Does spam-list(_at_)psc(_dot_)edu still exist? I've gotten no messages on it
for
many days.
Anyway, I've been advised more than once, "Don't bounce spam. It wastes
bandwidth and accomplishes nothing."
I'd like to report evidence to the contrary. I picked up SpamBouncer, and
with the help of several people on the procmail list, massaged it into
something I liked. Then I "uncloaked" my return address for Usenet
Newsposts. As expected, I got several spams that night, and half
bounced. Tweaked the procmail recipes, and only one did not bounce each
of the next three nights. By the fourth night there was only two (both
bounced), and there have been NONE to even bounce since then.
Conclusion: My advice is DON'T use the "REMOVE" trick to tell them your
address works, use the "bounce" trick to tell them it doesn't.
Disclaimer: There are many variables, so it's possible that what stopped
the spam is not bouncing, but something else I've done. Anyone have data
pertinent to that question?
Downside: I was beginning to enjoy forwarding them to ISP's abuse
addresses (and a few to the IRS and to fraud watchers). Now I don't get
to do that anymore....
Disclaimer Two: Maybe that forwarding (rather than the bouncing) is why
they leave me alone....