>As a general rule it's a good idea to avoid looking at any messages you might suspect are spam.
>
>Most spams are HTML; when you view them your browser is invoked behind the scenes to render the message. To do so it goes out to the web site of the spammer to download images etc. The spammer's site almost certainly records the IP addresses of any computer that downloads its images. If the spammer has any sort of cross-reference between IP addresses and e-mail addresses, now she knows you're a "live" one and will spam you all the more.
>
>Previously it used to be possible to put script code on a Web site that would automatically harvest the default e-mail address of anyone who visited the site. I don't know if that's still possible, maybe browser security has been tightened since then. Nevertheless I recommend that people turn off message preview in their e-mail program. That way you can delete the obvious spams without them being rendered by your browser, with the issues listed above.

That's one of the reasons I use an email program that brings in HTML as an attachment. If I'm the least bit unsure, I save it to my HD and open it with a text editor.

>
>>Sorry, if it's a bit off-topic.
>>I just found the message with this subject.
>>"PayPal: Complaint Received"
>>
>>Out of curiousity I took a pick. What do you think it was? The usual sex patches...
>>
>>>>I've responded to many of those I-live-in-a-tin-pot-regime-someone's-died-and-left-millions-in-an-account-help-me-get-it-out-for-a-cut messages (used to be some 2 per week) but, d'you know, I haven't received a penny back from them. I just seem to be losing thousands out of my bank a/c. Please advise what I should do.
>>>
>>>You're supposed to have your way with them:
>>>
>>>http://www.419eater.com/
>>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam_baiting
>>>
>>>;-)