It seems like the volume of email spam has doubled in the last month. Increasingly, we receive daily emails for better mortgage rates, pharmaceutical discounts, and offers to enlarge body parts we don't even have.
The next generation of sophisticated tools is available to email spammers. Hidden code can be embedded into email allowing the sender to track it. A "spam beacon" lets the sender know that this is a valid, live, email address. The sender can also tell if you've opened the email before you tossed it. "Nearly half of all spam is bugged with so-called "spam beacons" for tracking users who open junk mail, said e-mail filtering firm MX."
The latest email scams have also evolved. The newest scams are called phishing attacks. Spammers copy and paste web coding, making their email message appear to be official. They provide links to "look alike" websites where they try to trick you into revealing your personal financial information, by asking you to update an account such as Ebay, PayPal or CitiBank (or other well known entities). Phishing attacks are successful 5% of the time.
The primary motivation behind these emails is identity theft. Scammers are looking to get you to their website and get your information. If the authenticity of the sender is questionable, call the company that sent the email. Most business email will also contain a phone number.
Earthlink is trying to address this problem by releasing new software. Its latest anti-spam software is available to both members and non-members. The software installs with Internet Explorer and automatically downloads a list of known "scam" websites. If you surf over to a site on the list, you will receive a warning.
Given the large volume of unsolicited email that must be sorted through and deleted daily by businesses, do not rely on email as your primary vehicle of communication. If the information is time sensitive, it's best to follow up with a phone call.
About The Author
MARKETING COORDINATOR and WEBSITE DESIGNER-Radha Khalsa, has extensive experience in the areas of marketing analysis, strategic planning and project management.
on demand house cleaning Winnetka ..They're sneaky. And stealthy. They're quiet and mostly unobtrusive, but... Read More
Unless the filters on your computer are really good, you're... Read More
My friends in the web hosting business have recently informed... Read More
While we all admit that unsolicited commercial email is a... Read More
Even being as careful as possible with my email address,... Read More
Your message is not being delivered.If you send emails to... Read More
Until recently, spam has been an annoyance, a definite load... Read More
One of our Australian clients sent out a campaign using... Read More
With SPAM being such a problem it might seem the... Read More
Although there still seem to be some differences among the... Read More
I'm sure I'm not the only person on the planet... Read More
RSS is the answer to the Spam epidemic of the... Read More
Let me ask a couple of questions:If (potential) customers sends... Read More
When you go to your mailbox and find pieces of... Read More
News last week that Internet service provider Verizon settled its... Read More
Spam, spam, spam. It's terrible not only for those of... Read More
What do they do? How do they work? Which one... Read More
Very often SPAMMERS take advantage of catch-all email setup on... Read More
Over the past few years you've all become familiar with... Read More
Anyone who uses email knows what Spam is!It's annoying and... Read More
Spam is everywhere. It's the "in-box lunch meat" nobody likes,... Read More
Microsoft scores one for the good guysScott Richter, the self-proclaimed... Read More
Most of us have opened our email program and found,... Read More
A friend asked me: I don't get it. Why do... Read More
Email is the quintessential business communication tool, so when it... Read More
house cleaning near Wilmette ..Do you get bounced, or rejected emails sent by someone... Read More
This review is taken DIRECTLY from a piece of "junk... Read More
What is spam ? ... Read More
If you're anything like me, you're pretty sick of it,... Read More
If you are buried in SPAM then you're not alone.... Read More
No. I'm not talking here about the outdoor activity enjoyed... Read More
I. BACKGROUNDThe CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (Controlling the Assault of... Read More
Even being as careful as possible with my email address,... Read More
Over the past few years you've all become familiar with... Read More
Spammers get email addresses from web pages using programs called... Read More
6 August, 2004: Polesoft Inc., home of Professional anti spam... Read More
You're not alone!Who hasn't surfed the web looking for information... Read More
Do you like spam? No, I'm not kidding. Everybody knows... Read More
A Privacy Policy can be defined as the policy under... Read More
Email is the quintessential business communication tool, so when it... Read More
What do they do? How do they work? Which one... Read More
Death by spam is now possible with a new device... Read More
When you receive an email telling you about a virus,... Read More
Most of us have opened our email program and found,... Read More
I must be the luckiest person alive! My inbox is... Read More
A blacklist, as the name implies, is a list of... Read More
About a month ago I had the privilege of giving... Read More
Below is a letter I wrote to the following organizations:S.H.U.... Read More
Spam, as defined in the context of computers, the Internet... Read More
News last week that Internet service provider Verizon settled its... Read More
Spam Blocking |