Reporting Harrassing, Etc. E-Mails to Internet Provider

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

This isn't a fool-proof system, but can work. Also, I use AOL and the procedures might be different with other providers.

Each of my incoming AOL messages includes a Return-Path. Under it is a line for Received, which provides the Internet Service Provider (ISP)number from which the message originated. The ISP number can be up to 12 numbers long in not to exceed three number groups, such as 216.99.0.143. To find the administrator for that ISP go to www.arin.net and use the Whois function. It will provide information on the provider. With that information you can send a message to their systems administrator, usually in the form of abuse@(provider), such as abuse@aol.com. Include why you consider a message to be harassassing and cut and paste as much of the original message as possible, including in particular the return path information. From the date and time in it, they can tell which particular user was on that ISP at that particular time.

I know of at least one party which was kicked off AOL for stuff their kids were doing and one of my sisters received a warning letter from them. Seems their youngest son was going into chat rooms, etc. and being both vulgar and making highly sexual comments. Even though he had his own user id, continued practice would have resulted in all user ids from that PC being terminated.

With Lusenet, the forum administrator has access to the ISP from which each thread/post originated. With some providers the same ISP seems to be assigned to a user. With others an available ISP may be assigned with each log-in.

This option can also be used for spam, as most providers don't allow it, but it is tedious. The delete key works just as well. With AOL I can see if a e-mail includes a picture or attachment before opening it. If so, in probably 99.9% of the cases it is deleted upon sight.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 04, 2002

Answers

Off topic , just wanted to say Hi Ken , hows the buisness going ?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

Stop beating around the bush ! WE have a problem and that problem is Stan. Stan for whatever reason(doesn't matter anymore) has lost any objectivity to reason ! I myself have about collapsed in horror on finding out that Ken and I actually agree on something (to a point). However, private forum maintainers have very little power or authority. The big providers have bigger fish to fry than to worry about a little problem in a private forum.

Yes, you have a delete button but that is called cencorship ! Ken is on to something and it will work but you need "a bigger dog" to release. I just happen to have such a dog at my disposal or at least I will have on Monday at 1 pm. whenI return to work.

Ken is correct -we should all complain and that will lend validity to what is about to occur !

As long as a man speaks his mind and debates issues than he is part of the true meaning of forum ! Controversial, heated, passionate to a fault is what made us all what we are. This is not the case with Stan--it is time to stop Stan !!! If he were my own brother than it would still be time to stop him.

Let us not stoop to a depth of deletion though for that is not the manner to do it ! Follow Ken's advice and let computer enforcement do the rest !

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), May 04, 2002.


I will not point fingers but whoever is doing it has bigger problems .I can only hope they see this before it's to late .Why fill your life with hate and anger , it is doing no one any good .There are plenty of people out there to help .There is nothing to be ashamed of asking for help , we all need it sometimes.I am willing to talk to whoever may need it .PLEASE consider seeking help , medication will do wonders to help your outlook look better

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

I disagree with Joel on the delete button. I'm ready to see everything started by this person deleted. I know I'm not the only one who is very tired of this disruption. I'm also sure he's the one who started all this spam coming to my personal e-mail.

-- nameless of course (nameless@somewhere.com), May 04, 2002.

Something musta brewed up that most of us didn't see. :) Don't want to know what it was.

You know, there are really strange people writing letters to the editor. There's a guy around here with war wounds, he writes racial & 'anti-FBI' and single looking for wife messages on his van in spray paint..... There is a 'preacher' in town who goes to the fast food places & spews his version of the bible.

Just gotta ignore it. In all of society, it will be there. Pick your friends, be nice to those who aren't, and don't get too wound up with those who are obviously different.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.



Huh?

is anyone else aware of programs available for 69.95 that will 'crawl' a site & retrive posted e-mail addys? so when your addy is on e-bay ,hold on to your horses, you are listed as an 'on-line mark w/ money!' so incrased spam may not be a personal attack, just a thought.

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 04, 2002.


Paul, good, sound advice.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), May 04, 2002.

No one did anything to provoke this attack, why blame the victims????

-- just wondering (abc@xyz.com), May 04, 2002.

