General Chat

Unfortunately there isn't really a lot you can do about it if you want to have your e-mail address open so that you will receive information from all correspondents. However if you want your PC to be secure from virus attacks etc you really do need to run a firewall - I use Zone Alarm which is free, and some form of virus protection. Better still a hardware firewall as well. As we run two PCs I use a linksys router which does network address translation and have no trouble with virus attacks, Trojans etc. But as I say if you put your e-mail address on any sort of contact message board you will get loads of spam and porn.

Whatever you do, don't reply to the "junk" email... that just proves to them that you exist and then you'll get even more sent to you.

I used to be on free serve and got hundreds of these. Then last year we changed to bt broadband and changed our e-mail addresses to ya hoo. We have got Norton anti-virus and firewall. I now get NO spam at all. I thoroughly recommend Norton to everyone! Maz. XX

I also get these, but early this year i started getting them by phone as well, I was shocked, I cried, and then changed my number, and havent had any since.

Hi Helen - I used to have the same problem when my email address was just initials instead of my full name - when I was on BT email I was getting upto 100+ spams aday which were all pornographic! Try the home page of your email provider - like Blueyonder, they usually have spam filters on them which you can register with.......adding them to your 'blocked' list rarely works for long as they just send it from a different source.

Mags Can you explain what "bouncing it back" means? I had the same e-mail sent me from a different sender just now. I've blocked both the senders, but if there is another way I would like to know. LN

Does NTL have a spam filter. I'm sure somebody on here would help you set it up to get rid of most of these e mails so you don't even have to see them. I'm on AOL and although I've never had the sort you mention, was getting a lot of the usual, viagra etc., since I've been on AOL9 this has practically been down to nil. Diane

Hi Nell, These people want shooting ! - I like the exploding ink idea but would prefer 'I am a perv' the everyone would know exactly what they are like!!!! We had problems with our home page on Freeserve - it kept going to a porn site - I wouldn't have minded quite so much but our hearts can't take that sort of thing any more lol Is it any good 'bouncing' it back ? - at least you wouldn't get any more if your mail box appeared to be closed. Magsx

I just checked my e-mails and along with the usual junk spam there was one with explicit photos, which I won't elaborate on. I was very offended. I went online to report it to ntl, but they have a v. complicated form to fill in which required a number which I didn't have (isp) and said that if the sender wasn't using ntl they couldn't do anything anyway. So I contacted the online police complaints people who said if it wasn't a site involving children (it didn't appear to be) then they weren't going to do anything either. What makes me so mad is that there is nothing I can do - I don't want to change my e-mail address as I have left it on various genealogy sites in the hope someone connected with me may want to contact me at some time in the future. Wouldn't it be fab if you could e-mail these people back and it made the computer explode ink which stamped their foreheads with "I am totally gross please avoid me"? LN