Tips on how to Prevent Spam

SafeBytes Software

Spam is becoming a constant fixture in our everyday online lives. According to the Symantec Intelligence Report 77.8% of all emails received in 2011 were spam, and this implies that 8 out of every ten emails are junk! Surprisingly, no one asks for spam, or do you? While it’s so easy to read spam in your emails, opening a spam link can result in identity theft or virus infection.

It is worth noting that spam emails are a primary vector for phishing and malware. Don’t be surprised that in every 319 emails, one email is phishing and one email in every 281 emails is malware as stated in the recent Systematic Intelligent Report. This clearly shows that operating spam can infect your business systems with a virus or share your business’s confidential data with malicious individuals.Here are tips to help you reduce the number of ambushing your inbox.

1. Take the necessary precautionsIn most cases, spammers need to know your email address before they can spam you. Therefore, it is wise to use a complex username that it’s hard for anyone to guess right. Spammers’ software tend to look for the obvious and easy addresses first like those with obvious names like ‘john@hotmail.com’ as opposed to complex emails such as ‘ack1056@homai.com’. Also, previewing your emails before you open them is a great way of staying away from spam. If you suspect the email isn’t from a trusted source, just delete it.

2. Avoid pasting your email address onlineOne thing you should know is that robots can gather thousands of email addresses from sites where the emails are made public. If you are registering for an offer or joining a forum, it is advisable not to use your business or home email address. Instead, create an email address specifically for that purpose.3. Ensure that your email address cannot be scannedSometimes, you may be required to leave your email on some websites. If you must use your business or home address, write it in a creative way to ensure that it’s hard for the spambots to capture it. For example, you can write it as ‘ann(at)yahoo(dot)com. Also, you can use image capture of your email address or use JavaScript to construct a display of your email dynamically.4. Block and report spam on GmailSpam is detected automatically and placed in spam folder where it’s automatically deleted after 30 days. If you ever suspect an email is spam, click Report spam and block it. That way, you will have blocked such emails from that sender.5. Avoid opening attachments in spam emailsOpening such emails can infect your computer with Trojans that will entrap you in a spammer distribution chain (the spammer might use your computer to distribute spam emails. Also, it can share your emails contacts to the spammer.

For the safety of your computers and business systems, it is advisable to use safeties to scan your computers and ensure that they are free and safe from malware. You can also opt for TotalSystemCare from SafeBytes to delete junk files, speed up the slow computers and enhance system performance.