You didn’t ask for any of it, so why is your inbox filled with spam email?
Many spam emails are caught in a spam folder in your email program.
How Spammers Get Your Email Address
There are several ways spammers get your email address.
Sam Pak / Unsplash
Data Breaches
Cybercriminals can break into websites and leak giant lists of user account information.
Email Address Lists
Spammers purchase email addresses both legally and illegally.
Your email address could be sold to a marketing list, creating unwanted junk mail.
Additionally, dishonest employees of ISPs sometimes sell email lists via eBay or on the black market.
These lists are also often available after a data breach.
Spammers and hackers use complex automated tools to scan the web and gather email addresses.
Understand that if you list your email address online, a spammer will find it.
Disguise Your Email Address
One tactic is to hide your email address using obfuscation techniques.
For example, insert strings, characters, or spaces into your email address when you post it online.
Posting your email address as an image is another way to disguise it.
Move on to a new disposable address if one starts getting spam.
Using the same password for your email and other accounts makes it even easier for them to take control.
Always use unique passwords for each account andneverreuse your main email account password for anything else.
