Our anti-spam initiatives
We’ve been hearing reports that spam levels are increasing on Skype, and I want to reassure you that we don’t take this sort of thing lightly.
Unfortunately, Skype, like any other communications software, has a small minority of users who abuse the software. In order to deal with people who send unsolicited messages, we have resources dedicated to a number of ongoing anti-spam initiatives, focused around three areas:
- Prevention: working behind the scenes to make it harder for spammers to send messages
- Reaction: making it easier to report spam, and fine-tuning the way we deal with those reports
- Identification: making it easier to identify messages from unfamiliar users
Please keep an eye on this blog, where we’ll announce the public-facing bits of our approach as we release them. In the meantime, please continue to block and report abusive users to us – doing so will help us to identify and deal with spammers.
Most importantly, however, you can rest assured that we’re working hard behind the scenes to combat spam, and will take action against spammers where appropriate – with the objective of keeping Skype a productive and friendly place for users like you.
Reporting spammers
To report spam directly from Skype, you need Skype 4.0 or 4.1 for Windows, or Skype 2.8 for Mac – download the latest version free if you don’t have it already.
In Skype for Windows
When you get a contact request, click Block, then check Report abuse from this person and click Block.
To report someone who’s sending you instant messages, right click on them in the conversation pane, and click Block This Person. Then check Report abuse from this person and click Block.
In Skype for Mac
When you get a contact request, choose Block this person from contacting you in the future, then check Report abuse from this person and click Block.
To report someone who’s sending you instant messages, right click on them in the conversation drawer, and click Block. Then check Report abuse from this person and click Block.
PS
I think Skype must have become infected with the eBay customer service DNA
I have been using skype maybe about a year or so without any problems what so ever, and so I though my daughter could use it as well to talk with her dad in another country, but sadly as soon as she signed in started these unwanted friend request coming. My daughter is 11 years old and she is receiving links to porn paiges!!!! This is just unacceptable!
Now I have to check her account first before she can use it every single day. I´ve really had it and I´m considering of closing her accunt. Too much is too much! It seems that this really is a big problem world wide (we live in Finland) and since nobody is doing anything to solve this problem… Well, then we just have to stop using skype then.
To all of you who have commented so far – thanks for your inputs. To address a specific concern about whether or not we’re listening/acting: we have a team at Skype dedicated to combatting spam (which includes senior management), and we read all of the comments on this post. So please keep them coming
I’ve been using Skype for about a year now, and in the past month, I’ve been receiving massive amounts of IM spam. I block/remove them all, but it is a full-time job doing this – insane! And the spammers create fake names faster than I can block them, so what is the point? I’ve changed all Skype settings to only allow people in my contact list, etc., but it is the REQUESTS for contact info keeps coming. Skype needs to add option to NOT allow request for contacts. If someone I know wants to contact me, they can email me and I should be able to send them my Skype ID and a “key” so that they can “come in” but no one else can. Something that will make it impossible for unknown people to “ask” for my personal information. Just like me getting an unlisted phone number!
I agree with everyone on this post, it is just not on. The setting of “only people in my contacts list can contact me” just obviously isn’t the case. It’s simple, unless you approve or even a pre-approval type set up would work (by way of adding a user and you only see them/they only see you by mutual adding of each other)I have introduced so many people to skype and every single one of them is now getting crazy amounts of spam a day. This is a major privacy issue and it is worrying that such a big campany such as skype are OBVIOUSLY not doing anything about it.
I have 12 accounts that I have been checking on a daily basis. 4 have never received any porn spam , 8 others have received 1-2 each on alternate days.I am puzzled why posters who receive in excess of these amounts do so, and I don`t.?
I also note that in the last week none of the Block and Report Abuse porn IDs that I selected have not been removed from the Database, previously they were gone in 24 hours.
This may be part of a Skype ininitiative ?………because…… in the last 48 hours I have not received any new Contact Requests……I will report further on this matter either way.
