UNOFFICIAL FIGURES indicate that unsolicited emails, or spam, make up the majority of the email traffic on the Web today. One research firm estimated that in 2002 alone, 870 billion spam emails were sent to North American email addresses. Similar figures or estimates for the Jamaican experience do not exist, but it's very likely that the spam bug has bitten just about anyone with an email account.

Wireless phones, Viagra, weight loss programmes, stock market tips, inkjet cartridges, miniature toy cars, get rich schemes, and of course, pornography in all forms are just a few of the spam variants that I have to weed out on a daily basis. My all-time favourites though are the ones from the various "high-ranking African officials" who have several million (or billion) dollars in cash and need "my urgent assistance" to get the money out of their country. For this assistance, they say I'll be "rewarded handsomely".

How anyone could be gullible enough to be tricked by this is beyond me, but apparently these scammers have managed to con their way into the bank accounts of thousands of people. Once they've have access to your bank account and/or the few thousand dollars that you gave them to cover "transaction expenses", for sure they'll be on their merry way after that.

A DAILY ROUTINE

Five or so per day may seem annoying to some, but for those like me with several email accounts, some of which are several years old, wading through one hundred or more pieces of spam has become a daily routine. The junk emails just won't stop.

But how do the spammers get these email addresses in the first place? They're always on the lookout for new addresses to add to their databases, so something as simple as you posting your email address on a web site's message board or guest book can result in it being added to some database of addresses in China or wherever.

They also try to guess email addresses, so if you've got something as simple and logical as This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , your address is basically an easy guess and an easy target.

Finally also, signing up for mailing lists and newsletters is probably the most common way for spammers to get your email address. Some unscrupulous webmasters and site owners will sell or trade their lists of email subscribers. It's even become popular in the Jamaican scenario, as lists of "partygoers" seem to be circulating among some local event promoters.

Is there a way out? Ultimately, I doubt that ALL spam can ever be stopped. ISP's or email providers can implement their own systems to filter some, and you can have your own set of rules and software to filter others, but zero spam is a pleasant but very unlikely prospect.

My advice - sharpen your own mental spam filters. Become skilled at quickly identifying and deleting spam, so that the crap about "refinancing your loan" or the "free vacation" ends up where it belongs - in the trash - without wasting too much of your valuable time.

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20030212/business/business6.html