Examination Question:

When You Get "spam"

What should you do when you get spam (unsolicited commercial e-mail) messages?

Select the best answer below 1.  Send a message back telling them to quit 2.  Unsubscribe, if that is an option 3.  Click on interesting links 4.  Delete these messages 5.  Buy stuff if the offer looks good 6.  Install anti-spam software & delete

Answers:

1.  Send a message back telling them to quit

Try Again - Sending a message back confirms your e-mail address as a good one for more spam. Most messages to spammers end up going to dead mailboxes and are rarely if ever read.

2.  Unsubscribe, if that is an option

Try Again - Some unsubscribe links actually subscribe you to more spam. Many spammers do not honor unsubscribe requests, but do use the information that your e-mail address is valid. Good lists of valid e-mail addresses are marketed to other spammers.

3.  Click on interesting links

Try Again - You can do this, if you want to live dangerously. Some links may lead you to malicious websites designed to crack your computer. Some may be used to "phish" for your personal information. Some will lead to sites that may try to defraud you. Some may go to legitimate sites that will sell a product. Even with these you may end up on the short-end of the deal when you find out that really cheap software is really pirated software.

4.  Delete these messages

Try Again - This is a good approach, but if you are getting a lot of spam this approach is tedious and you may slip up and click your way into trouble.

5.  Buy stuff if the offer looks good

Try Again - UCE (spam) only works when people buy products that are advertised. When you buy a product advertised by a spammer you are putting money in their pocket and encouraging them to send more spam.

6.  Install anti-spam software & delete

Best Answer - You should install anti-spam software that will automatically eliminate most spam from your inbox. You may need to check from time to time to make sure a legitimate e-mail hasn't been mistaken for spam. For messages not caught by your anti-spam software, you should simply delete the message and preferably without opening it.

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