Abuse of Usenet: Spam, Forged Postings and One Example

There is a growing trend of abuse of Usenet, including spam on newsgroups and the use of forgeries to harass innocent people. This page describes Usenet jargon for those not used to it. It also tells you how to detect many common forms of email address forgery; who to tell if you have seen spam or a forgery; where to go if you have been harassed/stalked online; and how to protect yourself against forgery.

Cyberstalking and Related Links
CCIPS
Cybercrime.com
Internet Fraud Complaint Center
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survival Center
Protecting Yourself From Online Crime
from the October 1998 issue of NH Editions magazine
The CyberPrivacy Primer
The National Center For Victims of Crime
Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime
Safety Ed
The Terrifying Truth About Online Stalking
Cyberstalked: Our Family's Story
InfoPolitics
Are you being stalked?
The Stalker's Home Page - No More Privacy
Cyberstalking: A Real Life Problem

  • Example of Usenet Abuse: The Woodside Literary Agency
  • Background on Usenet - If the jargon here is new to you, reading this background article should help.
  • How to find and read Full Headers when sending a complaint to an ISP
  • How to tell a forged email address - A tutorial on how to detect most forms of forged email addresses in news postings.

  • CyberSnitch Headquarters
  • SpamCop
  • Who to tell about Spam/forging
  • What to do if you encounter spam or forgery.
  • Fight Spam on the Internet!
  • Join the Fight Against Spam!
  • How to protect yourself - A brief tutorial on signing email messages, including how to use pgp.
  • Tutorial for Unix users on how to use procmail to reduce your chances of being Email-bombed, provided by Zach Babayco.

    • If you've been harassed, stalked or otherwise abused online, contact:

    Follow me to W.H.O.A.

    CyberSnitch Headquarters
    SafetyEd
    NCIS Safekids!
    Stop Net Abusers Home Page
    Operation Blue Ridge Thunder!
    ScamWatch

    Courtesy of Netcom's Abuse Department:

    A few more interesting sites you should check out:

    Junkbusters

    The Children's Protection & Advocacy Coalition

    HOAXBUSTERS

    Urban Legends and Folklore

    National Fraud Information Center

    Web page designed by Nora Echeverria Wright

    Caveat: This site contains descriptions of the plaintiff's case against an alleged abuser of Usenet. Every effort has been made to provide only factual, verifiable evidence. However, typography errors may be present. (Errors in quoted text are preserved from the original.) Anyone who is aware of an error in this document, including representatives of the Woodside Literary Agency, is requested to send electronic mail to Abuse of Usenet Mail. Mail will be responded to as quickly as possible. Once it has been established that there is in fact an error, an immediate correction will be made, and the facts of the correction posted in the newsgroup misc.writing

    Page expanded from an original compiled and written by Marty Fouts