The primary way to prevent spam from getting into your inbox is knowing the ways that these e-mail harvesters get it. Most of the time, it would depend on the user’s activity.
E-mail harvesters can get your e-mail address:
1. Through your online profiles in message boards or forums. That’s why it’s always advisable to disguise your e-mail address. Some message boards offer an optional field for your fake e-mail address that will be displayed on your profiles. It is advisable that you utilize this field. Some also give you the option to display your e-mail address or not.
2. Through social networking sites like Friendster, MySpace, Multiply.com, etc, especially when you display it in your profile. Some people display their e-mail addresses so it would be easier for people to invite them but this way, they are also inviting spammers to get into their inbox.
3. Through mailing lists. By subscribing to some mailing lists, you are disclosing your e-mail address to them. It is either they use your e-mail address to send you unsolicited e-mails from them or sell it to spammers or advertisers. It is, thus, recommended to read a website’s privacy policy when signing up for their mailing list.
4. Through webpages. Spammers have programs or bots, which spider through web pages, looking for email addresses, e.g. email addresses contained in mailto: HTML tags (those you can click on and get a mail window opened).
5. Through your own website by means of contact information. As I have emphasized in Prevent Spam in your Inbox Part I, you can use online e-mail signatures or a contact form. You can also right your e-mail add this way: yourname(at)host(dot)com.
6. From various web and paper forms. Some sites request various details via forms such as guest books. Spammers can get email addresses from those because the form information becomes available on the world wide web. Most of the time, the e-mail field asked in guest books are optional. Or if some websites require it, you can put a fake e-mail.
7. Through chain letters or e-mails. This has been over-emphasized in my Prevent Spam in Your Inbox Parts I and II.
You can read more at FAQ.org.
Tags: Blogging, chain-letters, E-mail-Frauds, Internet, Prevent-Spam, Tips
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Dec 13, 2006 at 23:10:14
Cursed spam! That’s why I maintain a network of e-mail addresses, some are disposable and spammable which I use for quick on-line sign-ups. My personal e-mail add is reserved for real human contacts.