Spam….

We all get it, some more than others. Your email is probably plagued by it and no matter what you try you cannot seem to stop it. The question is should you even try? Many spam type emails could easily contain links or even files that could seriously harm your system. So then what should you do?

With your email account everything you sign up for has the potential to become spam. Only you can make the call as to if the email is spam. The good news is there is hope. If you sign up for some blogs, forums and other websites they could have an option at the bottom of the email to ‘Unsubscribe’ from the mail list. We recommend that you only attempt to unsubscribe from locations that you know or trust. For example if you signed up for website X and receive a email from website X then it will probably be ok. Always verify you know the sender before opening any email.

But what about those you did not sign up for? Most email software and email providers give an option to ‘mark as spam’. This will allow program or provider to enhance the spam filter and better determine spam automatically for you in the future. A word of cation here though. If you tag emails as spam that are not, it could stop those emails for being received at all in the future. Be sure you know they are truly spam before tagging.

There will always be spam that gets through. To enforce the spam policy from a providers side too strictly could result in good email that you, or others using the same service, would not be received. To help eliminate spam, we recommend that you create 2 emails accounts. Use one account to sign up for anything you do not know directly. Or for websites that you do not want to get email from all the time. Reserve your other email for more personal uses, giving it only to trusted friends.

Always make sure your anti-virus software is up to date and running. It could be your last line of defense. Many spam emails will try to mimic something you would normally receive. For example your online electric bill notice. Many times these will have links or other files attached. If you do save the file, ensure to scan it before opening. Verify the sender of the email before clicking on links to ensure they are safe. You can also view the link destination and determine if its some place you know (If you bill is from Clark Public Utilities, it is unlikely to have link to joevirus.com but rather the utilities website, etc etc). When in doubt, research. Look up the information directly on the website of the place in question. Call them to verify. If it is not something you did, look into it before clicking.

You are your last line of defense. Always research before clicking, same as you would look before leaping. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Above all, browse safely.