Spam, or Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE), has gone from a nuisance to a plague, with many people now receiving more spam than legitimate email.
Server administrators do their best to stop spam by detecting it when it arrives. If they are successful in identifying an unsolicited message, they can either delete or filter it.
However, individuals play the most important part. We have the ability to stop spam from arriving. There are several things we can do to reduce the flood.
-Be careful when and where you post your email address!
The more places your email address is shown, the more chances a spammer has to add it to their list. If you don’t need your email address to be published on your web site, don’t put it there. Try using a comment form or a fax number instead.
-Don’t put your business card in a glass bowl!
Many restaurants and retailers have a bowl or box where you can enter a prize drawing by leaving your business card. Read the fine print. The reason many of these drawings exist is to collect your personal information for future marketing efforts. Often, there are no limits on what they are able to do with that information. Your details, including your email address, may be sold and re-sold to marketing firms.
How you deal with spam that does arrive will influence how much you receive in the future.
-If the email has a link in it, do not click it!
The more sophisticated spammers will place a unique ID in links that they use. This means that if you click the link, you will not only be subjected to more advertising on their Web site, but you will have confirmed that your email address is real and functioning. That makes you a prime target for the next advertisement.
-Don’t fall for the urgent demand!
Spammers try hard to make you click their links. They use tricks such as implying that your online banking account is at risk or some other ‘urgent’ issue. Don’t fall for it. Find a safe way to check your accounts otherwise you will be putting yourself at risk. Go to the Web site directly – NOT via the link in the email – if you want to check on your account.
Report the Spam!
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