I have had a subscription to Skype for the past year and will NOT be renewing it when it expires in the next few days. I started complaining about the excessive spam contact requests just after I started using Skype and got the same response from support “We are aware of the problem, we take it seriously, we are working on a solution, etc.” In the meantime the problem has only worsened and as far as I can tell Skype has done nothing. It is clear Skype is not going to give users the necessary privacy tools to block these incessant contact requests. The suggestion to continue blocking them is worse than ludicrous.
I was fortunate enough to get an invite for Google Voice and have switched to it. It meets all my requirements for VOIP and there are no contact requests or spam to deal with ever. Plus it is FREE for all calls to the USA and Canada (I paid Skype $30/yr for that) and the overseas charges are the same as Skype (e.g., call the UK for 2 cents/min). A Google Voice number is also free (Skype charges another $30/yr for a Skypein number). You can also call out on your landline or cell for free to the US and Canada and at the GV rates for other countries – no computer needed. When Google Voice gets in full swing and is available to all comers I think Skype may die a sudden death. If it hadn’t been for this Skype Spam mess I probably would not have sought an alternative – so I have the spammers to thank for saving me my Skype subscription costs. Skype is falling apart at the seams – and mostly because they simply don’t listen to their customers. I think we are starting to see the death spasms and they are not able to muster the where-with-all to keep afloat.
I am another Skype user who has recently started to get a lot of unwanted “contact requests”. I can’t see any way of blocking these and it is becoming a pain, as well as embarrassing that the account my kids use is also receiving these often sexually explicit messages. Is there any way to address this?
Further to my post ,(4 above), after some random checks today , I assume (that Skype with the update to the Program to v.166 on 3rd Sept) , Skype have now made porn spamming less attractive by stopping the URL inclusion in Contact Requests. I have not received any further spam messages since my last post.
I am concerned that I appear to be the only one to date , (in this blog) , to have become free of spam . It would be helpful perhaps if previous sufferers can now post a 1 line message ” Yes I am now free of porn spam contact requests” , (or similar),…then we can have a bit more confidence that Skype have at last got it right ?
Hmmmm. Spam-free for two days now. Dare we hope?
Contact requests are never-ending and the ones I receive are obvious hooker names. I mean, who has the GD time to do this? What’s the return? Skype needs to block all IMs that are not in a customer’s contact list. Very simple. I can’t understand why it’s not implemented.
Three days spam-free and counting! Wow!
Yes its brilliant marshall ! , same here, I am only looking at 3 or 4 accounts now , but they appear still to be free of porn spam.
I am glad that Skype have now managed to fix it for 2 of us at least…………
Finally! I’m happy to report that I’ve been spam free for several days now, too. Good job, Skype! (Better late than never!)
I do wish you had acknowledged the severity of the problem more publicly and provided a bit more confidence that a solution was coming. I realize it must have been a technical challenge (and likely will continue to be a challenge as the spammers adjust), but we users need to know you are passionate about your customer service!
hey peter
it is being almost a month that you post this message and no news from skype
you say “Please keep an eye on this blog, where we’ll announce the public-facing bits of our approach as we release them.”
when we will get any news ??
Yes I am now free of porn spam contact requests. Thanks for fixing this problem at last.
We are experiencing this problem while piloting deployment of Skype (business version) in our organization.
Unfortunately, also with current (.166) release, we still receive plenty of these random contact requests (3-4 a week) even with all the privacy settings on.
Until this problem doesn’t get fixed there is no way we can deploy skype in our organization.
It would be nice to have some official communication on what’s going on/what’s the roadmap on this issue.
So, if I’m reading this correctly, the “Only allow people in my Contacts list to contact me” doesn’t actually work???
I get about 3 or 4 spam requests a week from people who aren’t in my Contacts list…
Erm, this goes against the above option…????
