Everybody gets spam. Here are a few tips on how to lessen & manage it:
- Implement a spam blocker that will help cut back the volume.
- Never publish email addresses directly on your web site.
- Use a contact form for interaction with the public so as not to reveal individual email addresses.
- Set up filters on email clients that will send emails containing common “swear” words and other common keywords (viagra, refinance, credit score, etc.) to the trash immediately.
Everyone is susceptible to spam – there is no 100% solution. Once an email address is out there, it’s vulnerable. A few ways to prevent an increase of spam are to:
- Never click links in spam or unsolicited emails, as this can signal a spammer that your address is valid. Valid addresses are traded or sold to other spammers.
- Report spoof emails (emails that pretend to be from PayPal, LinkedIn, etc.) to the actual organizations, who will investigate them. (Most have an address to forward spoofs- search the term “spoof” at their site to find out.)
- Police your inbox diligently, deleting unsolicited emails from your system, so that other users don’t accidentally access them in a search, and think they are valid.
Unfortunately, there is no filter or application that will replace responsible, diligent management of an organization’s email.
