spam stopper?

[mikeparris@comcast.net]

I'm a first-time BB user with a Verizon 8830. I have about everything worked out after my first week except controlling the spam emails. It is controlled on my Outlook and I am not seeing the same spam at all on my Comcast server. Where is it coming from and more important, how can I stop in on the BB?

[John Clark]

Did you setup a BB specific email account like yourname@<hidden>?

[x14]

BIS is processing the mail on the mail server. Your Outlook is removing SPAM as it is downloaded from the mail server.

You can eighter signup with a mail service that does SPAM filtering or get a SPAM program on the BlackBerry.

[John Clark]

It's best to stop the spam at the server level. There are a few spam stopper apps for BB but i've not tried them.

As soon as I disabled my @<hidden> email address my spam stopped. Also, when I was using Charter for email I got lots of spam. I've since switched to gmail and get no spam.

[mikeparris@comcast.net]

OK, may sound elementary, but I did set up a name@<hidden> for my Comcast email, but I don't remember setting up the bb email. When I sign in on BB and check online it just shows my Comcast email under email accounts.

[John Clark]

Then it must be coming from your Comcast server. Outlook is filtering it out but it's still getting to your Comcast server inbox. Personally, I'd switch to Gmail (good spam filters on their server) and dump the Comcast account.

When you get one of the spam messages on your bb, scroll up into the headers and see what it says next to "Received Using:" That'll tell you what account it's coming from.

[mikeparris@comcast.net]

Good thinking on the header. I'll first identify where it's coming from by your "header" suggestion, then if need, I'll start moving everything over to my Gmail. 'Bout time reprint my business cards anyhow, and that's a good time start making the transition.

[JRSCCivic98]

Another good practice Mike Parris is not to blatantly post up your email address on any website. Much like what you did with your userid here. That's your number one reason why you're getting spammed all the time. That is how most email address harvesting works. It's a no no on the "What should I do to keep SPAM from starting to come to an account."

[SheepDog]

yep what he said. Kill or chg the comcast acct then just KEEP that user id name for here! Heh Heh heh!

[wiscaudi]

I think it's definitely good practice to keep your BB created e-mail account private and only use it to forward messages to. As stated earlier in this thread, there's no spam filtering on RIM's server end, meaning all spam will be sent to your handset. I'm not sure how well the BB spam programs work, but I'd rather not add more applications to my device than needed!

[John Clark]

Just creating the address opens up the chance for spam. I had an @<hidden> address and used it only for forwarding. I never gave it to anyone. It started getting spam. It was a major problem and was posted about here on the forums by many a year or two ago. If you don't need the address, don't even set it up.

[Fireproof]

Another good practice Mike Parris is not to blatantly post up your email address on any website. Much like what you did with your userid here. That's your number one reason why you're getting spammed all the time. That is how most email address harvesting works. It's a no no on the "What should I do to keep SPAM from starting to come to an account."

Yeah - I thought it was kind of an ironic post!!

[Daytripper63]

If you have Comcast internet you can get the full McAfee for free for your computers and stop it there.
Just log in to your Comcast email and I believe the download is in the mailbox mgr or ?

[John Clark]

That doesn't help for keeping the spam off the Blackberry, though.

[Daytripper63]

If it is email that is being forwarded from his comcast account it will

[John Clark]

If the spam filter/McAffee is software that is installed on the computer then that won't stop it at the server level. It just stops it from being downloaded to the PC and will still forward from the server to the BB. If the spam filter is at the server level and can stop it from hitting the server inbox then the spam will stop going to the BB.

[JRSCCivic98]

Yeah Day, John is right on this one. Not only that, but McAfee's SPAM whatever doesn't even stop it at the PC level. The details are that Outlook still needs to download the email from the server before McAfee even has the chance to take a look at the email and characterize it as SPAM. The software really does nothing different then what someone with elaborate Outlook rules could accomplish. This is a major reason why anti-SPAM software running on a PC rather then a server pretty much does nothing to aleviate the SPAM issue to begin with. SPAM blocking at the server or ISP level has the ability to report SPAM to blocking listers and most importantly, stops the SPAM from making it to the user's mailbox, which is what's needed in this case.

One thing the user can do is use Comcast's Webmail feature to report SPAM on whatever emails he receives before he pulls them down with a PC. That way, at least there's some small hope that Comcast can try and block those senders if sufficient complaints are logged.