This is funny, I got spamm callers, n according to the last one, luiscriado23 I was calling him!! completly nonsense, I recently bought skype phones to talk with my girlfriend, and since I am using skype every day, its nonsense, 4 days ago i got a call n a webcam video og a guy jerking off, reeally annoying for my family around. instead of receiving messages, skype should notify that sonebody wants to talk to u, but not play video by default.
I Love skype, but its like facebook at the beginning, we dont have control on our privacy with the open way that users can send u webcam video, n we cant acept or reject, its just there, same with messages from ppl out of my contact list.
This has to change otherwise users will go away.
@joseluis.v.g you should update your privacy settings so that only people on your contact list can call you – that’ll make sure that sort of thing doesn’t happen in future.
peterparkes:
You are not reading these posts before commenting on them? I too have my privacy options limited to Contact only & Invisible status. Even today, during a call, I got two unsolicited requests for my contact info. I thank auth_blocker,
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=412061&st=40&p=1907571&#entry1907571
from blocking these (mis)users.
Linux users out in the cold again, eh?
Dear Skype.
I have suspended my Auto Recharge and that of my wife. I am not renewing my subscriptions until the spam stops. This issue is now making headlines in the news aggregators and I for one am disgusted that you are deliberately encouraging this.
Privacy means privacy. If people want to ask you to be in your contacts list, they simply cannot be allowed to IM you if privacy settings proscribe this.
I have made a video explaining how to report spam to Skype http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sSg022oZpk
I hope it helps!
Do you trust Outlook to stop your email spam? Than why do you ask Skype to do that.
You better use an external anti spam tool for Skype.
A good example is SX for Skype (I’m sure there are others)
http://www.securityextension.com
Chen
>small minority of users who abuse the software
LOL.
Users implies these are nice people who usually use Skype to talk to grandma, but sometimes abuse the software a bit by advertising some Viagra…. spammers are not users, they’re only abusers….
Users, understand that the Skype roster can be searched on private data, even when it is not publicly readable. For spammers who know your email address, which can be harvested in various ways, that means instant gratification: a working Skype account to blast.
Solution: create an account at Mailinator or SpamGourmet or Google that will forward to your primary address, and use this account in your Skype profile. It’s useless while nobody can search by that address, of course, but at least now Skype has a valid email address for you (as far as I can tell this is not linked to your account’s email address that is confirmed, this is merely searchable). You can equally use no data whatsoever, though that practically removes any possible use for that data for making contact. And, it makes sense to use alternative data anyway, just to keep the spammers at bay, just in case you need to use the spare. Understand though, that as soon as you use the email address for something other than Skype, you threaten its ability to protect you. Perhaps now is an opportunity to share a private address with *private* individuals only. Good for email spam handling, too.
Skype: you’ll just have to ruin your product (thank you, thank you so much, spammers!) by taking away searchability of private data. You know you must, now. Damn shame, at least one of my friends was unambiguously added to my contacts by this method. But spammers ruin everything they touch, and although I’d sooner have the spam than lose the feature out of principle I honestly think you have a lot to lose from the great unwashed by not implementing this simple fix, many of whom simply don’t care as long as the spam goes away.
If anybody wants to, please post to the forums with the suggestion/link. I don’t have the patience. I’m testing it now with a spamtrap I know has a good reach. I don’t think your entirely safe unless you start fresh either; if spam has arrived at your existing account, it’s really already contaminated because they know now. And there is a delay for profile updates to propagate.
Cheers,
Sabahattin
Is Skype *actually* doing something about spam, or is Skype just assuring us that they “take spam seriously”. Google the phrase “bug letter”.
If Skype wants to take spam seriously, then the most important thing to do is to learn to act quickly. If I press “report abuse”, does the message go into someone’s mail queue, to get processed sometime in the next month? Or does something happen in the next few minutes? If it’s not the latter, then no, Skype isn’t doing anything about spam.
Here’s how spammers work: They create an account. They fire up the spam ‘bot and send out as much spam as they can. Eventually, the service provider gets wind of it, puts it in their ticket queue, gets around to dealing with it, investigates the complaint, and then closes the account.
