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Spam
How to guard against spam attempts
Explanation :: Detection :: Solution :: Prevention
While we have been taught to protect our physical selves and identities, we must now become more cautious online. You would not give a complete stranger your personal telephone number so don't make it easy for them to find it online.
Basic safety tips for preventing e-mail spam:
- Use more than one e-mail addresses. One for personal e-mail and the other for mandatory fields in online forms and access areas.
- Make your e-mail address difficult to guess. Spammers will use every name combination they can find to send spam (known as "dictionary attacks"), so sus4756xan@yourisp.com, although unattractive and possibly difficult to remember, might attract less spam than susan@yourisp.com. Generic e-mail addresses like webmaster@yoursite.com will always attract spam, unfortunately.
- Never post your real e-mail address anywhere online, such as newsgroups, online chat and online profiles.
- Use a "throwaway" e-mail address or disguise your e-mail address so that harvester bots cannot read it.
- Always check the privacy policy of any Web site that requests personal details, such as e-mail addresses. If the Web site is requesting this type of information and either does not provide an option to opt out or does not have a privacy policy, it is not wise to submit your information.
- When you are responding via a Web site form, read it thoroughly. Some Web sites who do include an opt out option usually require you to check a box to say that you agree to be sent e-mail (either from them or their associates). However, some of them ask that you uncheck a pre-checked box not to be sent e-mail and many consumers have fallen foul of that.
- Never code e-mail addresses into Web pages with the "mailto" tag, use a contact form or a javascript e-mail scrambler.
- Never open e-mail and/or download attachments from anyone if you are not expecting them and if you must open an attachment - always virus scan it first.
- Block future messages from unknown users, if your e-mail client allows it.
- Never reply to a spam e-mail, not even to "unsubscribe"
- Keep your operating system, anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software up to date.
- Use any spam filters available by default from your ISP.
- Run anti-spam software like Mailwasher.
- Use anti-virus software and/or firewalls on every computer you own/use. Remember that children are easy prey to the ‘just click here’ tactic.
- Stay up to date with current scams and always report suspicious activity.