For many computer users it is a daily misery – disposing of “e-waste”. Unwanted advertising mail often blocks the view of the electronic letters that are really worth reading. However, you can minimize your spam volume if you use intelligent filters and take a few behavioral tips to heart.
- Careful handling of your own contact data, for example, can make things much more difficult for spam senders.
- Filters integrated in e-mail clients provide additional protection against spam. Those who do not want to spend money can, for example, fall back on the free “Thunderbird” program.
- Depending on the amount of spam, it may be necessary to put up another protective wall.
Do not pass on the address carelessly
Careful handling of your own contact data, for example, can make things much more difficult for spam senders. One of the main sources of information are websites that allow spammers to automatically search for published e-mail addresses. Citing addresses in forum posts and guest books is a surefire way to get junk mail soon after.
If operators of private websites want to give visitors the opportunity to leave messages, an email address should not be legible in plain text. In this case, it is better to forego a link and instead offer a contact form. However, many spam robots do not outsmart many spam robots by replacing the “@” sign with the letters “at”.
Alternative: the “disposable address”
It is also advisable to be cautious about e-mail greeting cards. In addition, you should avoid giving your email address as often as possible in competitions, surveys and online shopping.
In cases in which it is unavoidable to pass on your contact details to strangers, a “throw-away address” does its job. If an unbearable amount of spam lands in the mailbox, a new address is simply set up. In this way, a personal e-mail address that is available at the same time and only known to familiar people should be spared as much as possible from unwanted correspondence.
Original e-mail addresses without frequently used components are an advantage. You will not be easily “guessed” by spam senders trying to get addresses at random. Filters that automatically separate what is worth reading from what is undesirable are usually part of the basic equipment, even for providers of free e-mail addresses. However, in rare cases they are not activated by default. One click and the spam should hardly cause any more trouble for email accounts with average mail volumes.
Have spam filtered automatically
Filters integrated in e-mail clients provide additional protection against spam. Those who do not want to spend money can, for example, fall back on the free “Thunderbird” program. It has an effective filter. If you train the filter and determine what you want to read and what to put in the trash, it will get even better over time. It is often also possible to define individual message rules in e-mail clients. But this is a Sisyphus work.
Rule of thumb: delete – don’t open
Depending on the amount of spam, it may be necessary to put up another protective wall. Then additional filter software comes into consideration, which catches advertising waste as soon as it is transferred from the mailbox to the mail program. The selection of free programs on the Internet is large. If spam gets into the e-mail in spite of all precautionary measures, the unsolicited mail is best simply deleted. Under no circumstances should any links or images contained therein be opened. It is also an advantage to set up e-mail programs so that they do not automatically download graphics. For the same reason, alleged offers to “unsubscribe” are to be rejected. Otherwise there will be more spam. Complaining is pointless – the sender addresses are mostly made up or stolen.
