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Don’t Post Your Address
When you are on the internet or using a homepage of your own, you will also want to avoid posting your email address in your “contact me” section.
Since spammers scan through different homepages and look for the @ symbol, you would serve yourself better to write your email address with the word “at” instead. That makes it a bit more difficult for spammers to find your email address because they use special software that searches for the symbol, and not just the words. It won’t stop it completely but it will help.
Do Not Purchase from Spam
The biggest reason why spam is out there is because certain people have some sort of product or service that they are trying to sell. The absolute worst thing that you could do is buy something from them. Obviously, we can’t make everyone refuse to purchase their wares, but you can at least do your part.
Just imagine how perfect the world would be if everyone gathered together to refuse to buy things that were offered in an unsolicited email. Spammers would be out of business the moment that they realized that they weren’t getting anywhere.
Beware of Free Trial Software
One of the best reasons for going online is to download software and games that make surfing on your computer more fun. These days you can go to almost any website and find free software to try, and download. This can be very rewarding and entertaining at times, but there is a down side to doing this as well.
For every legitimate download, there are plenty that are designed to get your personal information, which will eventually lead you to more spam. This is particularly popular from free trial software as well as free software.
Spammers use this method in a similar manner as they would use a gift promotion and contest sign in. You see, they will let you have their software under the strict regulation that you leave yourself open to receiving updates and notifications about their products. Many people agree to this because they are getting something out of the deal besides the software.
That is one of the most beneficial ways for spammers to get you on their hook. Usually you can check their privacy policy or terms of agreement policies before you install it. You should ensure that you check these before agreeing to sign up. If not just for the spam you may receive, then for viruses and worms.
You should always check to see who their affiliates are as well before you download from a website, as sometimes you have to deal with their spam as well.
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