Subject: Re: Netcom: your customer is a butthead
From: [email-masked] (Netcom Policy Management)
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 15:18:40 -0800 (PST)

>--Boundary_(ID_8dmTpy0AEgyS8Gy2P+lbpw)
>Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT

>Netcom, despite there being nothing linking US to the spam below,
>your customer ([email-masked]) has been sending this shit
>to every possible address he can think of at our domain.

>Despite my comment that
>	1. he's clueless
>	2. there's nothing in there related to US, our clients, or
>	   our network, he won't stop
>	3. here's his stupid response where he claims a "division"
>	   of our company yada yada yada.

>We have no divisions.
>We have no users.
>Our customers are large corporate networks that don't do spam,
>and are not mentioned in the spam below.

>Nevertheless, we think your user has wasted enough of our time.
>Please remove him as per your 'harrassing' section of your AUP
>and let us know what's been done.

>Cheers,

>Ehud,
>ACES Research,
>Tucson
>[**** Insert text here ****]

>--Boundary_(ID_8dmTpy0AEgyS8Gy2P+lbpw)
>Content-type: MESSAGE/RFC822

>Return-path: [email-masked]
>Received: from dfw-ix5.ix.netcom.com ([206.214.98.5])
> by ACES.COM (PMDF V5.2-27 #9830) with ESMTP id <[email-masked]>
> for [email-masked] (ORCPT rfc822;[email-masked]); Thu,
> 25 Feb 1999 22:08:21 -0700 (MST)
>Received: (from smap@localhost) by dfw-ix5.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4)
> id XAA20736 for <[email-masked]>; Thu, 25 Feb 1999 23:08:18 -0600 (CST)
>Received: from stl-mo6-18.ix.netcom.com(204.31.116.210)
> by dfw-ix5.ix.netcom.com via smap (V1.3)	id rma020660; Thu Feb 25 23:08:04 1999
>Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 23:12:01 -0600
>From: Kevin Nelson <[email-masked]>
>Subject: Re: [Fwd: Returned mail: User unknown]
>To: Ehud Gavron <[email-masked]>
>Message-id: <[email-masked]>
>MIME-version: 1.0
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win98; U)
>Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>X-Accept-Language: en
>Original-recipient: rfc822;[email-masked]
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by office2.corp.netcom.com id AAA00622

>actually using traceroute I found you. it came from a division of your co=
>mpany, I
>shall go higher now.

>Ehud Gavron wrote:

>> Why do you keep sending this to us?  It's clear that this spam didn't
>> originate from us or our clients.  Stop forwarding it to more and more
>> aces.net/aces.com addresses -- we have nothing to do with it.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Ehud Gavron
>> ACES Research, Inc.
>>
>> >-------- Original Message --------
>> >Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
>> >Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:27:30 -0600 (CST)
>> >From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <[email-masked]>
>> >To: <[email-masked]>
>>
>> >The original message was received at Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:27:25 -0600
>> >(CST)
>> >from smap@localhost
>>
>> >   ----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
>> ><[email-masked]>
>>
>> >   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
>> >... while talking to aces.com.:
>> >>>> RCPT To:<[email-masked]>
>> ><<< 550 5.1.1 unknown or illegal user: [email-masked]
>> >550 <[email-masked]>... User unknown
>>
>> >   ----- Original message follows -----
>>
>> >Return-Path: <[email-masked]>
>> >Received: (from smap@localhost)
>> >          by dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com (8.8.4/8.8.4)
>> >         id AAA12681 for <[email-masked]>; Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:27:25 -=
>0600
>> >(CST)
>> >Received: from stl-mo7-18.ix.netcom.com(205.187.206.50) by
>> >dfw-ix4.ix.netcom.com via smap (V1.3)
>> >       id rma012666; Wed Feb 24 00:27:01 1999
>> >Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
>> >Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 00:30:47 -0600
>> >From: Kevin Nelson <[email-masked]>
>> >X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win98; U)
>> >X-Accept-Language: en
>> >MIME-Version: 1.0
>> >To: [email-masked]
>> >Subject: [Fwd: Does your Hosting Company pay you?]
>> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3Diso-8859-1
>> >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
>>
>> >-------- Original Message --------
>> >Return-Path: <[email-masked]>
>> >Received: from ntmail.mfblouin.com ([208.31.8.10])by
>> >ixmail10.ix.netcom.com (8.8.7-s-4/8.8.7/(NETCOM v1.01)) with SMTP id
>> >WAA14197; for <[email-masked]>; Tue, 23 Feb 1999 22:15:17 -0800
>> >(PST)
>> >Received: from 1Cust165.tnt9.atl2.da.uu.net
>> >(1Cust165.tnt9.atl2.da.uu.net [153.34.23.165]) by ntmail.mfblouin.com
>> >(NTMail 3.02.13) with ESMTP id fa017087 for <[email-masked]>;
>> >Tue, 23 Feb 1999 15:41:38 -0500
>> >Date: Tue, 23 Feb 99 15:29:41 EST
>> >From: [email-masked]
>> >To: red
>> >Subject: Does your Hosting Company pay you?
>> >Message-ID: <wed>
>> >Reply-To: wed
>> >X-Mozilla-Status: 8001
>> >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
>> >X-UIDL: A8E9AE5356603F3FAD01E529E51C6FD3
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>> ><A
>> >HREF=3D"http://209.139.57.8/Prosper-2000/">http://209.139.57.8/Prosper=
>-2000/</A>
>>
>> >If you would like to be removed form our list click here,
>> ><A HREF=3D"http://209.38.140.32/remove.html">Take me to the remove
>> >list/</A>,
>> >and fill in the needed information.
>>
>> >Best Wishes,
>>
>> >Diane
>> >Prosper 2000
>> >888-389-2912

