I seem to be getting a lot of phishing emails of late. Most spam and other abusive email gets caught by SpamAssasin but occasionally some slips through the nets and into my inbox. I don't like spam, I never reply to spam, I never use any URLs or click any hyperlinks in a spam email and I never, ever buy anything advertised via spam.

If you were to ask me what is the best thing to do with spam, I would usually answer to simply ignore it, delete it and move on with your life. Life is too short.

Of course I rarely follow my own advice. I can often spend a few minutes looking at the email headers to detect from where the spam originated and using WHOIS I will forward the email (including the vital headers) to the Internet service provider or network administrator infroming (or perhaps confirming) that a server on their network is sending spam and leave them to deal with it. If the email is a phishing one, then I'll usually copy in the Anti-Phishing Working Group in the report. I'm yet to fully automate this process.

Usually the responses I get to these reports are automated, but occasionally I get them from real network administrators who seem genuinely grateful and who act upon them. This week I had one after reporting abuse of a Live Hotmail account. I'm really not sure if this is from a real person or not. I'll let you decide:

    Hello Pete,





    Thank you for writing to Windows Live Hotmail Customer Support. My name
    is Antonette and I understand that you are concerned about the message
    you have received involving the v....@msn.com account. I can only
    imagine how inconvenient this may be for you and I understand how
    important it is to resolve your concern as soon as possible.



    Pete, I have checked the v....@msn.com account and found that it is
    already closed due to violation of our Terms of Use.



    You can view our rules and regulations by visiting http://tou.live.com/



    We appreciate your continued support as we strive to provide you with
    the highest quality service available. Thank you for patience and
    understanding on this matter.





    Sincerely,





    Antonette C.

    Windows Live Hotmail Customer Support