This article will provide you with some useful techniques for using email safely, reducing spam and protecting your privacy.
What steps can I take to reduce spam & malware?
Use four separate email addresses, and don't deviate from their intended usage;
- Email address 1. = for banking & finance matters only.
- Email address 2. = family only.
- Email address 3. = friends and work colleagues only.
- Email address 4. = site registration, Competitions, forums etc.(disposable).
- Avoid clicking on links, within emails.
- NEVER click on pictures or Utube faceplates within emails.
- If don't know who its from, DON'T OPEN IT!
- un-check the "keep me informed/updated" check box, when signing up.
- Never respond to an email requesting your login details or password.
- NEVER respond to spam, even to complain.
- NEVER use social networking sites that don't obfuscate(hide) your email address.
- Use an email application that has good filters and regularly update those filters.
- If responding to a confirmation request, do not click the link, instead copy the link within the email and paste it into the URL bar at the top of your internet browser window.
There is a debate about whether you should click the "unsubscribe" link or not, some say it encourages the spammer to send you more spam because, (1.) you have taken the time to read it. (2.) It has successfully traversed both your own, and your ISP's spam filter, so they let you unsubscribe, then change their sending details to make it appear like the next spam email you get is from somebody else. The other side of the argument states the you can often be successful in removing your email address from the spamming site by clicking the unsubscribe link.
Is there a way to tell if an email is spam?
There are some common elements to spam emails, which include:- Generic greetings.
- Amazing subject titles.
- Content has a sense of urgency.
- Poor grammar or English usage.
- Big claims, millions of dollars.
- Making claims like above, yet using free (disposable) email address.
- Lots of links to websites within the email.
- If it's too good to be true, ...........it is!..........NOT TRUE.
- Email has been forwarded on to you, and, many other people, although not always spam, it's a method often used to milk email address. The content may be consumable i.e. a joke or funny picture.
How do spammers get my email address in the first place?
- From bots scouring social networking sites & other web pages for email addresses.
- From registering with certain website's and filling in competition forms.
- From your friend's computer that had their address book hijacked.
- From people you may call friends that wanted a free IPOD, & so gave your address away.
- From your friend, who forwarded that funny email on to you.
- From mining trojans siphoning data from your computer through an open port.
- From website's you registered with, that sold their mailing list to another party.
- From malicious CGI or JavaScript embedded in web pages.
- From legitimate companies that have had their databases compromised.
- From numerous phishing and other social engineering attacks.
- From you filling in, that "win a car" competition at the shopping centre.
Identifing who leaked your data.
A good technique to identify where spam originates, even hardcopy spam, is to modify the spelling on your name slightly, for example your real name might be John Smith, so when entering a form spell your name John Smitth, keep a record of what variation you entered on each different form. Then if you start receiving junk mail using that semi-alias you have a fair idea what website or organisation leaked your details. Although this technique only identifies sources, where you entered the semi-alias, the combination of this technique and the use of 4 seperate email addresses do narrow down greatly where most leakage occurs. Changing one of those email addresses may be the solution.
Types of spam emails( Funny joke, pic, Sad story, Shocking story, Winner.)
Here are four spam email examples that people most often fall for.
The sad email: It pleads for your moral support.
"Help little Amy Jenkkins and her family, Amy is 3 years old and has cancer, the family need your moral support, a picture of Amy is included, to show your support just email your good wishes to the family."
The shock email:, this one has been very successful; it's about an artist who allegedly starved a dog to death, for an art exhibition. Horrific pictures are included.
Don't let this person get away with this cruelty, to show your disgust, sign our petition, which will be forwarded to the authorities.
The funny joke, picture or video email: They usually go something like this....
"...You've gota check this video out, its sooooo funny (click the video link)."
Winner emails: take the form....
Congratulations you have won a 42" LCD TV. Thank you for entering our competition..... To claim your prize, click on the link below....
Winner emails are good at harvesting personal details to be used in identity theft. Because if the con is done well, the email makes it look like the recipient has already won the item, they just need to give their details for delivery.
The 4 examples above are designed to extract email address and other personal data from the good hearted recipient. Like all good cons, there are often elements of truth to the content of the emails, but not their true purpose. These types of emails often get good results for spammers because they are usually received from someone the recipient knows, so it's more likely to read and trusted.
Anyone forwarding these types emails on, are being used as Address Mules, unwittingly providing their friend's email address to the spammer's bot application.
In general you should be very cautious about responding to any type of chain email, they are frequently used as email-address harvesting mechanisms.
Just a warning about a phone version of the "winner email", scam currently doing the rounds, and sucking alot of people in, the scam goes something like this.....
You get a phone call, an excited operator congratulates you, on being the winner of the Visa/Master card promotion, they go on for about 25 minutes informing you about extensive prize you've won, a holiday to the America ...Disneyland, Vegas(you must be able to fly before August..) etc...., a large LCD TV, Video camera and more....., near the end of the call, they calmly ask for identification confirmation, which is your name and the number on your Visa/Master card.
Spam type 2. Money mule emails (let me use your bank account)
Don't allow yourself to be a money mule. A money mule is a person who provides their bank account to be used to move cash from one country to another, money often gained through identity theft within their own country. Because most of this type of fraud originates overseas, they require a participant in the country where the fraud was perpetrated, to transfer the money. These emails are the ones claiming...
...we are the Widget Corporation, an international company, and we are offering you a dream job – you can be an agent for us, a financial intermediary, receiving payments for us and transferring money to us, and, naturally, you will keep a commission on each transaction. There’s no investment, no money required. We are looking for people with a good reputation that we can trust with our money.
If someone takes part in this type of arrangement, they are participating in fraud that is not only illegal but also defrauds the citizens within their very own country.
Divulging Personal information.
Identity theft is on the increase and criminal syndicates are using social networking sites and email campaigns to accumulate information about people, so that their identity can be replicated. Social network sites are excellent for this because many people use their real name, date-of-birth, email address, photographs of themselves and stories that aid in geographical location.
How much information should I give them?
When filling in a form, or profile ask yourself; What is the least amount of "accurate" personal information this organisation needs to know about me? often the answer is none, other times you may be entering a competition, which will require some divulging of personal data, if you ever want to claim that prize or be notified that you have won.
Remember information is most powerful when small bits are combined to form one larger picture of information. With enough information, criminals can duplicate your identity or fine tune phishing attacks to make them more tailored to your way of thinking, marketing companies can identify better ways to sell you things by using a combination or search bar add-ons and email campaigns.
Divulge as little, "accurate", personal data about yourself as possible, it will make your online experience safer.
For more information on essential online security check out my online security article.