By then, the spammer is long gone, having created the next ten accounts already. The spammer knows that the individual users are going to block them, and they’ve switched to a new account already, long before the ISP gets around to dealing with them. The ISPs actions are already moot by the time they take them.
If you want to stop spam, here’s what you do:
After enough users (maybe three or four) click “report abuse” for the same sender, that sender’s account is automatically blocked by the system from sending any more messages.
Metaphorically speaking, a light flashes at an operator’s console, and the allegedly spamming messages are displayed for operator review.
If the operator agrees that these were spam, the account is permanently locked. The account-holder’s credentials are automatically checked to see if they own any other accounts, and those accounts are temporarily blocked as well, pending appeal by the user.
Finally, the spam is examined to look for an identifying signature and this is added to the filtering system which will flag spam before it’s even sent.
There’s a simple way to block most of the spam on Skype – if the initial contact from one party to an unknown (previously not contacted) contains a URL, it’s spam. No legitimate user will send a URL to an unknown person, ever.
Blocking someone from sending a URL until the other person replies will reduce the efficacy of spam significantly – all these spammers want to do is drop a URL onto other user’s screen – they don’t care what happens after that.
Report spammin, easy? You should be kidding…
I needed to spend 15 minutes to search how to report it.
Yes, I am a dropped out user because I can’t upgrade to anything higher to version 3.5. Skype stinks.
a friend of mine told me that it is sufficient 1 “report as spammer” in order to have your account blocked.
but reading this post here :
the problem of the actual solution is anybody can search for your skypename using the directory and report you!!!
I got my account blocked because of stupid foreigner who wanted to talk to me, i refuse, they blocked and report me!!!
The report abuse should be only if somebody add you as friend not if you receiving a message. If you receiving a message from someby which is not in your contact it’s mean that you privacy are not setup right!!!
lllallla5
seems to be confirmed.
I really do not believe that the system is so stupid. if a spammer or a enemy of mine report me as a spammer i have my account blocked as i was a spammer??? are we crazy? it should be at least more reports and a check from skype.
who can answer me?
thanks
There’s this person who spams me. I keep blocking and reporting them but they keep coming back. First one was Katherine Knox. This is not a person, it’s a machine. It tells you that you can see them on [insert porn site here]. What that person wants to do is, they want you to add them to their contact list. So keep in mind people, if they send you a url don’t go to it.
If Skype institutes a system whereafter 10 or so complaints the account is disabled, it will severely reduce spam.
I don’t think an ordinary person who is not spamming will easily work up 10 complaints.
Thanks.
With the Linux-Client (Beta, 2.1.0.81) it´s similar to the Win or Mac method to Block a user.
Supplement: …to Block and Report that you will abuse from this person.
My skype is up to date. yesterday I have started recieving messaged from contact list users to click on a link. but it is not sent from them. this messages are getting auto generated by spam to other accounts. Therefore everyone receiving the spam messages.
The link is up31.easypicuploads.com,
I have blocked this website and as well as change privacy settings even though I am getting spam.
Kindly help to resolve this issue.
This has been talked about before – but I see NOTHING from Skype with comemnt, or a fix – would be good. Messages, appearing to come, from known and trusted contacts with links to sites. In my case talking about photos! Enquiring with those contacts, they are as mystified as me.
What’s happening, please?
How can anyone get on to a third party skype contact and use that as a conduit to send spurious messages? as below – even having the temerity to add a laughing emoticon!
HELP Skype!!
foto http://aliphotos.net/id.php
Do you continue to “not take this sort of thing (as) lightly” now as you did in your blog at the top of the page dated August 19, 2009? Things seem to moving slowly with regard to this problem.
Any idea as to when a fix will implemented?
Is anybody listening?
@fredhayes.mini if you’re still receiving spam on Skype, please make sure you’re using the most recent version – let me know if that helps!