Outsmarting the Enemy
Spam, or junk e-mail, results in an immeasurable waste of time for e-mail users, not to mention the potential for phishing, identity theft, fraud, and computer infection. And unfortunately, spam continues to grow.
Nine Out of 10 E-mails are Spam
According to security vendor Symantec, spam now accounts for 90.4 percent of all e-mail. Some of the most common categories of spam include advertising, adult-related materials, and political and financial topics. The U.S. is one of the top spam-producing countries, along with Brazil, India, and Korea.
You may be surprised to learn that even in this era of more sophisticated Internet users, many people continue to respond to spam in ways that could leave them vulnerable. A recent survey by the Ipsos Public Affairs Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group showed that nearly half of the respondents had opened spam, clicked on a link in spam, opened a spam attachment, or replied to it — all activities that are not advised.
Arm Yourself with Anti-Spam Tools
Thankfully, there are many effective ways to prevent spam from reaching your inbox. The first line of defense is provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP manages the sending and receiving of e-mail and can screen unwanted messages and prevent them from reaching your computer. Contact your ISP to ensure that the filtering feature is active for your account.
Additional spam filtering tools are available as part of your e-mail program and in the form of antivirus software that you can install. All major e-mail programs, including Outlook Express and Mail.app, can screen your e-mails and place junk messages in a separate folder or delete them automatically. You can help the screening process by identifying junk messages that make it to your inbox so that they're handled correctly if received again.
You can also practice these spam prevention strategies:
- Encrypt your e-mail address if you must post it on a website.
- Read the small print when you sign up for services online.
- Do not respond to, or click links in, spam messages.
- Do not participate in e-mail forwards (a source of e-mail addresses for spammers).
The more of these tactics you use, the less unwanted e-mail you'll see. Spam may be a huge adversary, but it's still worth continuing the fight.
Beware of These Spam Messages
Spammers will try to convince you to provide money or personal information. Here are three common messages that are "red flags" for fraud:
"Please verify your account."
The sender poses as a company you do business with such as your bank. Don't fall for it; reputable companies will never ask for account information in an unsolicited e-mail.
"You have won a prize."
The sender claims you need to provide some personal information in order to claim a prize that you've won. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
"Emergency cash is needed."
The sender, who may appear to be someone you know, requests cash to help them through a travel nightmare or similar incident. Never send money to sources that approach you online.