Have you been spimmed?

It is fair to say that nobody likes spam e-mail, it is an annoyance and clogs up our inboxes.  

As savvy Internet users we should all know how to recognise and eradicate spam e-mail. Spim on the other hand is the new kid on the block and a different kind of beast. 

Spim refers to unsolicited messages sent over instant messaging networks, including Live Messenger.  Although spim messages appear to be sent from a friend, they are often sent by organisations that have violated a user’s account and usually contain links to dubious websites.

No-one wants to be the poor sod who falls foul of this menace. You'll become known as "that guy" who infected everybody's computers, your friends will give you a wide berth, strangers will jump into nearby doorways just to avoid you, and your family will stop returning your calls. Sad times indeed.

Unfortunately there's no online alternative to the "No junk mail" placards you can attach to your front door.  

It was only a matter of time before the spammers and hacking community latched onto the fastest growing application on the Internet - unfortunately for spim there is no cure, only prevention. 

How to identify spim?
Like all the best junk mail, spim messages are simply worthless pieces of information that you have not asked to receive, it is also a form of click-fraud. 

Here are some tell-tales signs: A SPIM message looks just like any other IM conversation and will be from someone on your buddy list.

The first message often contains a link. Only click this if you were expecting it or have verified with the sender that they intentionally meant to send it to you.

Have you seen my hot photos?
Look at the content of the message - common topics of spim are diet pills, photo sharing and pornography.  Is your friend likely to be sending you a message about diet pills, or are they trying to tell you something?

Be especially suspicious if the sender is shown as offline. Spim can be sent even when a computer is turned off.  

What to do if you receive spim?
The best thing you can do is close the message window immediately (without clicking the link) this eliminates the seed of temptation. 

Tell the sender that you received spim from them, that they are clearly a moron and are no better than that girl everyone would run away from whilst playing kiss chase.  

Alternatively (and more helpfully)  encourage them to change their Windows Live password, also be sure to run an anti-virus and malware scan to ensure their PC is free of viruses.

What can you do if people have received spim from you?
Spim is like chicken pox and a headache if you contract it. Warn friends that your account may have sent spim and they should not click on the links in these messages.  

More hints and tips
Never share your password with anyone (this should be common sense) even if they claim that they are a person of authority.

Download Internet Explorer 8 for free, which includes a phishing filter that should help protect you from dubious websites.

Ensure that you have the latest version of Windows Live Messenger.
You can visit http://windowslivehelp.com for more support around this issue.