What’s the Best Way to Deal With Spam?

Spam. Junk Mail. Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE). Call it what you will, it’s a pain in the butt. And it’s a problem which simply will not go away. So, what’s the best way to deal with spam? This post will look at some things that you should do to both minimize the chances of you getting spam and blocking as much as possible of the rest (that’s right, no matter what you do, you’ll almost certainly continue to get at least some spam in your inbox). 

But let’s start by looking at some things that you shouldn’t do. Firstly, never ever buy from a spam email. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But some people find those emailed offers simply too tempting to resist. For example, according to one report, spammers get roughly one reply per 12,500,000 – and that’s enough for them to make a profit. Secondly, never reply to a spam email or attempt to unsubscribe from their mailing list. Doing so may simply confirm that your email address is live (I’m not convinced that spammer do actually monitor responses in order to maintain a list of valid address, but why take the chance?). Thirdly and finally, don’t set your email client to automatically send out-of-office replies as this too could confirm that to the spammers that they have a real, working email address. 

So, what can you do about spam? The best way to avoid getting it is to stop your email address from ever finding its way onto the spammers mailing lists, and here’s some ways that you can do just that: 

1. Do not post your email address on the Web. Spammers use bots to harvest email addresses that appear on the Web, and so posting your email address in a public place is a sure-fire way to attract spam;
2. Use a disposable or sacrificial email address. Create a second email address – with Gmail, for example – and use it for Web forms and communications with non-trusted companies. Or use a service such as Spamex or Mailinator that enables you to create one-time-use, sacrificial addresses. Keep your ISP or primary email address for communications with friends and trusted companies.
3. Do not use the “send this link to a friend” button on websites and encourage your friends not to do so either.
4. Use a complex email address. Spammers auto-generate email addresses within a domain, and so addresses such as bob@hotmail.com or brian@hotmail.com are likely to attract spam pretty quickly. Using a more complex email address will help keep your inbox free from spam.
5. Mung your email address. If you absolutely must post your email address on the Web, obfuscate it. Instead of writing bob@hotmail.com, write bob (at) hotmail (dot) com. But note that, as the bots that harvest spam are becoming increasingly sophisticated, this method is not foolproof and should only be used with your secondary or sacrificial address. 

These tips will help you reduce the amount of spam that you get, but they will not stop it completely – especially if you are already receiving spam. So, what can you do? Here’s a couple of simple steps you can take: 

1. Block it. Chances are that you have access to a spam filter. Use it! Or use them both! The majority of these filters are pretty good and will block almost all your spam.
2. Adjust the sensitivity of spam filter. Most spam filters enable you to adjust their sensitivity and doing so can reduce the chances of spam slipping past. For example, in Outlook 2007 click Tools > Options > Junk E-mail and you’ll see various options that enable you to adjust how the spam filter works. Note that increasing the sensitivity of the filter will also increase the likelihood of legitimate (non-spam) email being tagged as spam, and so you’ll probably need to experiment to find out what works best for you.
3. Report it. In the US, spam can be reported to the Federal Trade Commission. From the FTC website: “If you get spam email that you think is deceptive, forward it to spam@uce.gov. The FTC uses the spam stored in this database to pursue law enforcement actions against people who send deceptive email.” In other jurisdictions, a simple internet search should tell you where you should place the report. 

As mentioned, these steps are unlikely to completely eliminate spam, but they will undoubtedly substantially reduce the amount that you receive. Here’s to a less uncluttered inbox!