Fighting Spam

Over 90% of email is unsolicited and unwanted. Junk emails flood the electronic delivery system with messages that we just don’t want and phishing schemes fool millions each year. These abuses waste time and resources and are one of the biggest productivity drains that businesses face.

Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of all spam but you can manage the problem and protect your business from incidental damage. Make sure you have a clear email policy and train users so they don’t fall for spam tricks.   

1. Use a Spam Filter – although spammers work on beating the filter, this is your best first defense.
2. Never reply to spam, not even to unsubscribe – often this just confirms your email is valid.
3. Disable automatic downloading of HTML pictures - spammers get confirmation that you opened the message if the graphics (pictures) are downloaded.
4. Don’t participate in chain emails – these often harvest email address and many recipients find them irritating.
5. Don’t respond to email requests that ask for personal information or money – this is the most common phishing scam.
6. Use privacy settings on your accounts – especially for social media sites, don’t publically list your email address.
7. Use care when giving your email – if you list your email on any site (or on your business card) remember it increases your chances of being spammed.
8. Don’t spam others – if you have a eNewsletter or send email information be sure you follow proper protocol and allow your recipients to easily unsubscribe.
9. Turn off read and delivery receipts and automatic response to meeting requests – these responses are used to validate your email address.
10. If you receive spam in your inbox, you can forward it with the proper header to uce@ftc.gov.

 More technical notes at www.lansystems.com/technotes.html