Spam Email and Viruses - 11 Tips for Reducing the Spam Epidemic
1. Don't unsubscribe to "subscription" emails from sources you didn't subscribe to by using their "unsubscribe" link. Simply add the email address of their entire domain to your inbox blacklist. Many spammers will use this "unsubscribe" link as a means of verifying that your email address is real and then turn around and provide it to other spam marketers for money.
2. Do not click on the links of an email claiming to be from a famous organization, unless you have contacted them first and are expecting a reply. Clicking on these links can cause drive-by downloads of viruses or even barrages of pornographic Pop-ups.
3. Never publish your email address online. Don't put it on an online resume', contact page or homepage. There are "spiders" continuously crawling the net looking for email addresses to add to their spam mailing lists.
4. Keep your computer clean. Run a virus checker with an updated virus database daily. Many viruses are written explicitly to harvest email addresses from your computer and then spam those people in your name.
5. Don't fall for "phishing" email schemes. Messages claiming to be from Western Union, Paypal and other financial institutions promising account closure and balance forfeiture if the user does not click on "confirm" or "verify" account links are a sure sign of a phishing scam. Once the user clicks on these links (that look legitimate, they are taken to a fake (but real looking) site asking for credit card information, password details, etc… Legitimate, honest companies will never send an email asking you to click on an enclosed link to save your account from shutting down.
6. Never participate in an online forum site, if they post your email address to their site. If you find a site that does not disguise your email address, let the administrator know they are helping serve email addresses to spammers.
7. Set up a separate email address dedicated to only Internet transactions. Use a free email service for this and keep your primary email address private. If you are getting too much spam at your free address, simply delete it and create a new one.
8. Watch out for pre-checked boxes. Many companies will use pre-selected checkboxes defaulted to indicate your approval to sell or give away your email address to third parties.
9. Don't forward chain e-mail messages. Some spammers actually start chain letters to gather email addresses. When you forward chain email messages, you lose control over your email address and may further a hoax, aid in a phishing scam or help spread a virus also.
10. Whenever you send email to a large group of people, always use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) address field instead of To. When you BCC your message, everyone else viewing the message cannot see the addresses of the other recipients. This simple method will help protect your friend's email addresses from being unknowingly spammed.
11. Make sure you use an antivirus product with a powerful built-in spam filtering device like Stop-Sign Internet Security.
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Related Tags: virus, spam, email, phishing
Jason Dick is an Internet Security Specialist. Mr. Dick is a Tier-3 certified antivirus technician with extensive experience creating customized antivirus solutions for new and resistant spyware and virus infections. In addition, he has spent several years consulting with the average home computer user helping them get the most from their Internet Security Software. He is currently writing a series of articles entitled "Internet Security Tips for the Home User" to share his knowledge and expertise.To follow Jason's entire series and read a multitude of other exciting and up-to-date articles on Internet Security visit: http://home.stopsign.com
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