… This morning all my outgoing messages came back to me. My Norton virus checker results stated that all is clean. The message:

“Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected by the recipient domain. We recommend contacting the other email provider for further information about the cause of this error. The error that the other server returned was: 554. The message was rejected because it contains prohibited virus or spam content (state 18).”

Can you help?

While it is odd that all of your messages bounced back to you, it is good that your virus checker had nothing to report. With a message of this type, one that has been generated by the intended recipient of the emails, the problem is clearly seen as one that belongs to that email server. In other words, the problem is not on your end or with your Gmail account.

By the nature of the comment that is included with the rejection, “The message was rejected because it contains prohibited virus or spam content,” the indication here is that the other mail server has an issue with some of the content in your email. Most email servers/providers maintain applications to prohibit the sending or receipt of spam.

In particular, URLs that originate from certain websites that have been blocked by the email server are classified as “undeliverable” due to the nature of their content. Emails sent with this type or URL included in either the body or signature of the email will not go through and will get bounced back to the originator or sender of the email.

Questionable attachments are also a quick trip to the “this isn’t getting delivered” bounce back dump. Today’s technology is very sophisticated and yet it has been designed and implemented by humans. Therefore, even content and URLs that have nothing to do with spam or viruses are often mistakenly flagged as belonging to this category of undesirables.

Without knowing whether your outgoing messages are similar in content or whether they are all going through the same mail server, it is difficult to get specific. However, it is more than likely that some word, link, or attachment in your emails is being recognized by the other email server as some type of signal that the emails contain spam content.

In some cases, the problem is in the subject line of the emails. Certain words have been associated as red flags that indicate that the email being issued with it is more likely than not some type of spam. A few examples of common subject lines used with spam are: re, alert, undelivered mail, and policy violation. Subject lines for spam change on a regular basis and might include bits and pieces from current headlines as well.

It is also possible that the email servers for the intended recipients of your emails have anti-spam software installed and set at a high level. In fact, this is almost a definite circumstance. This application would reject the emails and refuse to deliver any that resembled spam.

I suggest calling tech support at the other email server and asking for a clear explanation.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could register your e-mail address with an agency much like you can do with the national “Do Not Call” list? The “Do Not Call” list has been extremely effective at reducing the telemarketing calls. For example, prior to registering my phone number, I’d receive at least five telemarketing calls per day. Now, I get maybe one or two a month.

However, while the U.S.’s CAN-SPAM Act places restrictions on spam, it doesn’t actually can it. Instead, marketers have guidelines that they must follow such as providing their physical address and a means for opting out of future messages. Further, CANSPAM does not have a “Do Not E-mail” provision.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) offers an E-Mail Preference Service they call the “eMPS” that appears to be a voluntary effort by the marketing industry to give consumers options. You can register your e-mail addresses with the eMPS and, theoretically, reduce the amount of unsolicited e-mail messages that arrive in your inbox. I say theoretically because not all spammers clean their e-mail lists using the eMPS system. What good is registering if none of the spammers use the registry? Registering your e-mail address may reduce some e-mail but I doubt it will make a dramatic impact. Instead, this should be part of a larger strategy.

If you want to register your e-mail address with this service, it’s fairly easy to do. Simply enter your e-mail address in the E-Mail Preference Service form, click the confirmation link in the confirmation e-mail that you receive and wait and see. They say that you should expect to see a decrease in e-mail volume in about two months. I just registered a “disposable” e-mail address as a test and will report back in a few months to let you know if any spammers managed to get a hold of this unpublished address.

So, if there’s no legitimate “Do Not Call” list for spam, how can you reduce the amount of spam that arrives in your inbox? Be stingy with your e-mail address, use disposable e-mail addresses, and use a good spam filter.

Don’t freely give away your main e-mail address or you will be spammed. This includes filling out entry forms at special events, posting your e-mail on Web pages and forums, and signing up for freebies online. When an e-mail address is required, use a disposable one such as a Yahoo e-mail address that is used strictly for such purposes. I use SpamGourmet. To date, nearly 52,000 spam messages that would have landed in my inbox have been gobbled up by this free service!

Finally, a good anti-spam program, such as ParetoLogic Spam Controls, can identify and trap spam messages that manage to come your way despite your precautions.   

