Knowing the main types of spam is an elementary step in protecting your personal data. It is also important to know how to recognize spam effectively.
Do you know the 3 most common types of spam sent on a daily basis?
The different types of spam
In order to avoid being a victim of spam, it is important to recognize the spam you may encounter. We can classify them in 3 categories.
1- Advertising spam
This is the most common type of spam. Advertising spam is designed to get your attention by promoting services or products in which you have no particular interest.
2- Scam spam
Scam Spam is most often based on abuse of trust. For example, the spammer may pretend to be someone you know who is asking you for a service in exchange for money or some other kind of reward.
Often, the author of the message will use a lack of means to live or a serious illness as an excuse to trick his victims.
3- Phishing spam
Phishing is a term used to describe the sending of an e-mail by senders who are considered criminals because they target your wallet directly.
These “spammers” create an e-mail that strongly resembles one from a service company, financial institution or government agency. The objective is to get your banking, personal or sensitive information in order to profit from it.
This type of e-mail is essentially designed to generate an impulsive reaction or a state of panic in the victim.
How to protect yourself from these types of spam?
When it comes to spam, prevention is better than cure. Even if we know the main types of spam, we are not totally safe from them. Here are some simple ways to prevent and avoid possible attacks.
Avoid creating an e-mail address that is too common, such as [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. Spammers often try to create random mailing lists targeting this type of email address.
Avoid publishing your email address online as much as possible, especially on blogs and other forums. Instead, choose to use a secondary or temporary email address to register on such sites.
Since your business email address is usually linked to your Internet domain, make sure to hide your personal contact information on your website.
Choose an anti-virus software that has a built-in spam filter for your email address.
Choose a trusted IT partner
Aiki Informatique is there to help you identify the types of spam, as well as to prevent and protect you from them. Our team supports you and advises you in matters of cybersecurity, particularly in the choice and maintenance of an anti-virus adapted to your activities.
