Though also the name of a canned meat product,
"spam" in e-mail refers to unwanted messages that are sent to a large number of
recipients. These messages often have questionable content, such as
get-rich-quick schemes, offers of "great deals" to purchase, or pornography.
Such messages may also be called "junk mail".
Why am I getting these unwanted messages?
How can I prevent it or make it stop?
Somewhere, somehow, somebody out there got your
e-mail address. From there the address can be passed around or even sold to
other companies or junk mailers. (NU-Telecom does not give out, in any form,
e-mail addresses of our customers or those who send e-mail to us.)
There are various ways for your e-mail address to
get into circulation: filling out a rebate form or sweepstakes entry, entering a
contest or prize drawing through a web site, or even buying an item or
requesting information over the web.
Addresses are also picked up from Internet
newsgroups or discussion lists. Spammers may even make up e-mail addresses,
figuring that after a few thousand they're bound to guess some correctly and get
the mail through. (They must have a lot of free time on their hands!)
Some companies will automatically add your address
to lists that they use and/or sell to other companies, UNLESS you specify that
you do NOT want this to happen. If you're buying over the web or filling out a
form, be sure to read the form carefully. This choice is often a checked
check-box that you need to click to UN-choose it.
Example: Yes,
send me stuff.
Newsletters
There are many offers on the web for newsletters that you may choose
to receive via e-mail. If you subscribed to a newsletter and no longer wish
to receive it, look at the top or bottom of the newsletter for instructions.
Do not respond back to the spam sender
Some junk mail messages may give directions for getting off their list, such as
clicking Reply and writing back to them. However, doing this indicates
that their message did reach a working e-mail address, and may result in them
sending you even MORE junk! It's better to just delete the unwanted
messages.
Filtering options
Most e-mail software programs offer filtering options, letting you send messages
to specified folders as they come to your mailbox. For example, messages from
your friends' addresses could go to a Friends folder, and messages with adult
content could be sent to a Junk folder. However, there is the possibility of
messages still going to the wrong folder.
Using 2 e-mail addresses
One way to approach the problem of spam is to utilize 2 or more e-mail
addresses. Use the first address to give to your friends, family, and so on. Use
the second address for on-line purchases, filling out forms, or entering
drawings. There are several places on the web that offer free e-mail accounts
that would work well for this, such as
www.hotmail.com and www.yahoo.com.
You may also request additional newulmtel.net e-mail accounts for a small fee.
The Direct Marketing Association web site
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html
They give further options for removing your name from e-mail lists, as well as
lists for postal mail and telemarketers.
