What is Spam?

Unsolicted Commercial Email, Junk or Spam can loosely be defined as an unsolicited electronic mail sent to one or many users. Because of the way the Internet mail protocol (SMTP) works it is easy for spammers to send thousands of mail messages while incurring little cost to themselves. However far from being a benign form of advertising SPAM costs everyone else on the internet. ISP must relay messages and users must pay in the form of subscription and telephone charges to download SPAM. That's not to mention the time taken to sort SPAM mails from everything else. Typical SPAM mails included:-

Chain letters
Pyramid schemes (including Multilevel Marketing, or MLM)
Other "Get Rich Quick" or "Make Money Fast" (MMF) schemes
Offers of phone sex lines and ads for pornographic web sites
Offers of software for collecting e-mail addresses and sending UCE
Offers of bulk e-mailing services for sending UCE
Stock offerings for unknown start-up corporations
Quack health products and remedies
Illegally pirated software ("Warez")

In a single day my 'test' account at hotmail received the following SPAM mails:-

rb484881554@sei.de	May 4 1999	BOOST YOUR SEX APPEAL AND CHANGE YOUR SOCIAL ...
profits900@aol.com	May 4 1999	Hot New Casino No Downloads
cannonman5@hotmail.c...	May 4 1999	Do Syncreny Counseling - - - - - Make up to $...
MiYim@aol.com	May 4 1999	Boost your business!
rb484873597@sfx.de	May 4 1999	Hi Sexy (343897)
cannonman5@hotmail.c...	May 4 1999	GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR MARKETING DOLLAR!
cannonbro28@hotmail....	May 4 1999	REEL FUN CHARTERS!!!
cannonbro28@hotmail....	May 4 1999	Viagra OnLine - Instant Service - Overnight D...

Often SPAM is sent through 'trial' Internet accounts making it hard to trace, or return addresses are disguised. Sometimes hitting 'reply' merely confirms to the spammer that your address is active further encouraging these activities.