ICQ and Messenger in your profile

[ifm]

Hello,
i'd advise you not to add these to your profile as i did briefly and was inundated with messages and such nonsense from folks trying to sell me stuff or offer job opportunities.
I mean dozens upon dozens.
ian

[Ironside]

Hello,
i'd advise you not to add these to your profile as i did briefly and was inundated with messages and such nonsense from folks trying to sell me stuff or offer job opportunities.
I mean dozens upon dozens.
ian

you silly fool change your icq settings mine has been on for days and not 1 single spam icq or msn

[ifm]

WHAT???
Right there's a setting that says "stop people picking up your icq off forums and spamming you"
i missed that, what a moron.
i just knew you'd say something daft.
ian

[londonpokergirl]

lol wish somebody would send me loads of job offers  esp if Tournament Director
or cardroom manager hehe

[tikay]

Wow ifm, thats a pain. For the sake of record, blonde have not encouraged or endorsed any of these "spams" to your Messenger Service or ICQ (whatever an ICQ is....).

But it seems like once again our special tech guru - Ironside - may have the answer. Follow that man!

[ifm]

i realise that Tikay, it's an automated thing.
Software that can recognise ICQ numbers and send you rubbish all day, there is a spam filter with ICQ but it works thru a database built by people reporting previous spam and as such is very like your antivirus software, it can only stop known addresses and not new ones.
I only had it on here for literally a couple of hours and i got so many messages with "you posted on forum" in them.
It is the only place i ever published it so logically (and the forum bit) sort of gave it away!
ian

[tikay]

Jeez, is nothing sacred. Folks using the blonde Forum as a basis from which to spam. Well I hope the problem does not recur. But it is interesting that Ironside seems to have solved it. Perhaps they have not invented spam up in Scotland yet, or the spammers think there is nobody up there worth spamming........Ahem.

[ifm]

The solution most people used on the newsgroups was to add to the address to stop this.
i.e. instead of 12345678 you can put 123nospam45678.
that way any real person would know to remove the nospam bit and find a working address.
That was always with email addresses and i didn't really consider ICQ.
Thing is once it is known that's it, have to change it.
Christ alone knows how many hotmail addresses i've had over the years, (i use those for registering on sites etc. and save my personal one for everyone else) cuz eventually you can get literally hundreds of spam mails every day!!
Ian

[Ironside]

The solution most people used on the newsgroups was to add to the address to stop this.
i.e. instead of 12345678 you can put 123nospam45678.
that way any real person would know to remove the nospam bit and find a working address.
That was always with email addresses and i didn't really consider ICQ.
Thing is once it is known that's it, have to change it.
Christ alone knows how many hotmail addresses i've had over the years, (i use those for registering on sites etc. and save my personal one for everyone else) cuz eventually you can get literally hundreds of spam mails every day!!
Ian

using ICQ goto yoiur sequirity and make sure people can't add you without your permission
also make sure people cant message you without being on your list

not sure on msn as i just reinstalled it but it should be the same process

but i have got icq and msn in my profile without any spam

have been using icq since the year dot (the number in my profile is my 3rd (in the old days you couldn't stop the spammers)

but now-a-days dont let the spammer make you change you number

[ifm]

using ICQ goto yoiur sequirity and make sure people can't add you without your permission
also make sure people cant message you without being on your list

I'm not trying to be funny or anything but the whole point of ICQ is to chat and interact with people from all round the world, or not-my choice.
By stopping people adding you without permission only stops people adding you (doesn't stop messages asking for permission) and so is pointless.
Making sure people can't message you when not in your list well err stops you getting messages full stop from the people you are offering it to (on the forum) as they can't message you!!. You may as well not post your ICQ if you check that box.
I can see why you get no spam.
MSN i'm not bothered about as it's a throw away spam account anyway, just warning others.
Ian

[Ironside]

using ICQ goto yoiur sequirity and make sure people can't add you without your permission
also make sure people cant message you without being on your list

I'm not trying to be funny or anything but the whole point of ICQ is to chat and interact with people from all round the world, or not-my choice.
By stopping people adding you without permission only stops people adding you (doesn't stop messages asking for permission) and so is pointless.
Making sure people can't message you when not in your list well err stops you getting messages full stop from the people you are offering it to (on the forum) as they can't message you!!. You may as well not post your ICQ if you check that box.
I can see why you get no spam.
MSN i'm not bothered about as it's a throw away spam account anyway, just warning others.
Ian

if people want to contact me via icq all they need to do is request that i let them add me to there list then we can exchange messages

by not taking these basics steps you are opening your self up for the same sort of abuse as publishing your email address on the net without a good spam filter on your email box

basic steps solve basic problems