aliases Archives

Reader question: Is it safe to hit the ‘unsubscribe’ button on spam?

I got an email from a reader asking if hitting the “unsubscribe” button in her inbox is smart. Like many things in tech, it depends. In some cases, reacting to spammers might make your email a hot commodity, leading to more unwanted emails or even a spot on a “for sale” list.

Here’s the lowdown on how to stop getting emails you don’t want — without opening yourself up to more junk.

It could go one of two ways

With reputable companies, clicking unsubscribe should do the trick. If you’re receiving newsletters or promotional emails from brands you know, they generally follow email marketing regulations.

For unsolicited spam from unknown senders? Clicking unsubscribe may indeed make things worse. You inadvertently confirm that your email address is active … possibly leading to even more spam.

‘How do I know what to pick, Kim?’

Stick to familiar ground: If the email is from a trusted source (think brands you’ve shopped with or newsletters you’ve signed up for), go ahead and hit that unsubscribe button.

Dodge the unknown: If it’s a random email about a long-lost prince or a miracle cure, steer clear of the unsubscribe link. Mark the email as spam in your email client.

For Outlook:

Select the messages you want to report as junk.
From the top toolbar, select Report > Report Junk.

For Apple Mail:

On your iPhone or iPad, swipe left on the message, tap More, then Move to Junk.

Continue reading →

Protect your privacy, your cell phone number and email address

Phone scams are never-ending because they work. Scam texts are increasing, too. Here are five sure signs a text is junk you need to delete.

While we’re talking scams, I’d be remiss not to mention your inbox. Tap or click for convincing spam that landed in my email with not-so-obvious red flags.

Continue reading →

Get instant disposable email addresses

Apple and Google let you create “burner emails” to save your inbox from spam. I choose this over giving out my real email address when I’m trying to score a coupon code or a site I’m just browsing requires contact info.

Got an Apple device? The Hide My Email feature lets you generate random email addresses when you fill out an online form or sign up for a website.

It pops up when you fill out online forms or sign up for a website.
Emails sent to the generated address go to your iCloud account.

Using Gmail? To create an alias in Gmail, add a + (plus sign) after your address, followed by the name of the site, like first.last+target@gmail.com. If you start getting spam, delete that email address. That’s it!

🗺️ Just got an email from Google detailing how they’ve devised a way to read maps backward. Turns out it was spam.

Stop sharing your real phone number with everyone

How many people and companies have your phone number if you had to guess? Maybe a hundred? Think again.

Want to be shocked? Your cellphone and landline number (if you still have one) are probably posted online where I found mine — at a people search site that doesn’t cost a dime. Tap or click here for sites that let you search for phone numbers.

Continue reading →

Opt-Out Tuesday: How to remove your info from USA People Search

While tech companies collect your data to build an online profile and track your shopping and browsing habits, other companies sell it to whoever is interested. Whether those interested parties are trying to scam you or serve you with ads, privacy is not something you can take for granted.

Continue reading →

Inbox full of junk? 5 simple ways to stop spam for good

Go to your email inbox and click on your spam folder. See those rows and rows of quarantined emails? Imagine them filling up your main inbox instead. Spam is a real issue for anyone with an email account.

While built-in spam filters for Gmail or other email clients can help temper the issue, they can’t do all of the heavy lifting. Spam emails can still slip through, not only wreaking havoc on your tidy inbox but also sometimes bringing phishing schemes or malware along with them. Tap or click here for a recent example.

Continue reading →