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: : E-mail & Spamming Inquiries : AntiSpam Tips |
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| Question: | AntiSpam Tips | | Answer: | Do NOT respond to the spam mail, even if a "remove my name" reply address is present. These "remove" addresses are usually fake; in most cases the sending address is fake as well. Sometimes the "remove" address just acts to collect valid email addresses for future spam mailings.
1. Guard your in-box.
Don't give out your email address to anyone but the people you actually expect to correspond with. For dealing with everyone else, see tips 2-4.
2. Use free Web mail accounts.
For merchants and legit others you don't correspond with regularly, use Web mail, such as Hotmail’s or Yahoo!’s. You can abandon it if it gets spammed. Many have spam filtering built in.
3. Use a disposable email address.
Disposable email addresses are great inbox insulators. Give them out in place of your real address, which remains hidden. You can always dispose of the address if it gets spammed.
4. Use fake addresses.
Most Web-based signup forms require an email address, but ask yourself, do they really need it? If you don’t want to hear from the site (and don’t need a confirmation email or tech support), don’t give a real address.
5. Don’t post your address.
Resist the impulse to post it on Web sites, guest books, contact lists, newsgroups, chat rooms, and so on; spammers harvest from these places. If you absolutely must reveal yourself, use a Web mail account or a DEA. You can also put something extra in your email that humans will know how to read but harvesting robots won’t: billy@makeup.com could become billy AT makeup Dot com.
6. Don’t answer spam. Ever. You won’t stop spam by writing to the spammers, even if you ask nicely. At best, you’ll flame a robot, which won’t mind. At worst, you’ll confirm that your email address belongs to a naïve human being—a valuable commodity for spammers. Ignore the “remove me” email addresses, too. Many of these lead to dead or inactive email addresses.
7. Opt out.
When you do signup for or buy something online and you have to give out an email address, remember to opt out of everything you’re not absolutely sure you want to receive.
8. Read the privacy policy.
Make sure you understand what a Web site promises to do (and not to do) with your email address. If there’s no privacy policy, see tips 2-4.
9. Use a spam filter.
Even if you follow tips1-8, you’re going to get spam. If you get more than you can handle, try to install one of the spam filtering software.
| | last updated Mar.23.2004 | |
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