What do I do if I receive spam?

1. Do not reply to spam! Some junkmail messages urge you to send an "unsubscribe" reply to their service if you want to get off their list. This is a common ploy for harvesting email addresses; instead of getting off their lists, you'll be added to others (your email address may even be sold to other direct marketers), and you'll find yourself getting more spam than before.
    
2. Don't pass it on to your friends. This is especially true of chain letters. Please remember that promulgating chain letters is against University policy.
    
3. Use the delete key. The most reliable way to rid yourself of spam is simply to delete it.
    

There are a few things you can do to prevent yourself from accidentally increasing the amount of spam that comes to your mailbox.

• Never reply to spam. Certain spam tells you it is complying with federal law by offering you a "Click here if you do not want to receive any more information like this" option at the bottom of the page. Do not click on the proffered link. It just signs you up for more spam.
   
• Never advertise your email address on a web page. Email collection programs called "scrapers" automatically search the Internet for email addresses they harvest from web sites. If you must put your email address on a web page, try putting it in a disguised form, such as this: john dot doe at wichita dot edu.
   
• Tighten up your email lists. If you own an email list you can configure it in such a way that the members' email addresses cannot be harvested by spammers.

• UXN Spam Combat - Reporting Tips
• Current Hoaxes - Most chain letters fall into this catagory.