What is spam and how to protect yourself from it

Jan 20 2017

What is spam and how to protect yourself from it

The Radicati Group Inc., a technology market research firm, forecasts that the total worldwide number of daily emails will reach over 246 billion by the end of 2019. However, over 70% of this email traffic is likely spam, so it’s important to know how to deal with it.

What is email spam?

Spam can be in the form of unsolicited commercial advertising and marketing by email or malicious emails containing viruses that may harm your computer.

Spammers and virus-makers purposely send spam emails disguised as legitimate mail that can clog up your inbox and possibly infect your computer with a virus. Spam emails are also used by “hijackers” to steal your personal information or passwords so that they can access your accounts.

An example of an industry-specific spam is phishing. This type gives the recipient the impression that they are receiving a request from a legitimate financial institution such as a bank and is intended to trick them into providing sensitive personal data like their account password.

How can you fight spam and protect your personal information?

Follow these helpful Do’s and Don’ts from Comwave:

Do
– Check the message headers and look at the IP address of the sender to verify where it came from prior to opening;
– Use a spam and virus filter on the devices used for email and connect to the Internet;
– Turn your firewall settings on;
– Let Comwave, or your Internet provider, know about the spam you’ve received;
– Forward malicious email to fightspam.gc.ca to help stop it from spreading around the web.

Don’t
– Choose passwords or usernames that are too easy to guess;
– Use your real email address when signing up for free downloads;
– Make online purchases based on suspicious emails you receive.

Want to see read about other tips and tricks or learn about the services Comwave offers? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, call us at 1-866-770-8522 or visit comwave.net.