Tips and Tricks to stop Spam
Every day, advertisers bombard your e-mail account with offers of cheaper mortgages, affordable prescription drugs, and designer watches at rock bottom prices. But, don’t believe every e-mail offer you read. Dan Gookin, Author of “Buying Computers for Dummies” says, “It’s called Spam because you haven’t asked for it. It’s junk mail in your inbox.”
While some spams are genuine advertisements, others are not so friendly. So, if you find yourself curious after reading a spam e-mail and click on their link, you run the risk of getting a computer virus or having your identity stolen. Computer Expert, Jose Xicohtencatl says, “If you click on every single spam that people will send you, you will get three things. First, they will take you to places where you don’t want to go. Second, you will see different icons on your desktop that are unwanted- such as games. And, the third and most important one is that by clicking on different types of spams, you will bring viruses into your desktop.”
Spam has become one of the biggest problems facing the internet today and it comes in many different forms. From pop-up windows to instant messaging spam to mobile phone spam. Here are some helpful tips on how to handle it.
Use Long, Complicated E-mail Address
When setting up your primary e-mail account, try using a long, complicated address. This will make it harder for spammers to find you.
Tips on Spam:
Don’t give away your Primary E-mail Address
Use a “Disposable” E-mail Account
Never give away your primary e-mail address to sign up for anything. Since, there are plenty of websites that offer free e-mail accounts, set up a “disposable” email account for public use.
When you do receive spam…
Tips on Spam:
Don’t Click on or Open Suspicious
Pop-Ups & E-mails
Instead, “right click” the pop-up ad in your task bar and select “Close”
“Make sure you don’t click on any free offers. Be sure to not click on any pop-ups that you get and make sure that you don’t click on any unwanted e-mails from people that you don’t know or that you don’t know where they’re coming from,” explains Xicohtencatl.
And, don’t’ get fooled. Some spam may disguise their true intentions by offering you ways to stop receiving spam.
Don’t Get Fooled By Fake Messages
“If at the bottom of the message it says, ‘If you don’t want to receive this message click here,’ you shouldn’t click that because often times clicking that message tells them, ‘We have a ringer, we have a live one! Let’s send them more!’ So just click the junk button or delete the message to deal with this problem,” suggests Gookin. “One of the things that you should do to stop spam is to make sure that you get a pop-up blocker. Now you can find most of these for free on the Internet. Make sure you get one that allows you to adapt to your needs,” says Xicohtencatl.
Most e-mail programs today have “junk mail filters,” which help flag spam and automatically puts it in a separate e-mail folder for you to delete later. But, before you do that, be sure to check your junk folder for personal e-mail that might have been sent there accidently.
“If your e-mail program doesn’t have that, then you need to upgrade your e-mail program because the newer versions of all programs have that kind of filtering in them,” explains Gookin.
Again, keep in mind…
Tips on Spam:
Long, Complicated E-mail Address
Don’t give away your Primary E-mail Address
Use a “Disposable” E-mail Account
Don’t Click or Open Suspicious Pop-Ups & E-mails
Don’t Get Fooled By Fake Messages
Pop-Up Blockers
E-mail Filters
Remember, to protect you and your computer from spam, try using a complicated e-mail address. Don’t give away your primary e-mail address. Instead, use a “disposable” e-mail account. Don’t click on any pop-ups or open any suspicious e-mails. Be wary of fake messages. And, finally, install pop-up blockers and e-mail filters on your computer.