How to Stop Spam Emails

Just about anyone with an email address can attest to the annoyance of spam emails, but not many people know how to stop spam emails. There are laws in place prohibiting companies from sending misleading emails, and bringing litigation yourself could be possible in some states. Below you will find an overview of how to stop spam emails— as well as an explanation of what spam emails are and how companies use them.

Spam Emails Definition

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which regulates communication between consumers and companies, spam emails are unwanted commercial emails sent by companies to consumers. These emails may include incorrect or misleading information and could cost you money as well as time. These emails aren’t solicited by the recipients and usually are sent to a large number of consumers.

The Spamhaus Project, an international organization that tracks spam and cyber threats, further defines spam emails as being applicable to many recipients none of whom gave permission to the company to email them. The content of the emails isn’t in question: rather, the issue of spam emails is an issue regarding consent, according to Spamhaus.

How Do Spam Emails Work?

Often, spam emails are not sent by the company wishing to advertise itself or its services. Instead, these companies rely on “spammers”, or businesses that distribute unsolicited emails. The company will contract a spammer to create and send email advertisements to groups of recipients without those recipients’ permission. In general, sending spam emails is much cheaper than sending bulk advertising via the postal service.

The email addresses targeted by spammers are often obtained by programs known as “harvesters”. These programs find names from websites and other services that require users to identify themselves with an email address. Some sites that collect user data of this type will use software to “poison” the harvesting software, but these efforts can be prohibitively expensive.

What Are the Most Common Spam Emails?

Believe it or not, there are actually at least 7 different types of common spam emails. These seven types vary in purpose and method are laid out by cybersecurity company Gatefy as follows:

• Ads
• Email spoofing
• Chain letters
• Hoaxes
• Malware warnings
• Money scams
• Porn spam

Ads are among the most common spam emails and could represent real sales or services but could also be scams. Email spoofing is related to phishing and involves a spammer impersonating someone you know or a company with which you have done business; this can be the most dangerous form of spam email.

Chain letters generally encourage recipients to forward the email in order to avoid a penalty of some kind. Hoaxes include offers and “miracle promises” and are generally used to redirect recipients to a malicious website. Malware warnings are similar and involve a spammer warning you about ransomware or a virus on your computer and offering to fix the problem with a downloadable attachment or in exchange for your contact information.

Money scams are another common type of spam email: these emails promise a large reward in exchange for a small or relatively small amount of money. Common forms of money scams include the “Nigerian Prince” scam and scams asking for money for hungry children or families suffering from natural disasters.

Porn spam is included in Gatefy’s list because it is incredibly common. These spam emails are used by spammers because of the profitability of the porn industry.

How to Stop Spam Emails

If you’re tired of being bombarded by annoying and unsolicited spam, then you need to know how to stop spam emails. Luckily, there are several methods you can use to combat this issue.

First, you can train your spam folder to spot and filter out spam emails. Your email provider will automatically flag messages that seem fraudulent or worthless and will move them to a spam folder. You can improve the effectiveness of these filters by flagging any spam emails they miss. There are also third-party extensions that can be used to supplement your email provider’s spam filter.

Next, to avoid spam emails, be sure you’re unsubscribing from newsletters you no longer wish to receive. These repeat emails can gum up your inbox, but be sure to unsubscribe rather than just delete them.

Another way to avoid having your inbox filled with spam is to use an alternative email address when you subscribe to a mailing list or order products online. This method won’t stop spam emails but will relegate them to a separate inbox.

Finally, another way to stop spam emails is to avoid giving out your primary email address in the first place. This means avoiding using this email for things like Twitter or your own personal website. Another way to protect your email from harvesters is to write it out: “Jane Smith at Google’s email service” or some similar format when posting your contact information. This method lets humans easily read your email address while the software is unable to identify it.

Should You File a Spam Email Lawsuit?

While it may be simple to learn how to stop spam emails, options for civil litigation regarding spam emails may be limited. According to Cornell Law School, the commonly cited federal CAN-Spam Act cannot be used by consumers to sue companies who send spam emails. Rather, consumers must rely on the FTC or their state’s attorney general to sue on their behalf.

However, at the state level there are some laws in place regarding spam emails. For instance, in Florida, consumers can seek up to $500 per email violation of the Florida Electronic Mail Communications Act.

Join a Florida Spam Email Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you are a Florida resident and received emails from a business that contained false or misleading information in the subject line, OR if you received an email from a Florida business that contained false or misleading information in the subject line, you may be able to join a Florida email class action lawsuit investigation.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.