Can I report spammers?
Yes, you can fight back against spammers!
Take action against unwanted e-mails that you receive. The authorities cannot respond to spammers without complaints about spammers' activities. Reporting these messages to the appropriate authorities can get the spammer's current account closed. It will also help prevent others from being victimised by the spammer. The authorities may also choose to prosecute for fraudulent or deceptive e-mails.
How to Report SPAM e-mails in the United Kingdom
In the UK (and across the EU) The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 came into force in 2003. These regulations prohibit the sending of unsolicited commercial email without consent. However, this is subject to exemptions. The Information Commissioner has produced some detailed guidance to the regulations as well as brief guidance notes on what they mean for individuals. These can be found on the Information Commissioner's comprehensive website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
The problem of spam cannot, however, be addressed by regulation alone. Given the amount of spam in circulation, it will be impossible for the Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate every instance of spam being sent. It is also worth bearing in mind that most of it originates outside the UK and therefore senders are not subject to UK law.
The Information Commissioner has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States Federal Trade Commission, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Australian Communications Authority and the Office of Fair Trading in the United Kingdom. The understanding sets out an agreement between the parties to cooperate and exchange information to try and stop spam originating in their jurisdiction.
The Information Commissioner's website also provides links to a number of related websites, from which individuals can obtain further information.
The EuroCAUCE Survey: United Kingdom at: www.euro.cauce.org/en/countries/c_uk also has a great deal of information and tips on fighting European spam.
In any event, you should always report spam initially to your ISP. The Spam Skip service offers an easy route to report spam messages that have got through.
