Spam is still making people mad — and perplexed.
Joe Shikonya of La Crosse, Wis., wonders if he should change his e-mail address to avoid junk e-mail, or spam. And is there some way to track down the people who send it?
Dennis Volz of Parker, Colo., wonders how someone could send spam to a secondary e-mail account that he hasn't even used yet. Is his internet service provider recycling old e-mail addresses, or disclosing new e-mail addresses to the public?
Let's start with this premise: You can't stop spam. You can only try to reduce the amount of spam you receive, and to route what you do get to your spam folder instead of your inbox.
The best way to accomplish those things is by labeling unwanted messages as spam (so your e-mail provider can try to block them in the future) and by being careful how you handle e-mail.
So, which strategies will help you achieve those goals and which ones won't?
Changing your main e-mail address to avoid spam is probably fruitless. You'll go to a lot of work to tell every person and business you deal with that you've got a new address, and in a couple of weeks you'll be getting a lot of spam again.
Can you track down the people who send spam and make them stop? No. They are always on the move, changing their e-mail addresses and internet service providers so they can remain anonymous.
