What is Spam?
The SPAM we are about to discuss is not the processed can of meat that everyone is familiar with.
The simplest way to describe SPAM is that it is an electronic form of unwanted mail. Ever had tons of junk mail delivered to your home address selling everything from loans to double glazing? Well SPAM does pretty much the same thing to your email address. The companies or individuals behind SPAM do it purely for commercial gains. This is bad for everyone as they waste server resources, cause embarrassment if the SPAM is adult and can sometimes carry a virus with them.
How SPAM finds you
There are a number of different ways in which a spammer can collect your email address.
1. You sign up for a subscription at a website or service online and give out your email address.
2. You click on an unsubscribe link from an existing SPAM mail. This removes you from one mailing list but then adds you to even more.
3. From a website. SPAM bots are automated programs that fish the Internet for websites that contain email addresses. Once they have harvested a list the SPAM is then sent out.
4. Guessing. If a spammer knows a domain name they then try guessing what email addresses it might use. This can be a particular problem to those people who use a catch all or wildcard email address.
How can I stop SPAM
SPAM is something that is very difficult to block 100%. Measures can be taken by individuals and companies to reduce effects of SPAM.
1. Do not give out your email address to untrusted sources. Watch what you tick when signing up to services or subscribing to anything.
2. Use SPAM filter software to block unwanted emails. This is not a 100% efficient method as SPAM filters can sometimes stop innocent emails simply because that may have similar characteristics to a SPAM message.
3. Use a throw away address. This is more beneficial to individuals rather than companies. Use a free address such as Hotmail. When the SPAM gets thick change your email address to another one.
What now?
The fight against SPAM still continues and is by no means over. As fast as software companies develop solutions, the spammers find other means of sending their junk. By using some of the methods above you can drastically reduce the levels of SPAM received. Ask your web hosts if their email servers have SPAM prevention. Many hosting companies now use SPAM software as standard.