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Some Extra Tips
For all of the things that you can try to do that do not work for getting rid spam, there are in fact, some that do work. The best thing to try and remember is that you will never really be able to completely avoid receiving spam.
After all things are said and done not everyone wants to spend all of the extra money that it takes in order to get rid of spam. Not to mention; not everyone can afford it either. If this sounds like you, there are a few things that you can do that will not cost you anything except a few moments of your time. In the end, isnt it worth it. They are as follows:
Ignore Them
You should never open an unsolicited email that you receive in your inbox. You have to understand that spammers are really just playing a numbers game. They simply send out like a million emails and hope that at least a third of them stick. Its sad but its true.
See, a spammers goal is to simply gather as many email addresses as they can get their hands on. They dont even know if any of the addresses are even active; they simply hope that they are. It is when you answer them that they know whether or not it is an active account that is checked often.
The people that send spam are not stupid, they know that it is highly annoying for your to get their emails, that is why they send out so many of them. It is simple odds; for every person that ignores their emails, there is one that opens and answers them. With odds like that, can you really blame them for continuing to send spam?
Do NOT Click On the Unsubscribe Links
This kind of goes along with ignoring the spam emails. Often spammers will approach you in a way that that lets you think that they are your friends. They will put certain things in your subject line like these:
FROM: Paulina, SUBJECT: remember me?
SUBJECT: hi
SUBJECT: guess what?
SUBJECT: (none)
You get the picture from those. Many spammers will leave names and casual greetings so that you believe that you are getting a friendly email from a friend. Actually, that is a very useful method. I know plenty of people who have been caught by that one. Especially if the spammers use a name and that name is the same as a contact.
Of course, once you open these emails, you realize very quickly that they are not from your friends, but advertisements. It is natural for you to want to click on the link at the bottom of the email that promises that you can be taken off of their email list, but do not think for a second that this is what happens.
When you click on the click here if you wish to stop receiving these emails link, the spammers simply change the name that sends it to you. You will still receive the offensive material it will just be under a different name and subject text.
Hopefully you will now know that it is a waste of time for you to try to and get your address off their list. All you have proven is that you are indeed opening and reading them. So you have set yourself up as fair game.
Use Various Email Addresses
Since it is unavoidable to receive spam, you may want to set up a dummy email address. You would use this address when you register for newsletters, order products, enter contests, and register your new software.
You would like to avoid using you primary email address, or the email address that you receive from your ISP for things like that. This is the email that you would give your contacts or safe people.
Naturally you will still receive some spam in your primary address, but at least not all of your time will be spent dealing with them. You can check your dummy address about once a week, or more if you really feel it is necessary.
Dont Post Your Address
When you are on the internet or using a homepage of your own, you will also want to avoid posting your email address in your contact me section.
Since spammers scan through different homepages and look for the @ symbol, you would serve yourself better to write your email address with the word at instead. That makes it a bit more difficult for spammers to find your email address because they use special software that searches for the symbol, and not just the words. It wont stop it completely but it will help.
Do Not Purchase from Spam
The biggest reason why spam is out there is because certain people have some sort of product or service that they are trying to sell. The absolute worst thing that you could do is buy something from them. Obviously, we cant make everyone refuse to purchase their wares, but you can at least do your part.
Just imagine how perfect the world would be if everyone gathered together to refuse to buy things that were offered in an unsolicited email. Spammers would be out of business the moment that they realized that they werent getting anywhere.
Beware of Free Trial Software
One of the best reasons for going online is to download software and games that make surfing on your computer more fun. These days you can go to almost any website and find free software to try, and download. This can be very rewarding and entertaining at times, but there is a down side to doing this as well.
For every legitimate download, there are plenty that are designed to get your personal information, which will eventually lead you to more spam. This is particularly popular from free trial software as well as free software.
Spammers use this method in a similar manner as they would use a gift promotion and contest sign in. You see, they will let you have their software under the strict regulation that you leave yourself open to receiving updates and notifications about their products. Many people agree to this because they are getting something out of the deal besides the software.
That is one of the most beneficial ways for spammers to get you on their hook. Usually you can check their privacy policy or terms of agreement policies before you install it. You should ensure that you check these before agreeing to sign up. If not just for the spam you may receive, then for viruses and worms.
You should always check to see who their affiliates are as well before you download from a website, as sometimes you have to deal with their spam as well. |
