Many Internet users have become victims of mass mailing without prior consent to receive messages. Unwanted letters invade a person’s private space and take up time, which is a reason why spamming is prohibited by law in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and other countries of the world.
In addition to a bad mood, spam also brings more tangible harm. Fraudsters often send viruses, malware and then steal contacts, damage important data, and request money for its recovery. Most often, the lists of spammers include addresses from open access: corporate email for feedback – info@ or hr@, personal mailboxes from profiles on social networks and forums. Today we will tell you how to protect yourself from this.
Five Steps to Spam Prevention
There are several methods to prevent receiving spam. It is better to use at least some of them at once: for example, use a spam email checker like Cleantalk email checker in combination with anti-spam plugins available for browsers. In addition, we recommend to use the following methods:
1. Do Not Share Your Address on Public Resources
Spammers make databases with special programs – parsers. Parsers respond to words that end in @domain.com. If you write your address on Facebook in the format of email@gmail.com, it will be easy to find and use it. If you want to indicate your email on social networks or forums, write it in encrypted form. For example: info[at]company.com.
2. Create an Alternative Mailbox
Create a separate email address specifically for online shopping and registrations on forums and message boards. This will reduce the likelihood of unwanted mailings in your main mailbox. It is better to register with large companies – Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc. Reputable providers make sure their customers don’t receive spam.
3. Create an Address That’s Hard to Guess
One of the ways spammers make databases is by selecting random addresses with special programs. Scammers know that people often use their name and year of birth in emails. If you register mail with the address “helen2001”, it will be easy for spammers to identify it. Therefore, try not to use obvious combinations.
4. Install an Anti-spam Plugin on Your PC
Check if your antivirus provides spam protection. The anti-spam solutions included in the anti-virus additionally filter incoming mails and mark unwanted messages as spam. In this way, you get more reliable protection not only against spam ads but also against phishing attacks.
5. Do Not Respond to Spam That You Receive
Having generated email addresses, scammers send spam to the mail randomly. If you open such a letter and follow the link, you will confirm that the address is real. So, the number of unwanted letters will increase significantly. Therefore, never open or follow links in suspicious emails.
We hope this information will help you protect your mailbox from spam. Just use the above tips to keep it safe. Good luck!