I love my disposable email address and highly recommend that you get one too. You know how Web sites are - they always want your e-mail address. Sometimes, I find a site and want to demo their software or read a few of their newsletters. Guess what? They want my e-mail address before they’ll let me go any further.

The problem with just giving them my e-mail address is that I don’t necessarily trust the Web site just yet. Will they bombard me with spam? Will they sell or share my e-mail address with others? Will I ever want to hear from them with special offers? All I want to do is see how their product works, not enter into an ongoing dialog with them.

I could sign up for a free web-based e-mail account and use that as a throwaway email address. In fact, I have done that. The problem is, some of these Web site signups require that I actually check the email in order to activate my membership or receive the messages. So, I must log in to the disposable account, check my e-mail and see a bunch of unwanted messages in my in-box. Not a big deal, but there’s a better way.

I use SpamGourmet. This service lets you sign up for a disposable e-mail address. You use this address by configuring the way you give it to others. For example, the disposable e-mail address is in the following format:

UniqueIdentifier.NumberOfEmailsYouWillAllow.Username@spamgourmet.com

For example, let’s say I want to sign up for XYZ’s newsletter and I have a username of “celeste.” I’m willing to receive a test run of five emails before I want XYZ to stop sending me e-mails. I would sign up for the newsletter using this disposable e-mail address:

XYZ.5.celeste@spamgourmet.com

The first five emails from XYZ would be forwarded to my regular e-mail address. If I enjoy these newsletters and want to continue to receive messages from this address, I can go my account at SpamGourmet and either increase the number or allow unlimited emails from this address. If I don’t want to receive any more than five, once the last e-mail arrives, any new ones are gobbled up by SpamGourmet and are never forwarded to me ever again.

I can make up e-mail addresses all day long as needed. Let’s say I want to receive news alerts from CWWNews but am not sure about their privacy policy. I’d create a disposable address using the same format, in this case: CWWNews.20.celeste@spamgourmet.com

Now, as messages begin arriving with this address in the “to” field, I can gauge whether CWWNews is sending them or if some other entity suddenly has the address. If I’m suddenly receiving offers from mortgage companies using this e-mail address, I can conclude that CWWNews has shared my e-mail address. By using a disposable email address, I can limit how compromised my address will become. These companies can share my disposable address with the entire world of spammers for all I care because I’ll never see their messages.

For starters, if the email is from a Nigerian king, it’s probably a scam. Unless you happen to regularly hang out with Nigerian royalty that is. I’ve mentioned in previous posts how my old email address had been severely compromised. Hundreds of spam messages arrived in my inbox each day. But a spam email and a scam email aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Spam emails are usually pretty easy to spot, right? You know that emails promoting Viagra are junk messages. But scam emails are often more subtle. In fact, some are nearly impossible to tell from legitimate messages. For example, I get emails from Bank of America regularly. I also occasionally receive emails from Citibank, PayPal, eBay, Wells Fargo, and Washington Mutual. All look like they are legitimate. All have the appropriate information in the “from” line. All have pretty pictures and logos. But only a fraction of these emails are from MY bank.

What’s wrong with that? Let’s say that I’m a Bank of America customer and I receive general notices from the from time to time such as “View your banking documents online” or “try ‘Keep the Change’.”  I am a Bank of America customer and I do receive these kinds of emails from them. But these emails aren’t asking me to “confirm” my account or enter my username and password.

Emails that prompt you to reveal your private information in such a manner are known as “phishing” scams. It’s fairly easy to copy the look and feel of financial institutions and enter a dummy address into the “from” line. These scams can even direct you to lookalike websites so that you think that you are logging into your own account. As you log in, guess what? You are entering your username and password. You’ve just been scammed!

So, how can I tell? A combination of common sense and a good security software suite, that’s how. I don’t have a Citibank account, so right off the bat I know that Citibank emails are either spam or scams. Anytime an email from PayPal or eBay comes in prompting me to confirm my information, it is almost always a scam. My security software also flags suspicious looking emails and warns me that it has found an email that is most likely a phishing email. 

Take everything that comes through your inbox with a grain of salt. You’ll receive tons of emails and chain letters forwarded from well meaning friends that aren’t what they appear to be. Some are scams, others are hoaxes, and others are just plain silly. You’re not going to get rich investing in stocks that you’ve heard about in a chain letter and why would a Nigerian king reach out to you for help?

