What is Spam? Spam is junk email, just the same as the junk post you receive on a daily basis. Spam comes from just about everywhere, so long as you don't reply or act on Spam then it is just a pain. One thing you must never do is reply to it or click on any links to unsubscribe as most Spam is generated by applications which make up email addresses.

***WARNING*** If you ever receive an email asking for your bank details, DO NOT RESPOND. This is called phishing and will be explained in another page but does need a mention.

How to get rid of Spam? You can Stop Spam by only giving your email to companies that you know. They will have a policy on emails they send and you can be removed from their listing easily. Other ways are to purchase software which checks incoming email and either deletes it or copies it into another folder. This can be dangerous as you may lose emails you want, however the software usually has a way of telling it what is and isn't Spam.

One thing you can do is keep your main email address for friends etc and then open a FREE email account (MSN, Hotmail, Yahoo, Google etc). If you need to fill out web registration forms, or surveys at sites from which you don't want to receive further information, consider using the secondary address to protect your main email account from spam abuse. Also, always look for a box that solicits future information/offers, and be sure to select or deselect as appropriate.

Avoid using the "Preview" functionality in your email client. Many spammers use advertising techniques that can track when a message is viewed, even if you don't click on the message or reply. Using the preview functionality essentially opens an email and tells spammers you are a valid recipient, which can result in even more spam.

Why not view the Spam and Virus News page for up-to-date information and news on the latest Viruses, Spam Emails and Hoaxes