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Spam is seemingly everywhere. No matter how good the email filters may be, unwanted marketing email will somehow leak through. From advertisements for male enhancement to the notorious 419 "large amount of money needs a bank account" scams, spam is a growing problem for Internet providers and users alike.
According to Spamlaws.com, junk email accounts for 14.5 billion messages a day, with advertising representing 36 percent of the content. Scam emails make up about 4 percent of the total amount, but that's enough to cost millions of dollars in losses per year. Some spam includes attachments that have viruses and malware, wreaking havoc on commercial and domestic computer users alike. -
Spam comes from sources all over the world. Sophisticated software and programmers have made it easy to distribute thousands of messages by pressing one button. Spam emails are big business; spammers get paid by the amount of messages sent.
The first method is through actual corporate spam services. Many businesses pay for mass direct mailing, not knowing that their product is being marketed to unwitting consumers who don't wish to know about their product. These spammers may attach links to opt in or out of the mailing lists for people who wish to stop the letters. What many users don't know is that these links often mask signups for more lists down the line.
Businesses may send their own spam by utilizing purchased contact lists and employee manpower. Of course, the unpopular nature of spam keeps many businesses from doing this, but it happens nonetheless. In the United States, spamming is a federal offense and can bring jail sentences.
A more sophisticated method is to hijack a third-party server and send mail from that address. This way, the spammer is practically untraceable. This robs legitimate server operators of their valuable bandwidth, as well as their reputations once the crime happens.
Still other spammers steal onto personal computers through stolen passwords and usernames. This is done by using sophisticated keylogging malware that records and transmits private data to the spammer. This stealth software is often introduced onto the system by an unwitting user. The only way that the user may find out that there's been a breach is by being locked out of their email, or from their Internet service provider. Often, this knowledge comes too late to avoid problems. -
There are a few simple steps that users can take to protect their accounts from spammers. The best step is to protect your property by using a good firewall along with trustworthy anti-virus software. If this sounds expensive and difficult, it's not; there are several companies that supply free, credible software that is easy to set up.
If the computer is used by children and teens, make certain to filter out adult content. Spam is notoriously targeted towards the adult audience, and children may enter email addresses and private information without having the skills to discern safe sites. By keeping tabs on computer usage, parents can avoid potentially dangerous downloads and information leaks. -
Most people fall into the spam trap by not surfing smartly. For instance, an ad may feature a free popular product. Clicking on this ad may install a "cookie." or temporary tracker, onto the system. This cookie may record email addresses on the sly. The advertiser may, at some point, request the email address so that it can email a voucher for the product. For the most part, this is an operation that exists to mill addresses. If someone wants information for something that's free, it's probably too good to be true. Be safe, and don't give out the info.
Be wary of giving email addresses on opt-out lists. Most valid opt-out services carry the email address onto the form so that the user doesn't have to enter anything. If there's a command to enter an address, the service may be fake.
Also, never open an email attachment from an unfamiliar sender. These are almost always malware that will log passwords and user information. If an email message with an attachment appears that looks fishy, throw it out unopened. Being vigilant can help users avoid annoying, invasive spam and damage down the road.
