# IM spam?!!?!!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [July 9, 2002, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055 "2002-07-09T10:48:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2002, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/1 "2002-07-09T10:48:10Z")
I just got IM spam! As if regular ol’ e-mail spam wasn’t irritating enough, now I’m getting offers to fix my credit (which, to my knowledge, doesn’t need fixing) over IM!
This is a shitty, shitty evolution in the world of spam.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2002, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/2 "2002-07-09T11:43:17Z")
I haven’t got that one yet…but I get the sex ones all the time.
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### Author:  [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/3 "2002-07-10T03:14:18Z")
Warn 'n block! If it looks like a girl’s name, look at the warning level. Usually people are kind enough to warn the godless spammers so you don’t have to deal with them.
And it’s always fun to put them at 100% 😃
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### Author:  [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/4 "2002-07-10T03:32:38Z")
I don’t know which instant messenger you use, but have you thought about upping the security level? On ICQ, I have my security set so I only recieve messages from people on my contact list.
No more spam.
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### Author:  [@JimSox5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimSox5)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/5 "2002-07-10T05:22:52Z")
Is there a security level on AIM? In any case, I get the sex ones all the time, and it’s starting to piss me off. Even when I’m smart enough to choose to decline a message, I still get a little worked up.
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### Author:  [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/6 "2002-07-10T05:36:09Z")
There is spam on every instant messaging client I have dealt with.
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### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/7 "2002-07-10T10:56:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Is there a security level on AIM?
You can set your AIM account to be kept out of public searching, so only people who know your SN (and, presumably, you) can send you messages.
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/8 "2002-07-10T14:38:58Z")
I was chatting with a friend, and the spam started coming in so fast that I couldn’t warn-n-block fast enough. I had to punch out to stop the flood.
What kind of asshole-ish spam-launching applications do these motherless pricks have, anyway…?!
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### Author:  [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2002, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/9 "2002-07-10T19:29:23Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Hastur \*
> \*\*There is spam on every instant messaging client I have dealt with. \*\*
Including MSN and Yahoo? I’ve never received spam on either, and I’ve been using MSN for several years.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-spam/118055/10 "2002-07-11T03:17:55Z")
If I open AOL, I get IM spam.
If I use 3rd-party software (e.g., Fire), I don’t, even though it’s the same screen name and the same service/protocol.
Don’t know why.