White Paper - Reducing Email Spam

One of the most frequently asked questions of our Networking and Support Consultants here at AIS Solutions Group relates to unwanted email and spam, and more specifically, how to reduce or eliminate it. While there are a number of steps the average user can take to reduce the amount of spam received on a daily basis, the reality is that you will never be able to keep all spam from reaching your inbox. That said, listed below are a number of steps you can take to drastically reduce the amount of spam in your inbox.

1. Do not give your email address to companies or individuals who do not assure you that they will not sell your information. The primary way that individuals get added to spam lists is by giving their email addresses to a source that sells those addresses to spammers or other companies. While this seems like an unethical way to make some money, it is not illegal and many companies and individuals do it. Most companies and individuals that do not participate in this practice will tell you upfront that they will never give or sell your information to third parties. If you do not want to receive spam, never give your email address to companies or individuals that you do not know or do not assure you that they will not sell your information. Normally, this information is contained in a Terms of Service section on a web site or online form, and in the case of shadier businesses, is often buried inside copious amounts of legal jargon. A good rule of thumb, if you don’t want to read it all, is to avoid entering your email address.

2. If you give out your email address frequently (i.e. you like to sign up for free software trials, online contests, subscriptions, etc), try having a separate email account for that purpose. Lots of popular websites (such as gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com) will offer you a free email account that you can use in this way. It will keep your primary personal or business email address more secure and less likely to fall into the hands of a spammer or company that might sell it.

3. Never respond to junk emails or emails that you do not know for certain are from the email address that they claim to be from. Sometimes spammers will spoof an email address to make the email look like it is coming from PayPal, UPS or your bank. They then select a domain name (such as yahoo.com) and select names of email addresses that they think might exist (such as johnsmith@yahoo.com, jsmith@yahoo.com, johns@yahoo.com, etc). Mass emails out to those addresses hoping to receive a response. As soon as you respond to one of these emails, that spammer will include you on every future message they send out because you’ve confirmed your address. This also lets them know that your email address can be sold to other spammers. The exception to this is mailing lists or subscriptions. Most of the time, if you do not unsubscribe to a mailing list, you will continue to receive those emails forever.

4. Use the junk email or spam protection built into your email program. Most email programs, like Outlook, Entourage, Mail, Thunderbird, etc, have built in junk mail folders and spam settings. Check your help documentation to figure out how to turn on your junk email protection and set the level to the appropriate setting. The same thing goes for logging in directly to your email via gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, etc. Most of these services also offer junk mail protection. You can read the site’s help documentation to determine how to set them up. While this does not keep you from receiving spam altogether, it will separate it from the emails that you do want to receive and place it in a separate folder where you will not see it unless you want to.

5. If you use any version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, make sure that you have antivirus protection on your computer and that it is regularly updated. Many viruses will steal your personal data for use by spammers and hackers. Generally in those situations, the least of your worries is having your email address spammed but it can, and does, happen. You can download free antivirus programs like Avast! or AVG but keep in mind that the protection will not be as good as a service that you pay for. AIS Solutions Group recommends Trend Micro for your antivirus needs.

At the end of the day, the key to reducing spam boils down to personal responsibility and making sure that you avoid giving out your email address to questionable sources. Create multiple accounts for multiple purposes and make sure that you take adequate precautions in the security of your computer’s data. If you follow these simple steps, you can regain control of your Inbox and see a dramatic reduction in the amount of spam received.

Questions? Call 678.783.0138 or visit our help desk for more assistance.

Click here to download or print the PDF.

© 2009 AIS Solutions Group