After I wrote a column about how to reduce the amount of spam (junk email) in Google’s Gmail, Don Wenig of Tucson, Ariz., voiced the frustration of many email users.
“I just wish I knew how these creatures got my address,” Wenig said.
I took that to heart, and here is a list of the ways that spam producers get your email address and what you can do to prevent it.
• Don’t respond to an email from someone you don’t know, not even to “unsubscribe” from an email list that sends you unwanted information. It only confirms that your email address is a good target.
• Don’t download any email images that weren’t initially displayed by your email program. That also confirms that your email address is available to spam.
• Don’t sign up for any online service that says it will remove your name from spam lists. Chances are, the site is run or monitored by spammers.
• Don’t respond to attention-grabbing emails, such as a “delivery failure message” for an email you didn’t send, or a message that says you requested something that you didn’t. They’re just bait.
• Don’t let an automatic email response go to everybody. When on vacation, set your email to respond with an “I’m-not-here” message only to emails from people already in your contacts list. Otherwise the automatic response may confirm your email address to spammers.
• Don’t be fooled by phishing emails that urge you to use an email link to a website where you can correct or confirm something about your email, bank account, credit cards or other personal material. These people are trying to steal your personal information.
• Don’t participate in online contests that offer cash prizes or free trips in exchange for your email address. This is a bit like giving out your street address and telephone number whenever you buy a lottery ticket, something most people would never do.
• Don’t use your main email address in online forums. Spammers scan these forums with programs called “Web crawlers” that copy email addresses (typically they copy anything that contains the “@” symbol.) Protect yourself by adding phony details to your email address, such as inserting the phrase “delete(UNDERSCORE)this” in the middle of the address. You won’t fool any people, but you might trick an automated Web crawler.
Don’t give out your real email address without considering two alternatives. You can set up a secondary free email address to give to websites; if that account becomes clogged with spam you can close it. Or set up “disposable email addresses,” temporary addresses that forward email to your real address. See http://www.tinyurl.com/youhjr/.