<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Dear Fellow Coral Listers:
<BR>
<BR> I have been viciously bombarded by SPAM today. It all originates from
<BR>a company called Starnet.com.eg which is an Egyptian "marketing" firm
<BR>(a.k.a., "SPAM Factory").
<BR>
<BR> This is very serious. I have received THOUSANDS (I am not
<BR>exaggerating) of unsolicited messages today. I have been in contact with
<BR>others who have been receiving these same asinine ILLEGAL messages (many of
<BR>which contain viruses), and the one common thread seems to be that we are all
<BR>in some way shape or form involved in the environmental movement and or
<BR>research. I'm a graduate student of marine biology, an owner and webmaster
<BR>of an
<BR>environmental web site, and a member of several environmental list servers.
<BR>
<BR> Are other members of the Coral List receiving these SPAM messages from
<BR>Starnet.com.eg? And if so, has anyone had any luck in getting removed from
<BR>the list? I have contacted Starnet "Support" (ha ha) by e-mail, and even
<BR>went so far as to telephone the Starnet office in Cairo Egypt to no avail
<BR>(all I get is an Egyptian answering machine message, which I cannot even
<BR>begin to understand). I have notified my ISP as well. Other victims of this
<BR>SPAM scam tell me they too have tried in vain to get removed from the list.
<BR>It appears to be a SPAM black hole of sorts from which there can be no
<BR>escape. This is a nasty one folks.
<BR>
<BR> ANY HELP OR INPUT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS
<BR>AND UNBELIEVABLY ANNOYING. I realize this does not immediately pertain to
<BR>coral research, unless of course anyone in your office or lab has to spend an
<BR>entire day hassling with this (as I have done today).
<BR>
<BR>Regards,
<BR>S. Michael Hoke
<BR>hokes@nova.edu
<BR>Graduate Student: Marine Biology
<BR>NSU Oceanographic Ctr.
<BR>National Coral Reef Institute USA
<BR>
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