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How do
I get rid of Spam? |
| What can I do to stop unsolicited email? | |
| Advertisements
or spam from being sent to me? In reality, there is not a lot that
you can do to actually stop spammers from sending out their spam and
it turning up in your inbox. However, you can use filtering software
which can identify spam and allow you to delete it before it’s
downloaded onto your PC.
You can also set up your email software to manage your incoming
messages and create filters which will automatically perform actions
on incoming messages based on the criteria you specify. For example,
you can create a message filter that automatically sends incoming
messages to the “Deleted Items” or “Trash”
folder depending on what’s in the “Subject” line.
You can set up these filtering rules by opening Outlook or Outlook
Express and going to Tools – Message Rules –
Mail. |
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| Email Addresses | |
I would recommend creating more than email
address, one for use on the internet, this will catch most of the
spam. One for personal use for friends and relatives, and a separate
one for work. |
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| Email Providers | |
| Some Email providers have recently updated their software to protect you against spam, ie Hotmail, AOL, however this is not 100% effective, as the messages are still viewable. There are also some providers that cater for Children using the email. (See the software section). | |
| SPAM | |
| Quite often they try to get you to reply or
unsubscribe to the spam.....this tells the sender that it is a valid
email address, therefore you will be a target for more spam. Never
reply to spam just delete it. Some spam have attachments, NEVER open an email with attachment if you do not know who it is from. Doing this will add a virus to your computers. Outlook and Outlook Express has a setting to block all attachments. Tools/Options/Security. |
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| PHISHING | |
| I’ve just received an important email
from my bank telling me to log onto their website so that they can
verify my password and account details, what should I do? Ignore it
and delete it.You have received what is known as a phishing email,
it is the new form of Internet robbery, and is increasingly common. This is an email that purports to be from a legitimate business – usually a bank or credit card company - but is designed to fool the recipient into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, etc., The messages may look quite authentic, featuring corporate logos and formats similar to the ones used for legitimate messages. But their sole purpose is to steal the recipient’s identity or money from their bank account. Ignore all of these emails no matter how legitimate they may look. The fact of the matter is that legitimate businesses and financial institutions do not ask for personal information via e-mail. Most often these websites can be traced to Russia and/or other Eastern European countries where they are being used by criminal gangs to fleece the unsuspecting The best thing to do with this type of email is to ignore it and delete it. Phishing has been known for spoof emails from well known banks and companies, including Ebay and Paypal asking you to verify your details. Once you click the link your are taken to a bogus site that looks remarkably like the real website. (It is easy to copy the company logos and make the websites or emails look official). Once you have filled in the form and click OK then its too late you have sent your details to the crooks! Just remember that Banks, ISPs and well known
companies would NEVER ask for banking and personal
details via EMAIL. If
you are in doubt contact the your bank/company to report this for
further investigation. |
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| Hoax Emails | |
| Can have links to a rogue website which will
download Trojans and Viruses on your Computer. These hoax emails are
not innocent pranks. They have a malicious intent They could also demand monies for bogus charities, or even disguise themselves as reputable companies |
