Getting Off Spam Lists
Bad Idea
Many anti-spam gurus advise against responding to the offer to reply with the word "remove" in the subject field (or whatever the suggested method of getting off the mailer's list may be).
Experience has shown, and several empirical tests using "virgin" email accounts confirmed, that this ploy is often used a part of the scheme to validate active email accounts. In other words, those responding to the offer to be removed from the list are just adding their name and (confirmed) email address to another spam list.
Worse Yet
Worse yet is a new generation of spammers who offer to remove the recipient from their spam list (and others) upon receipt of a phone call. On the surface, it may seem like a legitimate alternative to the risk of hitting the Reply button. However, the scam is to re-route the calls to expensive user-pay locations, where charges as high as $30.00 minute are incurred on the calling party's phone bill.
What to do
The best policy is to never encourage them… i.e., never to call a phone number given in a spam mail--regardless of the area code, or respond to an offer to "remove" you from a mailing list.
See also:
Tracking Spammers
Tracking Spammers: Tools
Tracking Spammers: Time savers