Despite the fact that Gmail and other email services have added spam filters and Social/Promotion folders, spam continues to be a problem. While it can be tempting to unsubscribe from advertisement emails, especially when you registered for them accidentally, think before you click that unsubscribe button.
Learn how unsubscribing from email marketing campaigns can lead to more spam and what you can do about this problem.
The Legitimate Advertisers
Because almost everyone has an email address, these addresses are the perfect target for direct marketing. If you’ve ever signed up for an online service, it’s likely the signup form contained a check box that allowed you to be added to the company’s email list. Usually, these boxes are checked for you in advance with the hope that you won’t notice.
If you receive ads from a company whose website you actually use, then you should be able to safely unsubscribe from their email advertisements. Legitimate companies want to keep your business and also must comply with federal regulations like the Can-Spam Act. Even when a company hires an outside service to handle their email marketing, they will still want to operate within federal regulations.
Clicking the unsubscribe button in these cases will remove you from an unwanted list and keep your inbox clear of ads.
The Illegitimate Advertisers
Along with the advertising we want, or don’t want but forgot to opt out of, there are also unsolicited email ads. Some of the most common unsolicited ads promote unrealistic prices for pharmaceuticals or other types of unbelievable services.
In most cases, the services outlined in these spam emails don’t actually exist. The only purpose of these emails is to confirm that the address they are being sent to is being monitored by a real person. Often, these emails are sent out by automated emailing programs. These programs will send emails to randomly constructed addresses to determine if they are active.
By clicking the unsubscribe link in these emails, you are notifying the sender that your address is an active email account. This often results in your address being added to lists that contain phishing scams and other types of malware.
What to Do with Unsolicited SPAM
The most effective solution for handling an unsolicited email is to delete it right way. Don’t open it or click any of the links it contains. Send it straight to the trash, preferably with a SPAM flag on the host to your email admin. Hopefully, this will prevent further spam messages from making their way to your inbox in the future.
If you find an email address is getting flooded with these types of emails, you can purchase a software package meant to help users filter out and eliminate SPAM. These programs are relatively inexpensive and extremely effective. Take a few minutes to set-up your filter program, and you’ll be able to say goodbye to SPAM emails forever.
Need IT Consulting in Stamford for your Email Service?
While too much SPAM can be frustrating for an individual, it can be damaging to a business, especially if a SPAM email containing malware affects your computer system. If you find your business and employees overloaded with SPAM or other email issues, then contact U.S Computer Connection. We can help you get rid of unwanted emails and secure your servers. Learn all about our Computer Consulting services.