SpamArrest Review
SpamArrest uses a Challenge Response Email System to fight spam.
If you're sick and tired of spam and need remote access to your email, then SpamArrest is what you've always dreamed of. In the great big world of spam fighting solutions, there are three main places where spam can be stopped dead. They are either at your PC (client based), your ISP (server based) or at a web-based filtering solution. The web based option is a recent addition and combines some of the best features of client and server based spam filtering solution into one convenient package.
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Spamarrest is just one such web based product. Coming from a new breed of spam filters it offers something called a Challenge Response Spam Solution. This might sound very complicated but in reality is quite simple.
With challenge response when somebody sends you an email, the email server sends a quick response back asking the person to click on a link to verify that they're a real living human being and not some piece of spam generating software. Once the person at the other end clicks on the link, they're then authorized by Spamarrest to send you email from now on - unless of course you choose to block that specific address later on.
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How It Works
Firstly, you'll need to signup for an account with SpamArrest. After choosing a login and password, you'll be given a new email yourname@spamarrest.com Don't worry, you can still use your existing email address by forwarding them to your new Spam Arrest email. Once done, you need to choose which email address you wish to protect from spam.
You will need to enter your pop3 details along with the username and password for your mail account. If you're not sure about these settings, Spamarrest does offer some help with this particular aspect of setting up your account.
Your next task is to specify who is allowed to send you email. SpamArrest makes it easy to pre-define your whitelist either by name, domain, mailing lists and even incorporates a neat import tool.
From now on, emails from unknown senders will receive an auto-reply message asking them to click on a link and requesting them to type in a coded word. When the sender successfully completes the response, they are added to your authorized sender list and their email is placed in your inbox.
Ease of use
SpamArrest offers an intuitive interface, virus and anti-phishing protection, reliability and an ease-of-use that no other web based spam filtering service can compete with.
You are also given disposable email addresses for receiving messages without exposing your real email address. And for an additional fee, it can protect an unlimited number of email accounts.
Installation
SpamArrest is web based. So there is nothing to install.
Supported Platforms
Works with POP3, IMAP, AOL, paid MSN/Hotmail Premier and paid Yahoo Plus.
Works independantly of email programs, so all clients are supported, including MS Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape, etc.
Summary
Spamarrest does claim to eliminate 100% of spam and from personal use I have to say that it does pretty much exactly that.
Being able to check several different accounts from one single web based interface whilst still blocking spam is excellent. Support for both PC and Mac users combined with newly integrated anti-virus features makes the Spamarrest service very hard to compete with.
SpamArrest is subscription based. Currently it starts from $3.12 a month.
Conclusion: Thumbs up to this great service and it comes highly recommended for POP3 or IMAP users.