Hi Anyone,

I was wondering if there is a way to stop scammers from contacting you in the first place?

I don't know about anyone else but I'm dam tied of getting 419 scam emails and Inter messaging contacts. I must get anywhere from a few to 20 a week. And they are usually and unfortunately from the scam capital of the world - Nigeria.

What ever the economical/geopolitical situation is there I'm tied of being harassed by it! They have no excuse for justifying their criminal activity on the Internet! And they do justify it.

One scammer I communicated with believes that anyone that loses money through their scams is compensated by the US government for their loses. I told them that they are delusional, that that isn't the case and it's not. They also said that most of the scammers are in their teens to early twenties.

I've heard that the government there even supports the Nigerian citizens doing these activities. They can set up scam haven sweet shops where ever they like with anywhere form one to a large number of PCs in one room being monitored by a few individuals who's soul purpose is to get good at fraudulently scamming peoples form other counties out of their money. It's disgusting! And they are protected by what International law is right now.

I'm just tired of wasting my time with them in the first place!

Most all the fraudulent emails and Inter-messaging is extremely easy to spot and discard and I do. But I'm tired of wasting even that amount of time on them.

I don't want to get these disgustingly pathetic stupid obvious scam emails in he first place let alone spend time on Inter Messaging asking a/s/l stuff to help smoke them out.

I do and would like to keep an open email and Inter Messenger because most all of my International friends on here are from people approaching me first and they are usually obviously very respectable people with genuine real lives and real jobs that I enjoy as real live friends on here.

So, is there a way to isolate emails and IMs from particular areas in the world to keep them from contacting you in the first place? Like from Nigeria for instance.

I've really been open to people contacting me on Inter Messaging even Nigerians because I figured that they all can't be scammers and I'd love to have some Inter Messaging Friends from there to fill out my friends list from all over the world. But I'm finding that there really is no exception to the rule that if from Nigeria they are a scam (on the Internet at least). Literally, I have yet to have one contact from there not end up a scam.

I want to be sympathetic to the situation there if it needs sympathy as much as I can but until their situation does get straightened out I really don't have time for them always trying to scam me.

So, is there way to isolate certain parts of the world from where certain emails and IMs are coming from and restrict them from contacting me?

When their situation improves I'll be more than happy to except contact from them.

Until then, it has to be "No Thanks". Thanks.

John

How are you reading your emails? Online Email client if so which... There are a few excellent anti spam agents like spamilator. For that please check our freeware section ( link in my sig). Please provide us with some more info so that we can help you.

Hi Fozzie,

I read my email and do my Inter Messaging using Yahoo! services, Yahoo! web email using Yahoo!'s browser and Yahoo! Inter Messaging for IMing. I've been very satisfied using their services. However, if there is better I'm sure that I could get use to it, easily.

I also use Yahoo! spam guard made for Yahoo! email clients. However, I use Microsoft's OneCare for both firewall and anti virus protection. I also only use Microsoft's pop up blocker and turn off all other pop up blockers.

Kiss, keep it simple stupid is what I try to adhere to.

I already have enough conflict in my life I don't need anymore on my PC than needs to be there.

I hope that helps. Thanks.

John

"One scammer I communicated with believes that anyone that loses money through their scams is compensated by the US government for their loses."

Contacting ANY scammer will only increase the number of spam messages. In this case, the message is an attempt to defraud the unsuspecting.

Regards,
John

I tend to agree with this. Contacting them will get you nothing but more spam. I use an online email provided by my ISP and most of this stuff goes in my spam folder. I just check the spam folder to be sure it's spam and get rid of them. I don't expect this to ever stop and I think you're encouraging more spam by contacting them. Oh and don't forget lottery, pharmacy, software & stock scams along with phishing and phony greeting cards. It will never end and everyone has to deal with it.

I can highly recommend GMAIL because of it spam filtering capacities. I am not to familiar with IM but I would recommend a program like trillian because of its safety features. THere are ways to protect yourself from scam artists such as never to leave any email adresses on open forums. Alternatively use an add-on ( if you have firefox ) like temporary inbox which provides you THE solution. It will generate a random email adress to confirm membership to forums and after that you can delete that email adress..