Information and Resources to Take Control of Spam

Unsolicited junk mail, or "spam", has become an Internet phenomenon, and almost all Internet users have reported an increasing amount of spam in their mailbox. From "Get Rich Quick" schemes to Internet stock tips, it may seem like anyone and everyone is trying to get your attention. If you don't like receiving those messages, read on to learn more and see what you can do to manage your incoming mail.

One of the easiest steps you can take to manage your mail is to set filters in your e-mail program that "direct" your messages to the folders where you want them. Both Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger give you the ability to sort, or filter, your incoming e-mail so you can put mailing lists in special folders, throw away unwanted junk mail or even send an automatic response to certain senders. Filters assist you in managing your Inbox more effectively and only take a few moments to set up.

Managing Mail Filters in Microsoft Outlook Express

Managing Mail Filters in Netscape Messenger

2 Fords Network Online Spam Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Managing Mail Filters in Microsoft Outlook Express
Outlook Express filters are called "Rules" and are found in the Inbox Assistant. By using the Inbox Assistant, you can have incoming messages that meet certain criteria sent to the folders you want, forwarded to a contact in your address book or even thrown away. To establish Rules, just follow the simple steps below:

  1. From the Tools menu, select Inbox Assistant.
  2. Click Add and a Properties window will open.
  3. Define the criteria you want the incoming messages to match by typing in the appropriate fields in the top portion of the window.
  4. In the Perform the following action area, define the desired action by checking the appropriate box, then click the folder, person or file you want to send the matching incoming messages to.
  5. When you have finished, click OK. The Inbox Assistant window will reappear with your rule (filter). If it appears correct, click OK and your filter will be saved.
  6. Once saved, the filter can be removed or modified by using the Inbox Assistant.

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Managing Mail Filters in Netscape Messenger
Netscape Messenger allows you to create and maintain message filters so that Messenger automatically matches criteria you set, including filing messages in a folder when they arrive. To create a filter that handles incoming messages follow the steps below:

  1. In the Messenger window, choose Message Filters from the Edit menu.
  2. In the Message Filters dialog box, click New.
  3. Use the Message Filters Rules dialog box to edit or define an action you want a filter to perform and the type of messages to which you want to apply the action.
  4. Type a name for the filter.
  5. Select the "Match" option you want. Use the pop-up menus to choose filtering criteria and type a keyword to be used in the search.
  6. Click More to add criteria and Fewer to remove them, then use the filtering action you want.
  7. Type information about this filter in the Description field.
  8. When you are done, click OK.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How did these people get my e-mail address?
E-mail addresses are gathered from many sources, including personal home pages, newsgroups, mailing lists and chat rooms. There are also computer programs that randomly generate e-mail addresses. Unless you are sure of the source of an e-mail, it is recommended you do not reply to the sender to remove your address from their list, as that action simply validates your address and ensures it gets added to the next list.

Does 2 Fords Network provide my e-mail address to outside parties?
No. 2 Fords Network values the privacy of your e-mail address and does not sell or make available to any third party information about its customers, except in cases where required by law as defined in our Internet Access Agreement.

The only way to report spam abuse is with FULL HEADERS.
Many people who send unsolicited e-mails forge their "from" address, making the message appear to have come from one ISP when it actually came from another ISP. The only way to accurately identify the origin of the message is from its "header" information.

How do I view the header information of a message?
To view the message header, select the option in your e-mail program that allows you to view full headers:

Outlook Express
Highlight the message
From the File menu, select Properties, then Details

Netscape Messenger
Open the message
From the View menu, select Headers, then All

The "full header" will contain lines beginning with "Received". These are "postmarks" marking the servers through which the message has traveled. Note the "host names" in the "Received" lines. "Host names" are the parts to the right of the "@" sign in e-mail addresses, names typically ending with ".com" or ".net", such as hotmail.com or aol.com or ?. In most cases, the one in the last "Received" line (the line closest to the message body) is the originating ISP of the sender.

What if the message header does not have a "host name"?
If there is not a "host name" in the last "Received" line (the line closest to the message body), you will see a numeric address in parenthesis, such as, (208-254-171-15). To find the ISP that this numeric address belongs to, just copy the address into the space provided at the following Web site: http://www.arin.net/whois/arinwhois.html

How can I effectively complain about unsolicited e-mail?
If you choose to complain about an unsolicited e-mail, the complaint must be sent to the originating ISP in order for any action to be taken against the sender of the message. Sending a complaint to 2 Fords Network about spam from another ISP will delay any action, as 2 Fords cannot take action against another ISP's customer.

When sending your complaint, it is very important that the original message be sent as an attachment to your complaint. Doing so preserves the header information, which is vital to the investigation. Please do not "cut and paste" the offending message into the complaint message. If you are using Outlook Express or Netscape Messenger, you can forward a message as an attachment by right-clicking on the message and selecting "forward as attachment" from the menu.

Please address your complaint to "abuse@", followed by the "Host name" of the ISP; e.g., "abuse@hotmail.com". If you encounter a problem utilizing the "abuse@" format, try "host@" or "postmaster@" followed by the "host name" of the ISP.

What can I do to block or filter an unsolicited e-mail?
An effective way to block unsolicited e-mail is to "set a rule" in your e-mail program to automatically delete e-mail that meets your criteria for spam. Check the "help" area of your e-mail program for instructions on setting mail filters. There are also several e-mail filtering software programs on the market that will perform this task automatically. See our links below for more information.

Where can I find out more about the problem of unsolicited e-mail?
Check the information presented on the Internet at:

The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail
Fight Spam on the Internet!
Filtering E-mail with Anti-Spam Software

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