Spam and offensive emails
Spam and offensive emails
If you are concerned about SPAM, or general unwanted e-mail, do not automatically assume that it originates from the address given.
There are various ways in which "spammers" can give false details within a given e-mail.
Police can only generally assist in criminal matters and there is little they can do in relation to general "spam", especially when it turns out to have been generated from another country.
Advice
Your own ISP should be able to give advice on identifying the
origin of the e-mail and may possibly be able to selectively block
messages for you.
If someone exploits another's personal information in order to send unwanted e-mail, they may be breaching certain data protection laws. In the UK, the authority responsible for overseeing data protection laws is the Information Commissioner.
Keep originals
Information and advice can be found at the Information
Commissioner's website www.ico.gov.uk or our own data protection page
on our website.
If, for any reason, you are in danger as a result of threatening, abusive or offensive e-mails then please contact your local police station where local officers deal with this just as they do offensive or abusive phone calls.
Copies
Likewise, if you feel you are the victim of a stalker then be
careful not to destroy any evidence that may well be needed by the
police with any inquiries they may need to carry out.
Keep the e-mails you receive as originals; for security, if you know how, make a copy of the e-mails onto a CD. You can also print a copy on paper to show police when reporting the matter. Be sure not to delete the originals.