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While the legal definition may vary from state to state, country to country and even person to person, spam is junk or unsolicited e-mail. Junk e-mail, or spam, comes in a couple of different 'flavors' including unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE spam) and unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE spam) although the concept behind the two terms are essentially the same - that is sending e-mail to multiple recipients who have not requested it nor consented to having their e-mail address(es) included on such a mailing list.
Often, spam is used to advertise (or spamvertise) services or goods of dubious, or even illegal, nature such as make money fast (MMF) schemes, multi-level marketing (MLM) or pyramid schemes, pornography, etc.
What to do
An important way to prevent spam is to be careful about with whom you share your e-mail address. Set up more than one e-mail address, sharing your primary e-mail address with people you know and reserving a secondary one for activities such as online transactions, signing up for newsletters, requesting information. Don't post your primary e-mail on a web site, job recruiting site, or other type of online directory. When you visit web sites, make sure you are not "opting-in" for unwanted contact; many web sites have boxes already checked to get you to unknowingly agree to be contacted through your e-mail. Choose an e-mail program that filters or blocks spam. While it is nearly impossible to prevent all spam, with today's improved spam filtering capabilities a considerable portion can be kept from ever reaching your Inbox. Send spam e-mail that crosses the line and constitutes deception to the FTC at [email protected].
Additional Resources
CERT: Reducing Spam
OnGuard: Spam Scams
SPAMLAWS.com: Online Security Resource
Related Articles
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Phishing
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