Spam - "Unsubscribe" or not?

Lil_Me_2

I've just started to get spam from "the best life insurance" and "sammy dress". Both of these have included links to unsubscribe so my question is do I follow the link to unsubscribe and therefore confirm that they have a valid email address or do I just leave it and keep marking it as junk?

My email address is a professional personal one that I only use to sign up to things that I actually want to get, and most occasional purchases from odd websites go through a different account so I'm not sure whether my information has been sold on (to a company in China), or if it's more of a phishing attempt.

I think I should just leave it, but thought I would ask some experts

Thanks!

HappyMJ

It depends on how dodgy it looks and if you can be bothered. If you are clicking on random links sent to you in email then make sure your anti virus anti malware software is up to date.

gruntled

You are right not to use the "unsubscribe" option on spam mail although, the way spam works today with multiple "senders" of the same spam message, I doubt it carries the same risk as in earlier years. Your best bet might be to set up a message rule(s) in your e-mail program to identify and block the titles you mention? Having said that, though, my spam mail of late has risen to significant numbers and topics, and I've resigned myself to just deleting them individually. Hopefully, they'll go away - eventually!

Linus2864

Agree with gruntled - ignoring the spam and deleting it is the best option.

A lot of spam is sent to e-mail addresses that have been harvested from the web (or passed on by less reputable mail order companies), or to auto generated addresses in the hope of finding a genuine e-mail address.

As you have said, if you click the unsubscribe link, you are telling the originator that the e-mail address is genuine and is being monitored. Your e-mail address will then be packaged with others whose users have done the same, and sold on by spam organisations for a price.

If you get a lot, you may want to use a spam filter. I use Mailwasher but there are others that are just as good.

Hope this helps.

aerostar

Look at the headers and see if the return path has something like bounce in it, if so it is likely to be OK to unsubscribe.

Alternatively download mailwasher and set it up for your account and from that you can bounce messages back.

Syman

i just block sender and delete.

pogofish

Don't "unsubscribe" - all that does is confirm your addy is live and the spammers will then sell it on at a premimum.

Delete and block the sender is by far the best option.