Scams are aplenty. Remember that legitimate financial institutions never ask you to reveal your personal information. If you’re concerned about your account due to an alarming email, pick up the phone book, look up the phone number, call, and inquire about your account. Don’t call the number provided in the email because it could ring right to the scammer. Invest in good anti-spam filtering software and use common sense. If it’s too good to be true, then it’s probably a scam.

Using Mailing Lists For Marketing Purposes

A mailing list or email list can provide marketers, website owners, and business owners with a powerful list of potential leads. However, many factors should be considered before you begin to send a course of emails to your new prospects. Initially it is vital to consider how you received the list in the first place. If a list you are using was generated by anything other than legitimate needs and is populated by anybody other than willing recipients then you are likely to be labeled as a spammer and the majority of those that do not report you will simply delete your email without giving it a second thought.

What Exactly Is Considered Spam

The literal meaning of spam is an unsolicited bulk email. As such, buying mailing lists that are not genuine opt-in lists and emailing them en mass is absolutely the definition of spamming. As such, this is not looked on kindly by recipients, anti spamming companies, or the Internet powers that be. If you already have a mailing list then it is important that you research where the list came from and how the details were taken from the list members. Unless they checked a box that enabled the original list creator to sell or share their details with “authorized third parties” then you are running the very real risk of spamming.

Give Your Opt In Members The Chance To Opt Out

If you are certain that your list is indeed an opt-in list there are still steps that must be taken. Primarily this means that you have to provide recipients with the opportunity to opt out of receiving any future mailings. This can either be done by providing a link or asking uninterested recipients to email you with a subject of unscubscribe or something similar. This opportunity must be clearly labeled and present on every single marketing email you send. You may also consider a contingency of having a similar service on your website, if you run a website.

Providing A Mailing Address In Communication

All emails should contain a physical mailing address that pertains to your company or to you personally. Again, email advertising without this can actually be reported and, again, you may be penalized accordingly. This is to prevent people from spamming without any fear of come back and to try to minimize the scams and thefts that are conducted via advertising and marketing email.

Email Frequency

Sending too many emails to your list may also push some recipients into reporting you as spam. Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly emails are not usually considered too much trouble, but some companies insist on sending numerous emails every single day. This will annoy your leads and they will either unsubscribe if you are lucky or report your for spamming if you are unlucky.

Combating Spam Online

The Internet and online marketing are riddled with spammers. Many steps and actions are being taken to try to prevent these unauthorized marketing ploys and while spammers seem to find new and annoyingly innovative ways to bypass these rules if you are reported for spam it can be incredibly difficult to have your name cleared. The best option is always to err on the side of caution in a bid to protect your good name and that of your website, business, or service.

Spam Certainty

In past posts, I have mentioned that I used to receive hundreds of spam messages a day. Now, my spam problems have virtually disappeared thanks to being better educated about how to prevent spam, a change of email addresses, and anti-spam software. Earlier, I was looking at my Junk Mail folder to see if any legitimate email messages wound up inside it. Just one did. The others were coupons, newsletters, and stuff like that. I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are all the offers for low-cost mortgages, miracle cures, and penis enlargements?”

Spammers haven’t stopped spamming me, of that I’m certain. The reason why those emails aren’t in the Junk Mail folder is because of “spam certainty.” Spam certainty is a concept used by the spam filter developers to further screen out spam and spare my innocent eyes from having to see X-rated messages and other unwanted junk.

For example, if the spam filter can identify a message to a specific level of certainty that it is indeed spam, then the message is deleted and I’ll never see it no matter where I look. However, if the message does not meet this specific level of certainty, it will be marked as spam and placed in the Junk Mail folder where I can review it before hitting the delete key. If the spam filter sees a message and is 99.9% certain that it is spam, then what’s the point of bothering me with it?

Spam certainty is an excellent feature to look for in your anti-spam solution, especially if you receive a great deal of unwanted junk mail. I don’t know about you, but I don’t see the point of wading through known spam in an attempt to find legitimate messages. If the spam filter is certain that a message really is spam, then I say, “Spam be gone.”