How to deal with Spam
This website provides tools and information related
to the enforcement of our mail policies.
Information for end-users whose messages have been blocked.
Tools for administrators of mail systems whose messages have been blocked.
Tips for senders on getting mail delivered.
End User Guide for Surgemail
Login to your mail spam settings for administrators Domain Management Login
What is Spam
Q. What is Spam?A. Unwanted email. These email's can include such items like advertisements, chain letters, scams, and many more varieties. The most common are advertisements. Companies send these emails to large groups of people in hope that they will get a response. There is very little cost to the company to send this spam, so they have nothing to lose. Spam can range from simple ads to very offensive material.
Q. Why am I getting spam?
How did they get my email address?
A. Spammers have many ways of getting email addresses. The most
common are simpler than you would expect. Some spammers have programs
that travel through web pages on the Internet searching for email
addresses on those pages (called harvesting). Many websites also sell
their customer lists to spammers. You may think you are signing up for a
joke of the day, or horoscopes or simply becoming a member of a site,
but your email address could be sold to spammers. Some spammers simply
guess a huge list of email addresses and send out the spam hoping that
some of the addresses belong to real people (called a dictionary
attack). It is important to know, that Aussiewide
does NOT give out information or the email addresses of
our customers.
Q. But my friend is with
another ISP and they are not getting spam! Why am I?
A. All email providers are battling with the spam problem. Many
factors may affect who gets spam. These include how long you've had your
email address, how easy it is to guess, and how often you've given it
out. In general, one email provider isn't better than another- everyone
is vulnerable.
Q. What can I do to stop
spam?
A. The truth there is no way for any of us to guarantee that we
won't get any spam, but there are ways to reduce your chances.
- Only give out your email address to people you know. For signing up on websites or for newsletters and such, a good suggestion is to set up an email account with one of the free online email providers and use this email address as a "dummy" address for sites that require an email address to Forms.
- Don't reply to spam. Many spam messages include a link that claims it will remove you from the spam list. In most cases this is a lie. It will only confirm that your email address belongs to a real person and you will likely get even more spam. Remember, there are very few laws regulating the Internet and spammers don't have to tell the truth.
- Don't forward spam. Some messages try to trick you into forwarding the message to a bunch of other people. They might even offer a prize or good luck if you forward it. These tricks will only make the spam problem worse.
- Delete it. Don't read it. Don't buy the products being sold and don't visit the websites that the spam links to. If spammers don't get any response, maybe they will stop.
- Lobby the government for anti-spam laws. The government is currently considering laws that will help fight the spam problem, show your support for these laws, and maybe they will get passed sooner.
Q. How big is the spam
problem?
A. The spam problem is approaching a critical size. It is
estimated that for the average email user, 28% of the email they receive
is spam. Many people are getting more spam than legitimate email and
experts say that soon the spam problem may become so big that email will
no longer be a desirable form of communication. This has sparked
increased interest by the government. It would be a big shame if people
stopped using email because of the spam problem.
Q. What is Aussiewide
doing about spam?
A. All that we can. We have programs that filter out as much of
the spam that we can, and we also block known spammers. Unfortunately,
if the filters are too strong they will begin to block legitimate mail.
It seems that as email providers like us develop new ways to block spam,
the spammers develop new ways to get around it. Rest assured that
Aussiewide is staying current with the new anti-spam techniques and we
are doing everything possible.
Q. Why isn't Aussiewide
blocking all of the spam?
A. As humans it is easy to look at an email and tell if it is
spam or not. Getting a computer to do this is not so easy. Remember,
computers can't think like we can. The best that spam filters can do is
to look for certain words and phrases that are common in spam. Also we
look at who is sending the spam. Unfortunately spammers are getting more
creative by changing the spelling of certain words, just using common
words or using pictures that can't be blocked. Unfortunately, it just
isn't possible to block all spam, and we must also be careful not to
accidentally block wanted mail.
In conclusion, spam affects us all to one degree or another. Sometimes it feels like we are helpless to stop it. We here at Aussiewide hear the concerns of our customers and we do the best that we can. Hopefully in the future, new laws and technologies will help to reduce or even eliminate spam.
Information for end-users whose messages have been blocked.
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Tools for administrators of mail systems whose messages have been blocked
All requests for removing blocking must be sent through the submission form above.
For questions related to a request, please contact us at support@regionalconnect.com.au
Tips for Senders for Getting Mail Successfully Delivered
Like other providers of Internet mail, Regional Connect uses a variety of methods for protecting our customers from messages that are unwanted or fraudulent. Inevitably, legitimate messages are sometimes misidentified as spam or phishing-related. This happens when legitimate messages are composed and sent using methods commonly identified with spammers and phishers.
The following recommendations can help ensure that your messages reach our customers.
To avoid getting your message sidelined as spam:
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Comply with the guidelines in the federal SPAM legislation. Most importantly, make sure that all legitimate requests for removal from your mailing lists are honored. The easiest way to get your message identified as spam is to send it to people who don't want it or to addresses that are defunct.
For more information about Australian SPAM legislation, see the ACMA
website (Click
here to visit)
To avoid having your messages blocked before reaching mail servers:
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Use a reputable mailing service. There are at least two known risks to using small or questionable services. First, they may mix legitimate mail with spam from their other customers. If the proportion of spam to good mail from a particular sender is high (which you will have no control over), *all* messages from that sender's address may get blocked including yours. Second, small marketing companies and mailing services are often run from home offices. If they send mail directly to the Internet from their home computers, they will look like one of the "zombie" machines that are responsible for so much of the spam and phishing on the Internet. All major mail services, including Regional Connect, regularly block mail from these sources.
To avoid Antiphishing warnings:
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In HTML messages, make sure all the links are transparent. Discrepancies between the apparent URL and the real URL of the destination site will trigger antiphishing warnings. If you want to send someone to www.domainnane.com.au/yourbusinessname/xxx.html, then use that URL in the code. Don't use HTML code to make it look like the destination is a part of your domain.
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Use a real sub-domain if possible: http://subdmain.fully_qualified_domain_name.com.au Avoid using URLs that resemble subdomains but aren't: http://www.businessnames.com.au (We check to see if they exist in the dns)
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Avoid using IP addresses: http://0.0.0.0 it is always preferred to use a real domain name.
For further information on this topic, see How Not to Look Like a Phish at http://www.truste.org/about/phish.php
Blocked Mail Types
Please note that we block all messages containing attachments with the following file extensions:
*.com, *.vbs, *.scr, *.pif, *.bat, *.hta, *.cpl and *.cmd