Despite promises from the government to reduce spam and prosecute illegal spammers, junk coming into our inboxes online is at an all-time high. It’s no wonder why we recently received an email from Scott S. with a question I often get from equally frustrated people trying to get a handle on annoying spam.
"Sometimes I attempt to unsubscribe from Spam email, and a pre-populated page appears, other times I’m asked to type in my email address into a blank form. Is completing this blank form safe, or are these sites just collecting good email addresses and prompting more spam?" - Scott S.
Similarly, we received a second email from James W. asking another important question about spam emails:
"I use a gmail address. I am constantly getting emails from non-solicited senders (spam or junk mail) addressed to @aol.com. For example, I received an email addressed to someone else @aol.com. What can I do to stop this?" - James W.
Let's dive into this and go over what the best thing is to do in each of these scenarios.
If you ever attempt to unsubscribe from an email, you may sometimes encounter an automatic page that confirms you have unsubscribed. Sometimes you may also get to a page where you have to fill out a form with your email address. Some of those links can cause more trouble than they solve. You may end up giving the sender a lot of information about you or even an opportunity to infect you with malware.
It is sometimes a little tricky, however, my best tip is to only officially unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe button in the email if you know the sender is legit. If the email is from a store you shopped for items from or somewhere else, you’re familiar with - you can go ahead and unsubscribe and just give it a few days for those emails to stop.
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Regrettably, phishing attacks are successful because it is easy to fake the sender’s email or trick you into thinking the sender email looks legitimate, when in fact the spelling could be off by a few letters. In the image below you see State Farm Rewards, however, if you look closer at the email address it is statefarmrewards@cole.freightguidancee.com. That last part of the email address: cole.freightguidancee.com is a red flag that someone is trying to trick you.
If you tap a link in a fake email, even if you don’t fill out any information, you’ve confirmed that your email address is active.
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My top recommendation to avoid being inundated with spam emails is to use an alias email address. An alias email address is an additional email address that can be used to receive emails in the same mailbox as the primary email address. It acts as a forwarding address, directing emails to the primary email address.
In addition to creating throwaway email accounts for online sign-ups and other circumstances where you would not want to disclose your primary email address, alias email addresses are helpful for handling and organizing incoming communications.
Sometimes, it's best to create various email aliases so that you don't have to worry about getting tons of spam mail or having your information taken in a data breach. An alias email address is a great way for you to stop receiving constant spam mail by simply deleting the email alias address.
To find out my picks for private and secure email providers that come with the ability to create alias email addresses, visit CyberGuy.com/Mail.
What ways have you found effective to control spam email? Let us know by writing us at CyberGuy.com/Contact.
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