Why the AntiSpam Don't Block all Spam?

I get this question a lot and addition to that Why I'm getting more spam now? These questions are the result of frustration of having to deal with email spam everyday. But let me first answer you those questions.

1. Why the AntiSpam don't block all spam?

This is very simple, you are working with an equipment made by humans that depends on programs and software to do the job. The computer will never think like you and it will never know which emails you want to receive today.

2. Why I'm getting more spam now?

When the email spam problem started they were using strong words in there emails to get your attention. This allow the antispam software to easily block the emails based on the words and content of the emails. Spammers are always looking and creating new ways to send spam: phishing, images, attachments, ghosting, etc. Antispam are always trying to keep up with the new methods but is almost imposible to do a perfect job without comprimising your real emails. That is why you will see that every month you will receive more email spam that any other week or past weeks.

No Difference between Regular Mail and Electronic Mail just the "e"

For some reason that I don't understand users don't think of Electronic Email (e-mail) like Regular Mail you get at your home, when the only difference is that one is trough the internet and the other one is ground. Maybe is because you are so used to receive emails and communications between customers, vendors, family in seconds compared to regular mail, that you think these are specials or state of the art communication. Well let me bring you to our Tech World!.

Have you check your home mailbox latetly? Do you receive Advertisement, Credit Card offers, Letters telling you that your car insurance or warranty is ready to expire, letters send to other people and some how end up in your mailbox. This is SPAM!!! The only reason you haven't compared or noticed is because you are so used to it that you automatically filter the spam from the real mail. Have you go to your mailbox and when you see a lot of advertisement you grab the whole pile and throw it away without checking it first? I don't think so. Well the same reason is for antispam; it doesn't know which email you want to receive today and what is spam or not.

Why do I keep getting the same email even if I add it to spam?

Do you get the same Credit Card Offer the next week in your mailbox even that you throw the last one to the trash can? I bet the answer is Yes! Same with E-mail, just a little bit different, when you receive an email offering Rolex Watches, and the Anti Spam don't block it you take the time to mark it as spam so the next time the AntiSpam software knows that you don't want to receive that email anymore. Well you did block the sender, but not the content. Maybe the first email was sent from spamer@ilikespam.com and you blocked that sender, but the next email you get is from spamer2@ilikespam.com now you have to block this one again, and this is a non stop battle, so the only way you can really block is setting up the filter to block anything that says Rolex Watches.

But here is the catch; what if you are reveiving a lot of emails with "enlarge your member, "enlarge her pleasure", "enlarge ..." and all kind of different emails with the word enlarge, you can tell the Antispam to block the sender becuase you and I "human thinking" know this is spam but the computer doesn't. Now you want to tell the AntiSpam to block everything with the word "enlarge" Well this may work, it definitevely will block any email with the word "Enlarge" but what if your business work with measurements? and you are receiving an email from a customer saying "Can you enlarge the right side of the picture" Ooops! this email will get blocked and you won't even noticed until your customer call you and ask you "why you haven't reply back"

But hold on, you maybe thinking "well in that case I add that customer to my Safe Sender list and it will never be block" and you are completly right, that will work, but what about new customers or prospect customers trying to start a business with you and you don't have their email address and you don't even know if a new Customer send you an email "I will like to enlarge my leaving room..."

Conclusion: Email Spam is a non ending battle, and by you understanding how email work and how frustrating is to deal with it you may understand how frustrated is for a Network Administrator to answer all the question of Why? Email Spam will never stop, because is they are created by Humans and it will take a few weeks or months for Humans find a solution for this problem. I encourage you to read more related articles about How email work? Error Messages?

by Emmanuel Reyes
Nova Momentum Computers, Inc