What Is an Example of Spam Email? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Internet, Networking, & Security > Antivirus 161 161 people found this article helpful

What Is an Example of Spam Email?

Learn why junk mail exists, why it's bad, and what you can do about it

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 11, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section Examples of Spam What Is Not Spam Why Spam Exists Why Spam Is Bad What to Do About Spam Frequently Asked Questions Anyone who uses email encounters spam, also known as junk mail. At the very least, it fills inboxes and takes up valuable time; at its worst, it tricks unsuspecting recipients into divulging private information or sending money to an unknown party. Spam is so pervasive that most email providers supply spam-reporting and blocking tools.

What Are Some Examples of Spam

Unless you use filters judiciously, there's a good chance your inbox contains at least a bit of spam right now. Spam consists of: Email messages you did not ask for from senders you don't know. Unsolicited commercial email messages sent in bulk, often using a purchased (or stolen) mailing list that includes your address. Counterfeit messages that look like they were sent by reliable sources and attempt to trick you into supplying your personal information. Misleading messages from people you know whose email accounts have been hacked. Not all spam is illegal, but some of it is.

What Is Not Spam

Newsletters you signed up for, an email from a college friend, notifications you requested from social networking sites, and most messages from people who are trying to contact you personally are not spam. Sometimes, distinguishing between spam and legitimate messages is difficult. For example: A newsletter somebody signed you up for is not spam, but a different kind of email abuse.An email sent to you in bulk by an unknown sender that you do welcome and find useful may not be spam. Every email you request in one way or another is not spam, even if you later find it annoying.

Why Does Spam Exist

Spam thrives because it works. People buy products advertised in junk email. When enough people respond to a spam mailing, the sender makes a profit (or gains information) and is encouraged to send more spam email. Only a minuscule proportion of the junk email sent out needs to generate revenue for a spam-spouting business to cross the breakeven point. Spam is inexpensive to send.

Why Is Spam Bad

Spam can be more than a nuisance. It costs time, money, and resources to process, filter, or manually delete. The prevalence of spam and the resources it takes to avoid being spammed detracts from the appeal of email as a medium. Additionally, you might experience other negative effects. When you respond to one unsolicited advertisement, you could end up on the mailing lists of many sellers, thereby increasing the junk mail that comes into your account.If you respond to an email sender who is falsely posing as someone you know—for example, as your bank—you risk handing your private information over to a stranger with evil intentions. Identity theft is a huge problem. Don't make it easy for others to steal yours.Some spamming is illegal. Unsolicited mail that is sexually harassing or contains child pornographic material is illegal. So are attempts to attain your credit card information.Spam preys on inexperienced or naive email users.

What to Do About Spam

Here are a few ways to protect yourself from spam: Don't open it. The best thing to do about spam that makes it to your inbox is to not open it or reply in any way. Even just clicking the unsubscribe blurb at the bottom of an email might be considered positive by the sender; it's evidence that you read the email and interacted with it. It also verifies your email address. Don't give out personal information. Never enter any personal information in response to an email that requests your username, account number, or other personal information. Be suspicious. If you receive an email from your bank, and you aren't sure it is legitimate, call the bank instead of supplying any information in an email. Find the sender. Click the name of the email sender in the header and look at the address on any suspicious email. It might claim to be from Apple or your credit card company, but when the sending address is from joe.smith or someone in a country where you have no contacts, you know you have a spam email. Email Header Sample. Mark it as spam in your inbox. Report an email as spam using the spam or junk mail feature in your mail interface. The email service learns from your spam reports to help reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. Filter it out of your inbox. Set up filters in your email program to automatically trash messages from a specific person or company that frequently sends spam to you. That way, you never have to see those messages. FAQ What kind of email attack is spam? Spam can be a type of cyber-attack. Sometimes, spam is a phishing scam attempting to steal information from the victim. In other cases, the sender might try to get the recipient to download malware or give them money unknowingly . In business, what type of communication is junk or spam email? Spam is unsolicited, one-way communication sent via email. Spammers often use bots to send emails to thousands of email addresses in the hopes that a fraction of the recipients will respond. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Send Spam to the Spam Folder in Yahoo Mail How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client How to Recover Mail From the Outlook Junk Mail Folder What You Need to Know About Mailer Daemon Spam How to Stop Spam Emails How to Mark a Message as Junk in Outlook.com How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail How to Find Hidden Facebook Messages 10 Best Free Email Accounts for 2022 How to Filter Spam With Apple Mail How to Move Hotmail Messages in Outlook.com What Is Email aka Electronic Mail? How to Set Up an Incoming Mail Filter in Windows Live Hotmail How to See Message Requests on Instagram How to Manage Your Focused Inbox in Outlook for iOS How to Report Spam in Outlook Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies