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Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 05:32:50 -0500
To: "Spam Hater@Studio42" <spam-hater@studio42.com>
From: Joseph Thomas <jfthomas@mindspring.com>
Subject: Any recourse on this kind of email??
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Heya...

You've been generous in the past in providing me with tips on tracking down
spammers (and I've had fair success in retaliating) but I wonder if there
is any recourse to this type of spam?

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Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 09:13:45 +0900 (JST) 
Message-Id: <199811210013.JAA21241@itg-inet-02.tv-asahi.co.jp> 
To: etr45@earthlink.net 
Subject: req 




INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S LICENSE
Need a new driver's license? 
Too many points or other trouble?
Want a license that can never be suspended 
or revoked?
Want ID for nightclubs or hotel check-in?
Avoid tickets, fines, and mandatory driver's 
education.
Protect your privacy, and hide your identity.
The United Nations gave you the privilege to 
drive freely throughout the world! (Convention 
on International Road Traffic of September 19, 
1949 & World Court Decision, The Hague, 
Netherlands, January 21, 1958)
Take advantage of your rights. Order a valid 
International Driver's License that can never 
be suspended or revoked.
Confidentiality assured.
CALL NOW!!! 
1-937-586-9313 
2EF

As you may have guessed, the spammer sent this mail through 158.207.31.42.
Now, I can't remember the technical term for this (mail relay??), but this
server allows email to be sent through them by anyone who wants to use it.
As a test, I used a program I have called "Ghost Mail" that allows you to
send anonymous messages through whatever server you choose. Most of them
won't work because the owner of the server has set up the server to not
allow "relaying" of email.  Using the above, however, I was able to send
anonymous email to myself.  There doesn't seem to be any help in the
headers (in this email or in the one I sent to myself).

The only thing I was able to determine by the phone number that this guy
put in the email is that he's in dayton, ohio (the area code & prefix).
Since the mail server is in Japan, I don't really have a clue as to how to
contact them and perhaps discourage them from allowing mail relays.  And I
reckon if I were able to do that, the fellow would simply find another
server that would allow him to send mail anonymously.

Naturally, I can set a filter in Eudora to trash any mail coming from this
server, but, again, naturally, what I REALLY want to do is cripple this
guy's ability to spam people this way!

Anyhow, I just wondered if you have a scheme that offers any recourse to
mail that is sent in this fashion.

Sorry to bother you again with questions; I hope you receive this email in
the spirit (revenge?) in which it was sent!!

Regards,



Joseph Thomas
http://jfthomas.home.mindspring.com

________________________________________________________________
"Far be it for me to deny you the comfort and security of your own fears."
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