How to spam the spammers

[Xoc]

So how do I deal with email address harvesters? To begin with, I removed my email address from all web pages. In their place, I created a gif file with my email address in it. Email harvesters can't retrieve from the gif file. The gif file links to a web page that sends email. If, for some reason, that email address makes it into the spam databases, I just change it and the gif and bounce all mail to that address.

Second, I have a hyperlink on a period at the bottom of each page. That goes to an active server page that generates hundreds of random false email addresses. None of them work. Well, actually a few of them work. They send mail to postmaster@localhost. So I make the spammers waste tons of time sending mail that bounces, plus they might spam their own postmaster. If I'm lucky they'll get kicked off the system.

I can't claim originality of the idea. I stole it from [rectaltronics.com ]. (I love that domain name, the site is pretty cool, too!) There are several other versions that are linked from there for different web servers.

[rcjordan]

...and replace mailto tags with javascript
======================================
<script language=javascript>
<!--
var visname = "John Doe";
var recip01 = "johndoe";
var dom02 = "hotmail.com";
document.write("<a href=" + "mail" + "to:" + recip01 + "@" + dom02 + ">" + visname + "</a>")
//-->
</script>
======================================

Has anyone tried js to set the recipient address on an online form?

[BoneHeadicus]

I tried this for forms [webmasterworld.com]

[bill]

Not sure how effective this is, but I read somewhere that the harvesters weren't partial to the numeric HTML entities such as those in the ISO Latin-1 character set.

So, instead of using something like this:
<a href="mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</a>

You just use this:
<a href="& # 1 0 9 ; & # 9 7 ; & # 1 0 5 ; & # 1 0 8 ; & # 1 1 6 ; & # 1 11 ; & #5 8 ; & # 1 0 9 ; & # 1 2 1 ; & # 6 4 ; & # 1 0 1 ; & # 1 0 9 ; & # 9 7 ; & # 1 0 5 ; & # 10 8 ; & # 46 ; & # 9 9 ; & # 1 1 1 ; & # 1 0 9 ; " > & # 1 0 9 ; & # 1 2 1 ; & # 6 4; & # 1 0 1 ; & # 1 0 9 ; & # 9 7 ; & # 1 0 5 ; & # 1 0 8 ; & # 4 6 ; & # 9 9 ; & # 1 1 1 ; & # 1 0 9 ;</a>
I had to add spaces between the above code because these forums were translating the ISO Latin-1 characters as plain text. Not even the code tag helped...
Browsers read it the same as plain text HTML, but it wouldn't be picked up by harvesters.

[mivox]

It would seem you could just replace a couple of characters out of the email address:

username& # 64;domainname& # 46;com (unicode for @ and .)

That's what I do on one site to prevent harvesting.

[lak12]

Hey guys!
Ican tell that ISO thing replacement isn't working. Spammers just laugh at it. It's easier than you think to convert it back and I am sure it is implemented in their new harvesters. I have samples on my page @:
[getfree.org...]
script is a couple lines and it converts back and forth. I also have some simple stripping script there.
Another issue. JavaScript in general doesn't work as well. It does against novice users, but those sharks that harvest your site - ready for everything you throw at them, almost everything. So, no matter what you do - your e-mail eventually will end up in their database either from one of your on-line purchase or from Network Solutions database.
In my opinion it time to fight hard against spam companies that host those stupid buyers of the mail list and make it impossible to conduct business for them. Too many people fall for their "great opportunuty" sloagan and if they're stopped - next time they'll think twice before buying into the whole deal.
Any ideas???

[Olaf]

Hi all.

I have long decided to not try and outsmart the email harvesters. So I dont bother with emails on my website.

But for mailing lists and websites that require email to enter their sites I doo one thing.

Since I administer my mail server I can make as many aliases as I want. I started a year ago creating a serialized email to use at these sites. f.i. [e-mail] for amazon, [e-mail] for yahoo groups, etc... All are aliases for my real email that is [e-mail]

Then when I get a spam through one of them I send a heated abusive letter to the company that got that email. (Knowing that I only used that email there). And normally I do a whois tracert and CC (so the site admins can see the CC) to the abuse@ their ISP/network providers.

Usually works like a charm. Caught quite a few sites that have "lent" my email address without asking me.

Oli

[Marshall]

I traced a spam back and went to thier web site. They, of course, didn't have any Email addresses on the site, only an information request form. So I sat for about a half hour and just kept submitting the form with the message "How do you like me wasting your bandwidth with information you don't want. Spam me again and I'm sure I can find a lot of people to do this with me." Never heard from them again. :)

[Olaf]

Hey,

Try using visualwares, visualroute [visualware.com]. Great for getting detailed information about a host, including their network provider and more. whois/arp contact data etc..

I only use this nowadays when I want some detail on a specific IP.