Chances are you will receive at least 15 messages today in your spam email. If you are one of the unfortunate ones that number could increase to 100. We are immersed in the world of unwanted emails known as spam. Our once clean, organized email inbox does not match any promising messages from “Get It Quick!” in clever ways of spam such as “Your order has been placed with us…”. We will spend an average of at least 5 seconds per email addressing spam, which over the years can add up to 7 hours of lost time - almost the entire working day. So how do we deal with spam attacks and more importantly how can we protect ourselves and our family from being deceived by those who want to make a profit or steal our personal information by filling in our inboxes?
Unfortunately, there is really no easy solution to the spam problem. Internet service providers like Earthlink, AOL and others spend millions of dollars each year trying to protect their subscribers from spammers and spammers (a term used to refer to a particular type of spam email when a sender tries to trick you into releasing personal information. Information such as card numbers credit, passwords, etc.). It can be difficult to distinguish what is spam and what is not because of the clever methods that work with most spam. Headlines that make you think email is legitimate by entering your first name or phrases such as "Important Information About Your Account". If you see a topic that you believe is important and you need to read it, you find it to be another piece of spam when you open an email message.
So how does spam cost money? There are two real spam you can call it: real money lost and the amount of your time. The latter, while annoying, has no long-term effects. However, if you talk about losing real money you may find that the consequences of such fraud can be long-lasting and extremely costly. It’s hard to believe that spam e-mail can cost you money, but every year people are taken in huge sums of money by tricks used by spammers and bad guys.
An email for phishing scams may appear as "Important information about your Citibank account". You see a similar message, and you probably have a Citibank credit card account. You open it and it looks legitimate. The message simply states that they need to verify certain information in your account for security purposes and ask you to access the website by clicking the link. The link directs you to a site similar to Citibank, but it is actually a fraudulent page setup similar to yours by a fraudster. You enter your account details and password and return with a simple or similar thank you page designed not to arouse suspicion. You may not think about it until a few days later when you check your online statement and find that your credit card has been used without your knowledge. Identity theft has collected your username and password and used it to gain access to your account.
So how can you protect yourself from becoming a victim of such scams? Even better, how can you stop spam from getting into your email right away? There are a few steps you can take to help prevent the flow of spam. The first is to never reply or forward to the spam email you receive. Just report it to your ISP and move on. Do not notify the sender of the spam that there is a real account there or you will be added to the additional list of spam emails. Second, invest in spam blocking tools that work to help prevent spam from entering your inbox and working to help protect you from spam. Such tools are usually very cheap and can easily be repaid in a week or so. Lastly, consider setting up a “private” email account that is only known to your family and friends. Use this account by corresponding with trusted people and have another account that you use to place orders, subscribe to newsletters, post forums, etc. You do not even need to check your email account for the garbage account. there to act as a catch-all.
Spam is an expensive issue that affects everyone with an email account. You can fight back against spam and help make sure you are not the next victim of one of their scams. All that is needed is the right tools, the right attitude and the desire to help get rid of clutter your email permanently.
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