Avoid Spam
Recent research estimates that 80 percent or more of all e-mail sent these days is spam. An astonishing figure, yet you may see only a tiny portion of that deluge. Many Internet Service Providers (ISP) or e-mail programs provide junk e-mail filters that can serve as the first line of defense against spam.
You, too, can take advantage of technology to help you deal with the spam that evades these filters. You have three powerful tools at hand to help stem the tide of spam.
On This Page
How to Use Spam Filters
Get spam filters to suit you and check out the options provided by your ISP and email package.
Make sure your spam filters work the way you want. If your spam filter is set at a very restrictive setting that weeds out as many suspect messages as possible, it might be sending legitimate e-mail to the electronic dump. Check your junk e-mail box regularly to make sure that every message going there is truly junk, or loosen the restrictions.
Good Habits for Fighting Spam
Spam filters help reduce the amount of unwanted email, but you can improve their effectiveness just by being careful about sharing your e-mail or instant message addresses. Follow these five tips and you'll find your e-mail box has more of what you want and less of what you don't - spam.
- Only share your primary e-mail address with people you know. Avoid listing your e-mail address in large Internet directories and job-posting Web sites. Don't even post it on your own Web site (unless you disguise it as described below).
- Set up an e-mail address dedicated solely to Web transactions. Consider using a free e-mail service to help keep your primary e-mail address private. When you get too much spam there, simply drop it for a new one.
- Create an e-mail name that's tough to crack. Try a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters-Don2Funk9@example.com or J0e_Y0ng@example.com (substituting zero for the letter "O"). Research shows that people with such names get less junk e-mail.
- Disguise your e-mail address when you post it to a newsgroup, chat room, bulletin board, or other public Web page-for example, SairajUdin AT example DOT com. This way, a person can interpret your address, but the automated programs that spammers use often cannot.
- Watch out for pre-checked boxes. When you buy things online, companies sometimes pre-select check boxes to indicate that it's fine to sell or give your e-mail address to responsible parties. Clear the check box if you don't want to be contacted.
Tip: When you sign up for Web-based services such as banking, shopping, or a newsletter, carefully read the privacy policy before revealing your e-mail address so you don't unwittingly agree to share confidential information. The privacy policy should outline the terms and circumstances regarding if or how the site will share your information. If a Web site does not post a privacy statement, consider taking your business elsewhere.
Improve Your Computer's Security
You can greatly reduce your risk from hackers, viruses, and worms if you use a firewall, install anti-virus software (and update it routinely), and keep your Windows and Office software up to date. You can learn more about how to help protect your computer with these tools by following the step-by-step instructions in the Protect Your PC section.
