How to Stop Spam Emails

Many of us are bombarded with hundreds, if not thousands of junk emails or spam everyday. Anyone with an email account can be at risk of getting them as spammers are now more ingenious with spamming than ever before. Spam are especially annoying when delivered in huge bulk, so that most of your time is wasted just by deleting them.

But how do you get spam anyways? Where do they come from? Spammers maintain a huge database that lists millions of email addresses that they sell to other companies. They usually source them from the following:

1. Websites

Spammers use spambots or programs that scour the internet to search for any texts with the @ symbol that most likely indicate an email address. These spambots will then harvest all these email addresses posted publicly on websites.

2. Chat rooms or newsgroups

Some people, especially new users of chat or newsgroup sites may unknowingly leave their real email addresses when posting something. Spammers use a software that easily retrieves their screen name and email addresses.

3. Misleading subscribe or unsubscribe online services

Some users may fall for sites created by spammers that says something like, “Win a trip to Fantasy Island. Just enter your email address here!” Many huge websites in the past sold their subscribers' email addresses for a commission. The way they do this is by creating an opt-in email list where they ask their users if they want to subscribe to newsletters from their partners - which tends to result in the users getting spam. A common technique employed by spammers is blasting random users with email containing an unsubscribe link. The link, which when clicked, will actually confirm their email address as valid and the email user will end up getting even more spam.

4. Dictionary-search programs

Another main source of email addresses is through dictionary search programs that target popular email service providers like Hotmail and AOL. This program will come up with hundreds of alphanumeric combinations of email addresses per hour. Though most of the results are invalid, some may also work, and the way spammers validate these email address is through methods such as the one covered above.

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How to stop or lessen the number of spam emails? The bad news is that the prevalence of spams is here to stay and have no signs of dying out but the good news is there are effective ways for you not to fall victim to them.

1. Do not post your email address on your website.

Doing so will attract hundreds of spams to your inbox. A great way for others to contact you without giving out your email add is by is by installing a Contact Us form instead. However, if you really want to post them online, you can try to prevent spambots from crawling your email by obfuscating it. For example: angela(at)yourdomain.com instead of using the usual @ symbol. You can even use online tools that provide you with an obfuscated email address via Javascript.

2. Create an alias or disposable email address.

Never use your real email address when signing up or posting messages in opt-in forms, newsgroups, blogs, chat and public forums. Some email providers can set you up for a free alias or disposable email address which you can disable anytime if you are flooded with too many spams.

3. Filter them.

Email providers like Gmail already have built-in email filtering programs within their servers that filter spam before they even reach your inbox. You can set up filters that automatically block or delete spam. Aside from preventing spams, filters are also effective in sorting out important emails like billing statements and other personal emails.

4. Ignore them.

It can sometimes be tempting to reply or click on the links in spam messages but the best way is to NEVER do anything at all. Some crafty spammers may include an 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of the message to opt-out but this can actually confirm that the email is active and create a potential gold mine for more spams.

5. Unsubscribe.

Some websites may require visitors to register before they can use their website. Make sure to read their privacy policy on how they use personal information like email addresses. If they send out company newsletters, check if there is a choice to opt-in to emails from the site or its partners, or whether it's possible to opt-out in the future if you prefer not to receive any emails from them.

If you want to take control of  your emails and prevent your inbox from getting flooded with spams, Vodien has SpamGuard Anti-Spam Solution that provides enterprise-grade anti-spam email service, with over 99.9% accuracy rates in maintaining a spam-free inbox. Vodien is a leading web and email hosting service provider in Singapore since 2002. Over 15,000 clients from all over the world have chosen us for their web and email hosting solutions that matches their business needs. Get in touch with us today by visiting  www.vodien.com to know more about our other web hosting services.