No stopping real estate emails

Q: Can you please help in advising who to complain to about emails from real estate agents in Dubai? I have tried blocking them by using spam function as well as asking them to take me of their mailing lists, but nothing stops them. Please help.

A: If the real estate agents won't listen to you, try going to the source of the problem, literally.

1) See if you can contact the domain or ISP from which the email originated, such as Yahoo, Gmail (Google) or even etisalat and du. These organisations have a vested interest in cutting down on spam, as it eats up bandwidth, bogs down servers and can even damage their reputation. These organisations can force spam-generating companies to stop their activities. While you're at it, you can ask you email provider if they have any additional features or software to help cut out the spam.

2) Unfortunately, that's about it. While spam email is annoying, it isn't always illegal. It sounds like the emails you are getting are just unsolicited, yet legitimate, attempts to communicate with you. If you suspect any illegal activity, you can report the spam to the UAE's cybercrime unit. There website is www.aecert.ae.

3) While finding people to complain to may be difficult, finding people who will help you stop the spam, for a price, isn't. TrendMicro, Symantec, and McAfee's and many others sell anti-spam software, which often has capabilities far beyond those offered by your internet service provider, including the ability to block emails originating from specific domains and IP addresses.

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