Why is there so much spam?

Questions  

Why is there so much spam?
How do they get your email address?
Can you delist yourself from the spammers’ lists?
What can you do to prevent spam?
How can you filter for spam?
This isn’t good enough, what else can you do?




Why is there so much spam? top

Unfortunately Spam is a growing problem. Email addresses are harvested and are added to other lists. Because e-mailing someone costs next to nothing, spammers email millions of spam every day!

How do they get my email address? top

There are many ways that spammers get your e-mail address.

  • They can get it from your publicly posted email address on the internet
  • When you try to unsubscribe from their list, they know it is a legitimate e-mail
  • A virus, Trojan or spyware on your computer gave them the email
Can I delist myself from the spammers’ lists? top

Do not even try! This will alert them that it is a legitimate email address guaranteeing that you will receive much more spam!

What can I do to prevent spam? top

A few pointers:

 

  • Be careful about who you give your e-mail address to.
  • Make sure your email address posted publicly anywhere! Use the popular search engines to find your email address. You might be surprised at where it might be listed.
  • Do not attempt to “unsubscribe” yourself from their mailing lists
  • Scan your computer regularly for virus, Trojans and spyware.
  • Auto-forwarding your e-mail account or putting vacation messages may increase the chances of you getting spam or blacklisted by other ISPs because you are forwarding spam.
  • You can remove the “catch-all” since spammers often guess sales@domain.com or johnsmith@domain.com and you may get more spam than normal.
How can I filter for spam? top

You can change your spam settings in webmail. Click this link.

This isn’t good enough, what else can I do? top

We have many 3rd party solutions which are good. In addition, we can add an SPF record to your DNS settings which is a newer standard that may help prevent spam going forward.

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