>--Boundary_(ID_8dmTpy0AEgyS8Gy2P+lbpw)--

Hello,

We appreciate your email.  Because of your efforts and many others Netcom
is able to find and address abusers using our Network.  We have examined
the headers of the message you have forwarded to us, and determined in
this case:

	It did not originate from a NETCOM user
        It did not advertise a site hosted by NETCOM
        The reply to address (if Netcom) is fake/forged

While there may be a NETCOM account name listed somewhere in the message,
or references "netcom.com" it is forged.  It is not uncommon for
spammers to forged headers to include "netcom" somewhere in them.

Forwarding SPAM to [email-masked]
====================================
Please realize the importance of contacting the *originating* domain when
you receive spam.  

The only time you should contact NETCOM in regards to spam is if you
determine it originated from NETCOM.  If you determine it originated 
elsewhere, it's important you contact that domain. 

Getting SPAM? Want it to stop?
============================== 
Consider using an email program that supports filters.  You can filter on
domains, subject line words, and content key words to drastically reduce
SPAM.  Most modern email programs have filtering capabilities.

Other Prevention Techniques
============================ 
There are many other ways that your email address can be obtained over the
Internet by bulk mailers:

        NEVER Respond to requests to remove your name.  Spammers use
        this as a way or verifying that your address is valid.
        * We recommend just deleting the mail. Do not reply to them
        or follow removal procedures.  Once your address is
        verified as valid it will be sold thus the problem becomes
        worse. *

        Random list generators.  E.g. choosing common usernames.
        Example of random lists:

                [email-masked]
                [email-masked]
                [email-masked] (etc etc)

        Avoid having a common username, i.e. [email-masked]
        or having something to easy to guess at or a username 
        found in the dictionary

        Some web pages can get information regarding email addresses,
        host IP, type of computer, program used for access, files and
        pages viewed, where you came from and what pages you went to.

        Usernames can also be found through postings to Usenet
        newsgroups or mailing lists.

More notes about the spam you received
====================================== 
Please keep in mind, that if you see, DFW-IX*.IX.NETCOM.COM in the headers
this is our mail-relay server. These servers cannot originate mail, they
can in some instances relay mail. However, the received-by or
received-from line below the DFW line must be the originator, no matter
how forged it appears to be.

We do have software installed on our servers to prevent mail relaying,
however, very small quantities of relay spam do slip through sometimes.
Literally thousands of attempted relays are blocked every day.  To see a
daily log of these attempts visit the newsgroup:

news.admin.net-abuse.bulletins. 

- Marc
NETCOM Policy Management

----------------------------------------------------------------------
NETCOM On-Line Communication Services, Inc.          [email-masked]
NETCOM Policy Management:   (408) 881-3499           M-F 9AM-5PM PST
24-Hour Technical Support:  (408) 881-1810       [email-masked]
----------------------------------------------------------------------