How do I deal with unsolicited email links that suggest they will remove you from the list?

What do I do with unsolicited offers to buy goods of the internet?

What do I do witih email from unknown sources?

How do I set up spam tagging to control junk email?

What is Phishing and Pharming?

1. DO NOT reply to unsolicited email links that suggest they will remove you from the list.

2. Many SPAM emails have instructions on how to be removed from the list. If you respond to these instructions they have a "verified" address -- an address that is known to go to a real email account. So, current thinking has it that you will end up on more SPAM lists rather than being removed. So don't bother. Besides more often than not the address is not a valid address.

3. Never buy any product or use any service that you learn about through unsolicited email.

4. If SPAM was not effective they would stop doing it. And at the moment it is only marginally effective. If only a few more of us make efforts to be a little less gullible the SPAM market might fall apart. Set up filters or rules in your email client. Set the filter to mark the email as junk if the sender is not in your address book. If an email gets into the “junk” folder that shouldn’t be there you can always add that sender to your address book.

Don't open email from unknown sources.

A simple rule of thumb is that if you don't know the person who is sending you an email, be very careful about opening the email and any file attached to it. Should you receive a suspicious email, the best thing to do is to delete the entire message, including any attachment. Even if you do know the person sending you the email, you should exercise caution if the message is strange and unexpected, particularly if it contains unusual hyperlinks.

How do I set up spam tagging to control junk email?

For more information about using Vassar's Spam Tagging features, see the Email FAQ or log into the Vassar ControlPanel at https://controlpanel.vassar.edu

What is Phishing and Pharming?

Phishing attacks use both social engineering and technical subterfuge to steal consumers' personal identity data and financial account credentials. Social-engineering schemes use 'spoofed' e-mails to lead consumers to counterfeit websites designed to trick recipients into divulging financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords and social security numbers. Hijacking brand names of banks, e-retailers and credit card companies, phishers often convince recipients to respond. Technical subterfuge schemes plant crimeware onto PCs to steal credentials directly, often using Trojan keylogger spyware. Pharming crimeware misdirects users to fraudulent sites or proxy servers, typically through DNS hijacking or poisoning.