TECH BEAT ARTICLE: for publication November 19, 2009

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The scourge of unwanted email

Although we are fast approaching Thanksgiving, the topic of this article is more in keeping with the spirit of Halloween. Let’s have a look at the state of unsolicited email today. They usually come in two flavors – someone trying to sell you something and someone trying to cheat or fool you.

Just like junk mail from the post office or TV commercials, I can’t say I have a beef with folks trying to sell me something. Even though I would like to be left alone most of the time, my interest is occasionally piqued with a particular product or service that I am persuaded to purchase.

As to those with bad intentions, I have HAD IT with these slimy, underhanded, wicked pickpockets trying to use greed or stupidity as their keys to either unlock your wallet or fry your computer.

If you Google the phrase “unwanted email”, you will find a ton of studies and references citing that as much as 90% of incoming email is unwanted. If you don’t run a business or have to respond to constituents as a public servant, this is merely an annoyance for which you can purchase and install from among dozens of spam filter solutions so you only receive email from a trusted few. But if you need to respond to legitimate queries, this is a major problem forcing you to slog through incoming folders, spam folders, and delete folders looking for precious clues as to the legitimacy of mail.

I admit to having little sympathy for the get rich quick morons who fall for those asinine “Nigerian 419” I have millions of dollars I need to transfer into your bank account in exchange for your keeping X% for your troubles scams. If you’re such a knucklehead to fall for this, you deserve your fate. However, I still find it shocking that BILLIONS of dollars (and growing) are raked in by this doofus scheme.

The ones that get my goat are the ones posing as:

• DHL or UPS notices asking for clarification for a package being delivered to you.
• The IRS saying you owe back taxes.
• The FBI saying you have money awaiting you (although this one is a slight variation of the Nigerian scam).
• An e-greeting card from a friend or relative.
• A bank asking you to login and change your password (I don’t have an account with B of A so how can I change my password?).
• Facebook asking you to login and change your password (I don’t have a Facebook account so how can I change my password?).
• Ebay asking you to respond to a question from a buyer (I don’t have anything for sale at Ebay so how can I respond?).
• Eastern European women looking for steady, matrimonial relations (OK, this is two rungs down from the Nigerian scam).
• An impassioned plea for donations to victims of natural disasters - there is a special place in hell awaiting these ghouls.

So before you start counting your blessings for Thanksgiving, watch out for the Internet trick-or-treaters. You may think you’re safe from harm at home or in your office in front of your computer, but don’t believe it.

Speaking of technology, it’s a good idea to join and become active in the Redwood Technology Consortium where you can learn how others have managed to tame the email beast.

Crawford is president of Justice Served, a court management and technology consulting firm working with courts and justice agencies worldwide. He is an active member of the Redwood Technology Consortium and is Chairman of the Board for the Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce.

Copyright 2009, Eureka Times-Standard Newspaper. The print version of this article first appeared in the 11/19/09 edition of the Times Standard.