I received emails about a Valentine’s sales offer on four of my email addresses; both work and personal. I never subscribed to receive commercial offers from that company which is based in Mauritius. In the absence of clearly defined laws and inaction from authorities, businesses in Mauritius feel it is okay to just send you offers by email. They do not realize that an email is not a webpage where they can sell their ads.

I have contacted the Officer-in-Charge of CERT-MU numerous times in the past to ask advice regarding spam emails. I did not receive any answer or advice. I’m most interested in knowing how the local authorities deal with complaints on spam from companies based in Mauritius but unfortunately officers of CERT-MU play deaf to my questions.

The CERT-MU website mentions different constituencies that segments the cyber community of Mauritius. On 31 July 2016 I wrote to CERT-MU asking information about the contact person for the home constituency. I did not receive a reply to the question.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the United States of America has a page on consumer information that says the following about spam:

Unwanted commercial email – also known as “spam” – can be annoying. Worse, it can include bogus offers that could cost you time and money. Take steps to limit the amount of spam you get, and treat spam offers the same way you would treat an uninvited telemarketing sales call. Don’t believe promises from strangers.

On the same page the FTC provides advice and instructions to consumers about reporting unwanted or deceptive messages.

In Mauritius the authorities do not want to take the matter of unwanted emails seriously, let alone provide some advice.