SpamCop is currently having 92 million reported Spamming sources per month, and Ancar B Technologies Anti Spam solution is filtering over 3 million emails a month of which less than 15% is HAM. With such a volume of Spam email in your inbox, we’re wasting more and more time filtering though the junk in our mailboxes.
Free email services such as Hotmail and Googlemail offer a high level of filtering services as standard, but these are geared towards individual users.
For the rest of us, here are a few top tips to prevent help prevent the infestation of Spam in your inbox.
Top Tops for Spam Reduction
- Disable the Automatic Download of Images – Applications such as Outlook do this as standard. Why? Firstly, it saves on bandwidth if you don’t really need the image. Secondly, and more importantly, spammers can track which users download the images which allows them to track legitimate email addresses and record them for futher spam attacks.
- Never follow links in SPAM – Again, URL tracking is in place which allows a Spammer to tack and target legitimate addresses.
- Avoid the use of a Catch All address – Put simply, you’re generating a honeypot for spammers as every possible conceivable email address will be valid and you will receive far more SPAM in your inbox.
- Use generic email addresses on the web – Never use a private email address on web sites. Web Crawlers are constntly trawling for email addresses to add to their database. So use info@ rather than your personal email to keep the SPAM out of your inbox.
- Sign up for a Googlemail Account – And use it just for signing up to sites/forums or any other site you need to enter an email address in order to access information. As mentioned previously, they have great SPAM filtering systems and it keeps your inbox clean. Googlemail
- Read Privacy Policies – Following on from the last point, don’t just tick the box and sign up. Read a web sites privacy policy to ensure they’re not going to pass on your details. Additionally, watch out for “pre-checked” boxes signing you up to mailshots.
- Use an email client with a Junk Filter – Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird both have built in filtering engines to help keep your Spam email under control.
- Never use TO or CC on Mailshots – A mistake made by many people. Always BCC users on a Bulk Mailshot. This keeps the groups email addresses private and prevents mail loops and mail scatter.
- Disable Automatic Read Receipts – Your just letting Spammers know they can send you more mail.
- NEVER REPLY TO SPAM – Need we say more?
- Do not pass on Chain Messages – They may occasionally be funny, but read down the next one you receive. How many email addresses appear in the message. your just adding yourself to a long list of email addresses ready to be added to a database.
- Report Spam – www.spamcop.net – Report any Spam you receive to help yourself and others in the future.
- Consider a Mail Filtering Service – Of course, Ancar B Technologies offers a mail filtering service, but to be impartial, I can also recommend Symantec’s Websense
Avoiding Phishing and ID Theft
Phishing is quickly becoming one of the biggest forms of Spam and is now considered the biggest global threat for Fraud. Here are a few simple tips for ensuring your protection.
- Never Contribute to Charity Emails – If you want to donate, visit the Charities official web site.
- A Bank will NEVER ask you for your details – Under no circumstances will a bank ask you for your personal information on an email. You know who you bank with, if you want to log in to check anything, go to their site yourself.
- If it looks like spam, it probably is – Simply delete it.
- Never provide personal information – If an email asks you for personal information, delete it.
These steps are only simple, and generally common sense prevails. But following these simple tips will reduce the Spam in your inbox and also provide protection against Identity Theft and Fraud from Phishing emails.
Happy Emailing!
