In the Internet age, spam has become a way of life. Not only do spam e-mails fill up your inbox with ads you don’t need, but their contents also pose serious threats to your computer, finances, and personal safety. Since spammers are getting wiser through time, you need something more than just personal effort to reject and delete junk mails. Here are some tips to help you keep your inbox spam-free:
Types of email spams
There are two broad categories of spam e-mails: spamvertisements (a portmanteau of spam and advertisements) and unsolicited bulk e-mails. Both types may be further classified into ads for legitimate products, ads enticing recipients to participate willingly in fraudulent transactions, Internet hoaxes, phishing scams, and those with attached, linked, or embedded viruses. While e-mails like these are often sent directly by spammers, they can also be forwarded to the contacts of an unsuspecting user. This is why your best protection is to use software that effectively filters and blocks spam.
Reliable spam filter tools
Unless you’re using a webmail account with an effective anti-spam tool, such as Gmail, you need reliable Internet security software, such as SPAMfighter and MailWasher. Like these two, SpamEater Pro, CA Anti-Spam Plus CA Website Inspector, ChoiceMail One, Spam Killer, Spam Buster, SpamNet, Spam Agent, and iHateSpam have also made it to the top 10 spam filters of 2010. The free edition of MailWasher bounces e-mails around in your server to make it appear as if your account is not valid.
As you can find plenty of anti-spam freeware having almost similar names, check malware and rogue software lists regularly to make sure that you’re not downloading one of them. Better yet, avail of anti-spam product free trials to find one that suits your needs best and then decide which to purchase.
