Just BTW, my gripes to [log in to unmask] and to [log in to unmask] didn't bounce. Guess I beat the rush ;-). Got this from netcom about 10 hours later. (Lots deleted, as they sent the whole ad again.) ************ Thank you for your report. This user has been permanently removed from the system for abuse of Usenet and mailing lists. We apologize for any inconvenience that was caused. Margaret ___________________________________________________________________________ NETCOM On-line Communication Services Technical Support Staff 24-hour Support Line: 408-983-5970 [log in to unmask] ***************** Someone said he called and was told by a recording that they were "sold out." Since they say order by snailmail I have a hard time buying that, unless they were almost sold out before the spam. Maybe a nasty, expensive hoax? I agree with Peter Weiss that changing some keywords in the header can help, though won't block them completely. We have Send= Editor and [log in to unmask],(AUTOCAT) so subscribers can post directly to the list but everything else goes through me. Our traffic volume is 20+ a day (we had a spate of 50+ for a while and I upped the limit to 65) but I usually don't get more than five items for "approval" per day, most legitimate, some commands missent, some "personal"s missent. Doesn't take too long to deal with them and the list continues largely as it has from the start. But I have caught several spams before they got to the list. If you don't want to go to full moderation, it's a pretty good compromise. Of course, making the change can be a wrench. Almost like killing an old friend. But, then, some of us are probably too attached to our lists for our own good (you know you're in trouble if you have the file with the header changes done, put off sending it for hours, then "just do it" and start crying). Subscription by owner would help, but it isn't viable for largish lists with heavy on/off traffic (20 - 40 per day, lots of 'em students working on assignments). Peter's suggestion of Confirm= Yes is good as it will slow them down some. But if your list is gatewayed to Usenet, it will do little good, as the stuff from Usenet (or USElessNET as someone on this list refers to it) will go right through, if the spam is sent that way. Douglas Douglas Winship Austin, Texas [log in to unmask] Secondary AUTOCAT Listowner MEDLAB-L