How to stop spam emails?

Spam emails and messages have become the bane of our existence in the digital age. Not only do they clog up our inboxes, but they also often contain malicious links or attempts at scamming us out of personal information. Despite numerous efforts to combat spam, it continues to be a constant nuisance for internet users everywhere.

But why do we even receive spam in the first place? In most cases, it's simply because our email addresses have been obtained by spammers through data breaches or buying and selling lists of contacts. And sadly, as long as there are people falling for these scams and contributing to their profitability, spam will continue to thrive.

So what can be done about it? Check our article.

What are spam emails?

Spam emails are unsolicited messages sent in bulk by someone trying to sell a product or service. These emails often contain false or misleading information and can even carry viruses or other malicious software.

The first recorded instance of spam emails dates back to 1978, when a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative sent an email advertising their computers to 400 users on ARPANET. This sparked controversy among the community, as it was seen as an invasion of privacy and misuse of the network.

However, it wasn't until the 1990s that spam emails became more widespread with the popularization of internet usage and email addresses. In response, several laws were passed in different countries in order to regulate and reduce spam emails. Despite these efforts, they still remain a nuisance for many internet users today.

It's tough to estimate how many spam emails people get every day because everyone has a different definition of what spam is. Most surveys say anywhere from 45% to 50% of all email traffic are spam messages. Others place that number as high as 85%. Email spam costs businesses $20.5 billion every year worldwide. IP addresses in the United States are responsible for more than 30% of spam emails in the UK.

Why spam messages are so dangerous?

Spam e-mails often contain malicious links or attachments that can infect your computer with viruses or malware. These threats can steal your personal information, compromise your online accounts, and even hold your data hostage until you pay a ransom.

Additionally, spam e-mails may try to scam you out of money by posing as legitimate businesses or individuals. They may ask for sensitive financial information or direct you to fake websites where they can gather this information from you.

What can you do to avoid receiving so many unwanted emails?

Every day we receive dozens of emails, most of them unwanted by us. What can be done to reduce this?

- One solution is to set up a separate email address specifically for online shopping, newsletter and account registrations. That way, any spam emails will go to that address instead of cluttering up your personal inbox.

- Another option is to unsubscribe from mailing lists or mark the emails as spam. 

- Be cautious about giving out your email address and only provide it to trusted sources.

- Make sure to regularly clean out your inbox and delete any unwanted emails.

- Use a strong and unique password for your email account to prevent hackers from accessing it.  Keep your personal information secure. 

- One solution is to never respond or click on a spam email. This only confirms to the sender that your email address is active, leading to even more spam.

- Another tip is to use a strong spam filter provided by your email service provider and regularly update it with new spam keywords.

- Lastly, be cautious of any suspicious emails requesting personal information or unusual attachments – these are common tactics used by spammers. By being proactive and vigilant, you can effectively reduce the amount of spam in your inbox.

Following these tips can help decrease the amount of spam in your inbox.

What can you do to prevent your business emails from ending up as junk mail?

If you are a newsletter owner and there are a lot of email addresses in your mailing database, you certainly don't want your emails to land in spam folder. What can you do to ensure that the reachability of your e-mails is as high as possible?

- On a regular basis clean up your mailing list. Check your newsletter provider's statistics to see how many people are not opening your emails. If, for example, there are people who have not opened any emails in the last 2 months - delete them. The open rate of your subscribers plays a key role in whether your emails are considered valuable or not and whether they will end up in the spam or inbox. Remember - it is not the quantity but the quality of the subscribers that is crucial.

- If you are sending out different content, check what your subscribers are interested in and group them into segments by sending information to those interested only in certain topics.

- Set up "double opt in" confirmation. According to the law, you should only have people in your database who have agreed to this and confirmed their email.

- Avoid using words and phrases that trigger spam filters.

- Only send valuable content that will stand up for itself and be read. Only send emails when you have something of real value to share with your audience.

- Use a business email address.

- Give your recipients an option to unsubscribe.

- Do domain authentication with your domain provider.

How to block unwanted spam mail?

Most email providers (like e.g. Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, iCloud) have their own spam email filters. If they see a suspicious e-mail, they delete it or direct it to a separate folder. You can also do it yourself.

1. Open your email account and choose the unwanted email.
2. Click the More or "three dots" symbol in the mail's upper right corner.
3. Choose a block.

If you have subscribed to the newsletter and after some time find that you are no longer interested in receiving it, you can unsubscribe at any time:

1. Open your email account and choose the unwanted email.

2. Usually at the bottom of the message you will have the unsubscribe link.

3. Click and unsubscribe.

4. You can also block this email or report spam - but do it only if you are absolutely sure that it is a junk email.

What to do if you were scammed by email?

If you receive a suspicious email that appears to be phishing for personal information, the best course of action is to report it to your email provider. Many providers have an option to report phishing or spam emails directly from your inbox.

Additionally, you can forward the suspicious email as an attachment to [email protected].

It is important to remember not to click on any links or download any attachments from questionable emails, as this could potentially compromise your personal information and devices.

By reporting phishing attempts, we can work towards stopping these scams and protecting ourselves and others from falling victim to them. It may seem like a never-ending battle, but with the right precautions, we can make a dent in the onslaught of spam.

Do you have any tips for dealing with spam? Share them in the comments below!