Stay Alert Online
Jul 31 '01
The Bottom Line Internet users can take certain steps to safeguard their Inbox from an onslaught of unwanted e-mail.
It is a very difficult endeavor to prevent spam email, because by its very nature it is unsolicited! But there are logical steps you can take to minimize these types of messages in your Inbox.
As you surf, you might give out your information to various companies. For example, I participate in many online sweepstakes and earnings opportunities. Any time I fill out a form online, I am VERY careful to make sure that if there are any little boxes to check or uncheck, that I have things set the way I want them, not to the default that the webmaster has these selections set to. Many sites will ask if it's okay to share your information with their "marketing partners" -- well, that could be anyone! Always say no, even if it's a reputable, firmly established company that you initially were responding to.
If you use Microsoft Outlook or certain other email software programs, you can set a filtering system up to weed out those emails that you are consistently pestered by. You know, those garbled email addresses, or companies that refuse to unsubscribe you after many requests on your part . . . these email programs allow you to specify that you want all mail from a particular address to head right to your Deleted Items folder. It's great! You are still downloading these but never have to look at them again.
AOL, Yahoo, and most other email servers have an abuse handling system. If you repeatedly receive email from a particular sender who uses one of these as their service, then go ahead and write to abuse@(fill in the blank) and you will either get immediate help or, more likely, an automated reply telling you how to properly direct your inquiry.
Unless you recall signing up for a particular offer, or with a particular site, NEVER follow the unsubscribe instructions in an email. Usually, spammers use this as a method to see whether there is a live person at the other end of cyberspace. If they hear back from a user, they know that person can be reached, and you can be almost certain to hear back from them soon.
There is, unfortunately, no sure-fire way to block all unsolicited email. We get junk offers on the phone, in our real-life mailboxes, and in our email boxes. Email just happens to be the most unregulated of these forms of media, and that's why the problem is the most annoying online! But if you follow the suggestions given above, you can avoid a serious inflow of unwanted messages, for the most part.
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