Stories by Tom Spring

Meet Average-Joe spammer

It’s tough being an average-Joe spammer these days. Divorced and in his 40s, Mike has two kids to help support, a skyrocketing home heating bill, and a mortgage. And spamming just isn’t paying the bills like it used to.

Search tangles

Use Google to search for "Ionic Breeze," and you'll likely find that nine of the first ten listings point to sites that sell The Sharper Image's popular air purifier. In early June, the only link that wasn't for an e-commerce site was the last one, which pointed to an Epinions.com review.

Political smears thrive online

SAN FRANCISCO (03/24/2004) - The latest wave of in-box attacks isn't coming from the Bagle worm or Netsky virus -- it's from supporters of President George Bush and Democratic front-runner Senator John Kerry.

EMachines notebooks jump to 64-bit

SAN FRANCISCO (01/16/2004) - Budget computer maker EMachines Inc. is moving its notebook lineup into the fast lane by juicing two new models with Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s recently announced speedy 64-bit mobile processors.

Spam slayer: Ten tips and tricks

How satisfied are you with your e-mail software? Does it block spam and do everything it should? Does important e-mail get lost in the weeds? Are hundreds of megabytes of spam saved and hidden on your PC?

Spam slayer: Do you speak spam?

An extreme volume of spam calls for extreme measures. You can create a "Safe Mail" folder in Outlook Express as an effective spam filter. Right-click on Local Folders and select New Folder. Next select Tools, Create Rules from Message and pair your address book and any other trusted e-mail address with your Safe Mail folder. In theory, spam will never make it into your Safe Mail folder -- only messages from senders in your address book. This also works with Outlook, Netscape, and various other e-mail programs.

Spam Slayer: Beware spam's siblings

SAN FRANCISCO (11/04/2003) - It's bad enough that our in-boxes are crammed with junk e-mail. Now spam is slithering into cell phones and instant messages.

Outsmart scanners

SAN FRANCISCO (10/20/2003) - Always be suspicious of e-mail asking for personal information. When in doubt, contact the company directly to confirm the correspondence and find out whether the e-mail or Web site link is legit. Report violators to your ISP and the Federal Trade Commission.

Spam Slayer: Outsmart scammers

FRAMINGHAM (10/20/2003) - This weekly online column chronicles the spam wars and offers advice. Send your spam gripes, questions, and tips to spamwatch@pcworld.com. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Return to the SpamWatch page for more articles.

Spam slayer: Doublespeak in the spam wars

SAN FRANCISCO (10/06/2003) - This new weekly online column chronicles the spam wars and offers advice. Send your spam gripes, questions, and favorite tips for stopping spam and tips for stopping spam to spamwatch@pcworld.com. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome. Return to the SpamWatch page for more articles.

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