How to prevent SPAM?

How can I prevent SPAM?

This question was answered on April 16, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

Below is a listing of general recommendations on how to handle spam that should help in reducing spam.

1 Never send e-mail or reply to an e-mail requesting that you be removed or to unsubscribe unless you are familiar with the company Some individuals and companies use this reply as a method of verifying the e-mail is valid and using this information to subscribe you to other mailing lists If you do not know the individual or company simply delete the e-mail

2 When filling out any type of form on the internet watch carefully for any type of check box that by default may be checked for you to receive a newsletter or share your e-mail with a a third party

3 When signing up for any e-mail list see if the company has any type of SPAM or e-mail sharing disclaimer See Computer Hope's Legal page for our example

4 If you are concerned about a company sharing your e-mail address set up a temporary e-mail account through Hotmail or other free e-mail service

5 Be careful who you send your e-mail too Sites that require you to sign up or request an e-mail for free products, free services, or contests commonly share your e-mail as a method of generating revenue

6 Don't send or recommend a friends or families e-mail address unless you are familiar with the service

7 Never forward an e-mail that claims that it is capable of tracking the e-mail as it is sent or will help generate revenue for a certain cause to the more people it is forwarded to These e-mails are commonly referred to as a chain mail and are commonly false and help individuals get additional e-mail address for SPAM

8 Be careful where you post your e-mail address In chat rooms or news groups for example anyone could quickly grab your e-mail address We recommend that when you need to post or send your e-mail that you send it to a specific person or setup a temporary e-mail account as explained in number 4

9 Finally check with your Internet Service Provider for their SPAM policy Many Internet Service Providers may already have SPAM blocking mechanisms in place and may even allow you to forward the SPAM messages you receive to them Helping prevent the same types of e-mail reaching you in the future

About the author

Posted by olivia of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on April 16, 2003

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!