‘Unsubscribe’ Is Not Always Your Best Option for Spam E-Mails

It's one of the most frustrating things we deal with every time we open our e-mails - spam.

Lots and lots of spam.

It's mind-boggling the number of lowlifes there are out there that have nothing better to do with their time than try to get us to click on something that will either hack our devices or drain our bank accounts.

I don't know about you, but when I first started seeing these unwanted messages flooding my inbox, I couldn't hit the 'unsubscribe' link fast enough. One click and problem solved, right?

Not necessarily.

LifeHacker.com says those 'unsubscribe' links may be just as fake as the e-mails themselves.

They say that just the act of clicking on the link proves to spammers that your address is active, which means more junk e-mails may be on the way.

The other mistake we've all made is providing our e-mail address as part of the unsubscribe process. Cybersecurity experts warn against this because once again it is confirming the existence of your address, which is all the spammers need to keep inundating you with more of the same.

So what should you do instead?

Get comfortable with this quick and easy two-step process:

Mark the e-mail as junk/spam
Delete it

That's all you need to do.

I usually throw in the additional step of blocking the sender, which is as easy as clicking on the incoming address and selecting the 'block this contact' option. I realize that spammers use a myriad of addresses, but at least they can't contact me using that one anymore.

The Federal Trade Commission also has some recommendations for cutting down on spam e-mails:

Don't post your e-mail address in places like blog posts, chat rooms, social networking sites, and forums.
Create a second e-mail address to be used for everything non-personal. Let the spammers hit up that alternative address all they want.
Go for something original. Spammers use programs to target all sorts of common name combinations for their junk e-mails. If your current e-mail address is your first and last name, you're a much easier target.