How to open spam mail?

Question

If you get something that you absolutely KNOW is spam, and probably has all kinds of bad things, waiting to kill your computer, is there any way to get a program where you can open it, read it, then delete it? without any danger. What would be nicer; send it BACK to where it came from and screw up THEIR computer.

Answer 1

Depends on the email product. The new Windows Live Hotmail (full version) allows you to see headers and content without opening the email.

Regarding sending something back, the problem with that is that most of the spam comed from hijacked computers unbeknownst to the computer's owners.

In general, you shouldn't open unsolicted email from unknown sources. Often what happens is that when you open up spam, it sends back a trigger to the originating source indicating that a valid email address has been found thus subjecting you to even more spam down the road. Even using the preview pane in email products sends web beacons back to spammers.( http://helpdesk.gwu.edu/mailfilter/spam.html )

Here are a few steps you can take to try and avoid spam.

1. Don't open unsolicited Spam. Often what happens is that when you open up spam, it sends back a trigger to the originating source indicating that a valid email address has been found thus subjecting you to even more spam down the road.

2. Don't use the Preview Pane for the same reasons as #1

3. Set you email options to accept mail from only people in your address book or safe lists.

4. Set some filters to automatically route spam to certain folders for easy deletion later.

5. Use a throwaway account for any online registrations you need such as news sites and contests, etc. Often these email addresses are sold to other places, particularly advertising firms. If the throwaway account gets over run, you can simply delete it and create another.

6. Use the BCC when composing emails and encourage your friends to do the same. What this does is protects mailing lists from email harvesters.

7. You can consider using a third party application such as SpamFighter (free version can only be used for 1 account and it is for Outlook and Outlook Express only) http://www.spamfighter.com/

8. Never reply to any spam email that you happen to open and receive for the same reason as #1 above.

You can see more info at the webpage below:

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-007.html

Answer 2

that is extra desirable in case you do no longer open unsolicited mail emails as spammers frequently cover codes of their emails that when opened, alerts the spammer that your digital mail handle is valid and for this reason they're going to deliver you much extra unsolicited mail and sell your digital mail handle to different spammers for a income. Yahoo has a unsolicited mail reporting gadget yet all it form of feels to do is in basic terms circulate the emails to the 'unsolicited mail' folder. superb element to do in case you get a unsolicited mail digital mail is the two delete it or flag it as unsolicited mail. some spammers can deliver hyperlinks to compromised web pages. Viruses might nicely be unfold by contaminated attachments, no longer unavoidably from spammers. So in case you get an digital mail from somebody you recognize with a suspicious attachment, ask them what they're sending you first in the previous beginning it and confirm your anti-virus utility is working and up as much as now to stay secure.

Answer 3

NO-NO-&NO. there are no tools that protect your pc from the virus codes that are inside the email's other than realy good anti virus - spyware - addware tools that you should nave at all times.and if you send the spam email back to the sender then all you will do is conform the email address they sent it to is a valid email address. then prepair for the onslote of spam that will be forth coming. the spammer will sell your email address to every one he(she) can and then be ready for the hundreds of spam that will come every day.

Answer 4

I want open something that I know is not spam, something I really need to open and I cannot open, please help

Answer 5

SCREW UP THERE COMPUTER YA YA