Having a website will give spammers even more oportunity to get your e-mail address. Here are some way to reduce number of spam e-mails you receive.

There are many ways for spammers to get hold of you e-mail address. Contrary to popular belief you don't need to visit a website selling Investment opportunities, Viagra or Rolex Watches to start receiving spam. In fact this is rarely ever the cause.

So how do spammers get your e-mail address?

1. WHOIS - If you own a domain name your contact information will be available through a service called WHOIS. This is a necessary service to allow people to contact domain owners however it is open for abuse.
2. Catch all e-mail - If you pick up all e-mail sent to a domain ( anything@your-domain. com ) then you will receive many e-mails sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it It is easy for spammers to find your domain: search engines, WHOIS, directories, links etc.
3. Spiders - Spammers can collect your e-mail address by simply spidering your website for e-mail addresses.
4. Forums, Usenet’s etc. - Participating in online discussion can be very productive however if the forum or Usenet does not take the necessary precautions to protect your e-mail address then it is open for spammers.
5. Chain Letters - How often do you receive e-mails asking you to pass it on. DONT. If you receive these from people you know tell them not to include you next time. For the simple reason, when you are added to a list of recipients if you are not in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) list your e-mail address will be sent to every one else on the list and to everyone who is then sent the e-mail thereafter. For example next time you receive you may be able to scroll down and view previous forwards and the e-mail address they were sent to!!!
6. Spammers Hit List - If you open up a spam e-mail there is a good chance that the e-mail will access a server (often to get pictures), sent to the server is a confirmation. This confirmation says this is an e-mail address that is in use. Now that they know this they can sell your e-mail address to other spammers and use it extensively. In addition if you attempt to use the unsubscribe button this will also act as a in-use confirmation.
7. Signing up to "Free offers" - Don't enter your e-mail address anywhere unless you trust the company and they are registered to the Data Protection Act.

Last update : 26-10-2007 14:32

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