Big Brother has your number (and your name)

My first experience with spyware was the most horrible. It happened about two years ago, when the concept of spyware and adware was still new.

I was browsing dating Web sites, when only a few seconds later I received an e-mail titled "Looking for a Date Samer?" At first, I thought it was just a strange coincidence, but later it started to freak me out, especially when I began to get weird e-mails containing my personal information that were geared toward my taste in products.

Even more bizarre was that my computer would start my dial-up connection in the middle of the night. I'd wake up to see myself connected to the Web.

Finally, I downloaded Ad-Aware, and all those problems became history.

--Samer
Beirut, Lebanon

A classic example, this story shows why everyone is up in arms over spyware. This particular offender was obviously tracking your Web surfing to find out your interests, then providing your information to a marketing company, which in turn sent you those spooky e-mails. It also likely contained a dialer, hence the ghost connection to the Internet you mentioned. It's encouraging to hear Ad-Aware solved the program on its own; that particular program and others like it should always be your first step before you resort to more drastic measures.

--Download.com editors

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