Spam Is Your Responsibility

Many people believe that spam is something that goes hand in hand with having an email address, and there’s nothing that they can do about it, but this is wrong. Even though it may not be obvious a lot of the time, your actions can end up giving the spammers a helping hand in their attempt to render email a useless form of communication. By following a few simple rules you can help deliver a blow to spammers all over the world.

• Don’t reply

This doesn’t just mean hitting the reply button and sending something offensive back to the spammer. It also includes not clicking on any link within a spam email, regardless of its suggestion. Sometimes an unsubscribe link can send confirmation to the spammers that they have reached a valid email address.

• Don’t make it easy

Spammers will use computer programmes to trawl websites on the Internet. They look for email addresses to use and abuse, and if your company publishes your email address on their website then it’s likely that you’ll receive a bunch of spam. Of course sometimes it makes sense to have certain email addresses on a company’s website, but maybe it’s time to decide whether it’s necessary in your case.

• Don’t forward

Do you remember getting that petition that you signed and that hilarious email from an email address that you don’t know? Well when you forward those emails on to the rest of your address book then you are offering fresh email addresses (including yours) to the spammers.

• Don’t post

Do you post to a forum, newsgroup or email list? Do you post using your work or home email? If the answer is yes to both of these questions then you should stop immediately. These types of sites often allow your email address to be publicly available, making it all the easier for the spammers’ programmes to find.

• Don’t trust chat programmes

Spammers also use chat programmes to try and get a response. If you respond to a conversation they have started, they have confirmation that your email is valid, and they can then start to spam you. You should never use your email address as your user-name in any chat programme.

If your IT department is using up-to-date anti spam software along with the sender policy framework, and you are adhering to these rules, then spam could almost be eradicated from your mailbox.