| Email technology is a good and useful tool for | | | | accidentally open or respond to a spam email. This will |
| personal and business communications. However, it is | | | | verify to the spammer that your email address is |
| being hijacked and tarnished by unscrupulous criminals | | | | legitimate. It is difficult to tell sometimes who sent an |
| called spammers. Most people in the world enjoy an | | | | email or where it came from. Spammers will use |
| email account or two. What people do not like is | | | | images to track the message to see if it is open. |
| getting email messages that they do not want or | | | | Even looking at the message in a preview pane will |
| need. This includes spam email of course, but for | | | | make a trackable image request back to the |
| many people it also includes messages forward from | | | | spammers sever. Once they verify your address is |
| friends and family; things like chain letters and jokes | | | | real, they will send you tons more spam, and worse |
| you have read a million times already. Spammers take | | | | yet, sell your verified email to all their spamming |
| advantage of careless email users who do not use | | | | friends. |
| common sense when emailing. The best way to stay | | | | So what is a soul to do to prevent all this spam? |
| spam free is to only give your email to those close | | | | There are several things you can do to eliminate, or |
| to you. | | | | at least minimize the dangers. - Separate your real |
| This often backfires however, when your | | | | email address from ones you use to sign up for |
| sister-in-law forwards something to you and includes | | | | things on the Internet. Only give this email address to |
| all of her email contacts in the message. Invariably | | | | close friends or relatives who understand that you |
| someone will cc someone else who decides to | | | | don't want to get junk forwarded to you every time |
| harvest your email to send you spam offers. Novice | | | | they get something forwarded to them. |
| email users do not realize that their email clients | | | | - Set up a sign up address. This is an address that |
| automatically add people to whom they reply to their | | | | you use to sign up for offers, newletters, bank |
| address book. This means that when your | | | | accounts, travel sites, and newsletters. Eventually, |
| sister-in-law adds her entire email address list to a | | | | you may start getting junk to this folder, but if you |
| forwarded message, some of those who receive the | | | | are careful about the places where you sign up, you |
| email are spammers to whom she has fallen prey. | | | | can track down and tell where the problem originated |
| Separating business and personal emails is a good | | | | and can appeal to the perpetrator to cease. If they |
| idea. In business, you will get a lot of spam from | | | | do not you may have to report them to a black hole |
| business related newsletters for which you sign up. It | | | | list service or complain to their ISP. |
| is pretty much inevitable that you'll eventually get | | | | - Set up some additional throw away accounts. |
| spam to a business account. Many spammers target | | | | These are email accounts for sites where you want |
| company address with a dictionary attack, adding all | | | | to get information for which you have to register, |
| the names ever given to the front part of a | | | | but you know that by registering, you are going to |
| company address. Invariably there is a at your | | | | get a bunch of junk. Using this type of address will |
| company. Most people want to use email addresses | | | | let you sign up and get the information you need and |
| that they remember easily, but it might be a good | | | | then move on. You can ignore the account until you |
| idea to make them a little more difficult to guess | | | | need to sign up for something else. |
| what they are. Add some numbers to the mix and | | | | - Turn off the preview pane in your email client. Most |
| many dictionary attacks will fail. | | | | of the time you can tell when a message is spam by |
| Posting your email address on a website is a surefire | | | | the from address or the subject line. If you have the |
| way to get spam. If you have a domain name, you | | | | preview pane open however, you may end up |
| typically have an email address posted somewhere if | | | | landing on a spam email and notifying them of the |
| you want people to reach you via email. There are | | | | fact that you are a valid address. By keeping the |
| some handy email obfuscators available that convert | | | | preview pane closed you will be able to delete all the |
| your email address to html code. The email will work | | | | spammy email before you start reading the valid |
| when clicked, but will not be noticed by the | | | | email you receive. |
| harvesting bots rummaging through your site. Contact | | | | Never buy from a spammer. It only takes one |
| web forms can also help eliminate company email | | | | person to purchase a spam product and perpetuate |
| addresses getting harvested. Your email is also listed | | | | the cycle. The only way the Internet community will |
| during a who is look-up for your domain. Some | | | | stop spam is to make it unprofitable. There are many |
| domain hosting companies now offer private | | | | ideas about how to stop spam, none of which have |
| registration so you don't have to expose your email | | | | been widely adopted or implemented. It will still be a |
| to the outside world. If someone needs to get a hold | | | | few years before a comprehensive solution is agreed |
| of you through your who is record, the hosting | | | | upon. In the meantime, you will need to protect |
| company will forward it to you if it seems legitimate. | | | | yourself from spam as best you can by adopting the |
| The fastest way to get spam emails is to | | | | previously cited steps. |