I have been told a lot of spam originates with those "Make Huge Bucks With Your PC at Home" signs you see plastered just about everywhere. For X bucks you get a package and an initial set of e-mail addresses. It is up to you to troll for more. You are suspose to get so much per referral, but the response rate is so low most don't stay with it for long, letting new ones take their place.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), May 04, 2002.

Most of the Make Huge Bucks With Your PC at Home is Herbal life. Not sure what the PC has to do with it but its just another multi level marketing scheme.

-- Gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), May 04, 2002.


did you know that all of mr. stans helpfull posts are gone from cuntryside forum?

i thought our forum was about shareing knowledge of homesteading.

if one persons' information is erased because they are are sometimes an insensitive jerk and childish does that not make us childish insensitive jerks as well?

aw gee mr. rosen i know how you have NEVER ever upset any fellow forum members, huh? glass houses , first stone to the blameless,& all that.

i do hope that it is mr. chuck gone wild w/ the delete button & not someone hacking the greenspun server, federal employees do take such a dim view of hacking after all...

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 04, 2002.


Just for general clarification let it be noted from a reliable source that the ISP numbers used by Stan (sopal@net-pert.com) on Countryside and the offshoot forums are the SAME numbers used by "satans welp," "Welp" and several other equally disturbing aliases floating around.

There have been numerous complaints lodged, letters written, and phone calls made to the ISP with basically the same response; if it's a public forum and nothing illegal has been done, there's nothing the ISP provider can or will do.

Unfortunately, there are sick, twisted, nasty individuals in the world with nothing better to do than disrupt the lives of those in his/her company. We do have choices, though, one being to simply ignore the childish antics of disturbed individuals vying for our time and attention. I fear the moderators will shoulder the brunt of this mess in keeping the forums flowing with informative posts.

-- nope (nope@notme.no), May 04, 2002.


Thanks so much for posting this Ken. I am so tired of getting spams and junk, even though I ahve the filters on. I also get really burned when i get e-mails from me and to me that I never sent, spam e- mail stealing! I e-mailed both yahoo and hotmail several times but never get a respone other than verification of receipt of e-mail.

Now, as for Stan, would someone kindly please fill me in on the details? I always figured he had a flip sense of humor but was harmless.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), May 04, 2002.


As the mother of a mentally ill son, I recognize the symptoms. Please don't take offense but sudden Extreme religous fervor is a symptom. The person is ok for a while but then goes off the deep end for a while. This is classic bipolar disorder. I just pray that the people in his life don't turn their backs but get help for him until he is back on an even keel.

-- buffy (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Thank you for this very valuable information, Ken. I am new to the forum. Would someone please fill me in on this?

-- Christine Baillie (towanda515@yahoo.com), May 06, 2002.


Buffy, I agree with you. Several of the people I mentioned locally are obviously bipolar.

After 5-10 years, it's pretty hard not to turn your back on their behavior. It gets pretty obsessive & pretty far-out.

I'm not real closely involved, but have certainly had my fill of the effects of such behavior! It ruins the lives of those it has touched - in some cases. It is difficult to help those that do not want the help - which is part of the behavior - an endless circle. What to do? Sometimes you just need to walk away. Far away.

My best wishes for you & yours. --->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), May 06, 2002.


Where I come from we only have three disorders--CRAZY, Good ole boys, and Bible thumpers. The Bible thumpers stay in church all weekend. The good ole boys stay at home, the lake, or in the woods. The sheriff takes care of the remaining. I think that is where the world went wrong -trying to name the differnt kind of crazy people.CRazY covers them all !! Beware though, most experts agree that all people are mentally ill to one degree or another.

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), May 07, 2002.

Countryside is the ONLY LUSENET site I post on...AOL just sent me a follow up that the TONS of spam I am now receiving (never received it before)is coming from LUSENET....and that I should go to another screen name and block all incoming mail. But of course, then I can't receive any answers to my posts either! Puts me in a voyeuristic position instead of being a participant in learning.

So are you saying that Stan is the culprit?

I believe if he is doing this to the extent we are all getting spamed to death, it constitutes a form of cyber terrorism and the feds need to be informed. For when does the spamming turn to hacking?

-- BC (katnip364@aol.com), May 09, 2002.


sorry mr. katnip, the lusenet server does not spam. well, that is unless mr. greenspun has upgraded the machine to an annoying AI personality that is....

-- bj pepper ,in central MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), May 09, 2002.

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