Spammers are smart. They are constantly changing up their tactics on how to get your email address and coax you into falling for their latest scam.
Here are 12 things to do so you can enjoy less spam in your inbox.
Day 1: Get the latest updates from your spam filter – Since spammers are constantly changing their tricks, it is crucial to always have the latest version of your anti-spam filter.
Day 2: Use different email addresses online – By using the same email address for everything you do, you open yourself up to even more spam in your inbox. Try using a fake email address, or one specifically for signing up to mailing lists or websites instead.
Day 3: Encode your email address on your website or blog – When you post your email address exactly as you would when emailing, a robot will find it, detect it’s an email address, and the spam will begin. Instead, post something like this: nospam at spamfighter dot com. The people who need that email address will understand.
Day 4: Update your anti-virus software – Worms and web crawlers can look through websites to find out your email address and other personal information. Even if you’re giving your email address on a secure site, there are programs that are swarming your computer gathering information without your knowledge. Update your anti-virus to find the latest threats.
Day 5: Never open an attachment from a stranger – Opening an attachment from someone you do not know or trust will it show the spammer that you are active in your email account. That attachment could even be a virus.
Day 6: Click a link from an email– Phishing scams are prevalent with banks. No bank will send you a link to expose all of your personal information. They won’t do it, because they don’t need to. If you’re suspicious, reach out to your bank to double check that what they sent to you was legitimate. They’ll be happy to help you.
Day 7: Don’t use your email for everything – When you use your email for everything you do, you open your home and business up to more threats. At work, use an online collaboration tool instead to limit the number of emails being sent. This will make spam and other threats more obvious if they do squeeze through to your inbox.
Day 8: Don’t be generous over email– Nigerian spam has done really well for a reason. People respond to it. These scammers play on our inherent desire to help a fellow human being out. But in this case, resisting is the best thing you can do for your inbox and your bank account.
Day 9: Avoid signing up for every mailing list you see – Be cautious about where you input your email address.
Day 10: Be careful when entering a sweepstakes – Sweepstakes and contest sites are also notorious for selling email addresses. The only prize you win will most likely be more spam.
Day 11: Be tricky – A common tactic used by spammers is called a “dictionary search”. This is when they use a common domain name, such as the free email accounts, and guess likely email addresses. If yours is easy to guess, you can be assured they’ll be spamming you in no time.
Day 12: Think before you open – When you open a spam mail, spammers will know for certain that your email account is active. Be careful which emails to open to avoid getting more spam.
Remember: Spammers are smart. They use different tricks every day to get your email address and try to manipulate you into sending money or giving over very personal information. Be cautious and you can have a spam free 2012.
Biography of the guestblogger, Kimberly Crossland Kimberly has a passion for technology, business, health, and life. She started her career overseas in Copenhagen, Denmark where she worked as an International Marketing Assistant. Since then, she has moved back to the United States, and is now continuing her career as Marketing Manager at the cloud collaboration firm, YourOfficeAnywhere. Here, she works daily with small businesses and contributes to the YourOfficeAnywhere blog with tips on how to help increase productivity, drive revenues, while focusing on a healthy balance between work and life.
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