I have attached a sample message to this email. Note, it's just an
example. This message does not trigger at the 5.0 level, but I know
messages like this are being blocked by some of our customers. It does
get a higher score than I would like it to (i.e. 0.0 ;-) ), and
certainly the rules its triggering make little sense to me.
Taking a look at that and offering my opinions:
1. Avoid text-align: right. Common spammer trick used to obfuscate drug
spams.
2. Avoid excessively long lines in the HTML. Typical sign of spammers
that can't quite figure out how to format a message.
3. Avoid excessive whitespace on the front of HTML lines. A sign of
certain forms of table-layout phish mails. (You mail didn't have this, I'm
just pointing it out.)
4. Avoid inline images if possible.
5. Avoid downloaded images even more.
In all honesty, I have to ask: does this mail NEED to be html? Other than
flashy colors and imbedded images what does it buy you that the text message
wouldn't convey? Unfortunately html, embedded images, align right, and
flashy colors all end up making the thing look like a typical drug spam.
I know that flashy colors and imbedded images are important if you are
sending these to CEOs or other people that never learned to read. But if
you are sending this to the sysop to tell him how well his web site works,
wouldn't it be just as useful to simply send the report in ascii? That
would avoid virtually all of the potential spam signs.
Loren
