# Has Yahoo done some huge crackdown on spam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724 "2003-04-28T17:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/1 "2003-04-28T17:33:39Z")
I typically get about 250 emails a day, most which are spam. For the last few days that number has dropped to about 20. Has anyone heard of Yahoo doing some mass blocking or something? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/2 "2003-04-28T17:44:02Z")
dunno, but my spammed account i haven’t checked for 4 days should have had over 1000 emails in the trash and 50 that passed through all my filters into the inbox, but was only at 200 and 8 through the filter. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/3 "2003-04-28T18:00:43Z")
CNN has [this story](http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/04/28/antispam.campaign.reut/index.html), which says yes, they have indicated they are beginning a crackdown, but does not give specifics. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/4 "2003-04-28T19:32:40Z")
I haven’t received _any_ Yahoo spam today. Yay! _knocks on kitty’s head for luck_ Still getting the "dfjlsdfjld@oiufoadf.fds’ ones. Sure wish I knew how to block those ones. But then it’s my fault for being too wimpy to learn how to use a real mail program. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/5 "2003-04-28T21:06:27Z")
Wish I could say the same. I’m still getting over 200 pieces of spam a day on my Yahoo account. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/6 "2003-04-28T21:15:05Z")
I’ve had an account on Yahoo for, jeez, the last three or four years at least. And I _never_ get spam. I get annoying stuff from companies I have done business with or registered with, but none of the usual stuff. I always assumed their “spam-guard” was working pretty well, but if other folks are getting over 200 a day, maybe not. Perhaps having an unusual spelling for an email address helps, maybe it makes it harder for spammers to automatically generate my address. (And, of course, I’ve probably just jinxed myself and my box will be full tomorrow. :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![Margo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Margo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Margo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/7 "2003-04-28T21:43:28Z")
I wish! They used to do a great job, but now I get about 20 a day that slip through, asking me if I need to enlarge my penis or get a new septic tank…and now they use the clever title that says something about mail delivery failure…I fell for it the first time…it is frustrating, but since it is free to me I haven’t complained. Margo ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/8 "2003-04-28T23:18:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Margo \* > **I wish! They used to do a great job, but now I get about 20 a day that slip through, asking me if I need to enlarge my penis or get a new septic tank…** So I’m not the only one getting “septic tank” spam? For some reason, that’s a relief. I have a hotmail accout that was spam free for 6 years. It’s possible the OP was getting heaps of spam primarily from ONE source that has since been filtered out or (preferably) killed in some gruesome and painful way. My spam quota is at it’s usual amounts at Yahoo. ---
**Author:** ![olefin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@olefin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/olefin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/9 "2003-04-28T23:41:53Z")
I was getting several a day to my inbox until I started sending them back to yahoo. Since I started that they have stopped. I have always used their spam filter and have it set to trash. ---
**Author:** ![Logical\_Phallacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Logical\_Phallacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logical_Phallacy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/10 "2003-04-29T02:09:27Z")
funny I’m in the same boat as shoeless. I’ve had an account for 9 months now and not 1 piece of spam! I’ve been careful about not posting the address on the web, but that never seemed to stop spammers from finding my old accounts… go yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/11 "2003-05-02T21:07:52Z")
Just an update. This is truly unbelievable. I went from 70ish spams a day (that got passed my 100 blocks) to 0-1 a day. Problem is, now I get no email. At least spam gave me the hope that someone cared. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/12 "2003-05-03T00:22:20Z")
My yahoo account has been pretty weird. Sometimes I get 1-3 a day, sometimes I get 150. ---
**Author:** ![Rhino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a5b964/32.png) [@Rhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhino)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/13 "2003-05-03T01:21:36Z")
In my Yahoo email I have two sets of mail one is called Bulk Mail and that is where in just a week or so hundreds of stuff is in it I never read it , I just click on empty Never understand the Bulk Mail thing May ask a SD about this. ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn52](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f17d59/32.png) [@DemonSpawn52](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn52)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/14 "2003-05-03T02:17:33Z")
Spam E-Mail Problem Worse Than Imagined [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=&e=14&u=/ap/20030502/ap\_on\_hi\_te/ftc\_spam\_5](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=&e=14&u=/ap/20030502/ap_on_hi_te/ftc_spam_5) I think the Spam epidemic may be crippled temporarily by this new legislation, but just like p2p piracy, it’s not going away that easy. I predict that we’ll see ebbs and flows in the volume of spam as the government(s) and spammers engage in an arms race of sorts. I also think the FTC is going to need to create a whole other agency with some serious resources and enforcable laws if they any practical ambition of clamping down on this problem. I’ve had a Yahoo account for a couple months, and I haven’t relieved a single piece of junk mail either. Don’t give your address to **anyone** except the most trusted sources (close friends, this board). Also, pick a name that isn’t ordinary; my Hotmail address was Obrien53, and a lot of my messages were from people shotgunning out variants of the name Obrien (Obrien22, Obrien25, Obrien43, Obrien48, Obrien8) However, my Hotmail account has been discovered, every time I check it I have 400+ junk mail messages. There is so much crap I don’t know if I’ve relieved a legitimate mail for years. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/15 "2003-05-03T03:54:07Z")
Wow! Hundreds of spam emails to Yahoo accounts? I’ve had my account for about four years, and the most I get a day is about 10. I report every single one of them. I haven’t checked it since this afternoon, but I did notice none came in over the course of the afternoon. FYI, I did forward to Yahoo the spams that were coming through with INVALID\_ADDRESS@ .SYNTAX-ERROR. in the “From” field. It seemed to circumvent their spam detection. I’ve noticed my Bulk folder has been very low in the past couple weeks. * * * Update! I just went to my yahoo account and got a message back from them regarding my report. They suggest setting up a filter, though they ruefully add “Please know that there are many ways to set up filters and in many cases they do not work with this type of unsolicited message.” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/16 "2003-05-03T04:30:20Z")
My yahoo spam was reasonable until I did the rather stupid thing of clicking those “click here to unsubscribe” links. You see, I thought that perhaps they were there because they were legally mandated - they had to have an opt-out list. In reality, it seems that they were there to confirm that it was an active mail account, which then got it forwarded to all of the other spam services. It may be a coincidence, but it seems starting to use those links made my spam rate go through the roof. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/17 "2003-05-03T15:05:40Z")
For me the spam levy broke in one day. One day I had no spam, the next I had 60 or 70. I guess once you get on one universal list, you’re toast. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/18 "2003-05-03T15:13:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ellen Cherry \* > \*\* FYI, I did forward to Yahoo the spams that were coming through with INVALID\_ADDRESS@ .SYNTAX-ERROR. in the “From” field. It seemed to circumvent their spam detection. I’ve noticed my Bulk folder has been very low in the past couple weeks. > > \*\* I get spams from that address too. I hate those, they can’t be blocked. I suppose I could filter them, but I am using all my filters already. I’m glad to know I’m not hte only person getting these. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/19 "2003-05-03T16:17:43Z")
My spam filter caught [this](http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/9104/spamirony.html) yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724/20 "2003-05-03T16:54:25Z")
My ISP recently started using **MIMEDefang 2.31 ([www.roaringpenguin.com](http://www.roaringpenguin.com))** to scan all incoming email and assign a “spam score”, which is recorded in the email header. I just created a rule in Outlook to check for “spam=yes” in the message header, then automaticallly delete it. Works like a charm, and it never deletes things I actually want. To see if your ISP uses MIMEDefang, view the meaage headers and scroll to the very bottom to see if a spam score has been assigned. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-yahoo-done-some-huge-crackdown-on-spam/171724.md?page=2)