February 9, 2010

5:28 AM

7 steps to avoid ending up on the spammers' radar

A recent study concludes there are 7 steps businesses and individuals can take to ensure they get minimal impact from spam:

Never respond to spam
This not only signifies that the e-mail address is legitimate; it also puts the victim in a position to be attacked by spammers.

Never opt-out of spam
Opting-out allows the spammer to dictate the method by which they wish the recipient to opt-out; it also exposes the recipient to potentially offensive material and validates the e-mail address.

Never click on a link in a spam message
Links in a spam message will expose the recipient to all types of possible damaging materials like malware or viruses. In addition, the material of spam can be graphic and offensive, exposing the business to possible legal liabilities with employees.

Use a variety of e-mail addresses
Different e-mail addresses should be used for business purposes, others for subscriptions like newsletters, forums and user groups.

Be prudent when giving out e-mail addresses
Just like any other confidential information, an e-mail address should only be distributed to trusted recipients.

Never buy any product from a spammer
If spammers can be robbed of their livelihood, they will simply stop spamming.

Always use a spam filter
The use of an advanced multi-layered spam filter will not only eliminate the problem of spam, it will reinforce network security, guarantee a clean e-mail environment for employees and give back valuable productivity time for IT and network management staff.