of the best Anti-Spam sites on the Internet.

A few things you can do at this point. You can manually take the information gathered from the headers and use a tool such as Sam Spade to track down where the SPAM originated from. Remember, just because it says billybob@hotmail.com does not mean it came from a hotmail address.

Who do I complain to?
Since many providers are now "SPAM Aware" then you should usually try e-mailing your complaint, headers included, to the abuse address of the originating domain. For example if the SPAm originated from a PSI.NET dialup block address your complaint to abuse@psi.net. In most cases you will get at least an auto-reply back acknowleging that your message has been received. Do not get bent out of shape if it does not. If your message to abuse bounces, then you might try the postmaster address of the offending domain.
For a decent tutorial on How To Complain, click here.

Word of caution here. If you generate your own complaints to a provider, be nice and be to the point. You will get a much better response. A simple "Please investigate this SPAM which appears to have originated on your service" will generally work better than "I am going to sue you for your users actions". Vulgarity is better left off too as you want to maintain a good relation with this provider if you wish them to take any action at all.

Spam Notice
In accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, Chapter 18 lusers that send un-solicited e-mail to lynndust.com users will be fined to the maximum allowed amount of $10 per message or $5,000 per day. Read full text of Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, Chapter 18 at suespammers.org.