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How to Stop Spam Email

How Can I Stop Getting Spammed?

Dealing with spam is like holding back the tide. But we can offer some tips that will reduce the amount of spam you receive. First of all, not all uninvited email is spam. If you conduct business on the Internet, some of the organizations you deal with may contact you by email and some of those emails may amount to an advertisement. The type of spam we are referring to is sent in bulk, by people with whom you have never had any contact. This is the worst kind of spam.

Typically, an email spammer buys a list of email addresses from a list broker, who compiles it by "harvesting" addresses from the Internet. If your email address appears in a newsgroup posting, on a website, in a chat room, or in an online service's membership directory, it may find its way onto these lists. The marketer then uses special software that can send hundreds of thousands - even millions - of email messages to the addresses at the click of a mouse.

First of all, and we can't stress this enough, never ever order something advertised through spam. There are plenty of reputable retailers to choose from, you don't have to accept a spam offer. Placing an order rewards spammers and just encourages them.

The restrictions placed by the government on spamming has had little effect, so you are going to have to defend yourself, at least for now. Here are some tips we can suggest.

  1. Try not to display your email address in public. That includes newsgroup postings, chat rooms, websites or in an online service's membership directory. If you do, email harvesters will find your email address and add it to a database for spamming.

  2. If you create a user ID on a website, don't use your email address as your ID if that user ID will be visible or listed to others.

  3. Check the privacy policy when you submit your address to a website. See if it allows the company to sell your address. You may want to opt out of this provision, if possible, or not submit your address at all to websites that won't protect it.

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