When a person creates an email account, they do so in order to exchange messages with their acquaintances or friends. But, you should know that when you have it it is common for dozens of messages to be received that were never requested and that they are not of our interest.
These emails constitute the very famous “Spam” of which we have all heard at some time as Internet surfers. This phenomenon is increasing day by day, and as new solutions and technologies emerge to counter it, dedicated spammers are becoming more sophisticated and modifying their skills in order to avoid user countermeasures.
In order to inform you on this subject, in the article below we will give you some details about spam emails and the types that exist. Also we will explain better the purpose for which many practice this phenomenon and how to recognize it.
What is SPAM or junk mail and what is its purpose?
SPAM is the way of oversaturating the Internet with many copies of the same message, with the aim that these reach people who otherwise would never agree to receive them.
Originally this word cataloged those spam or junk mails that arrived without being requested, however, the concept has been expanded by the multiple forms of online communication that exist today.
Typically, this propaganda is sent in bulk to millions of accounts at the same time, and most advertisers instead of investing in campaigns and ads on popular web pages, take advantage of this medium and they collect email addresses from public or private sources, to which they will later send promotional emails in a matter of minutes.
Making a considerable profit if even a small part of these recipients end up buying the product. Notably Spain with 0.7% occupies the nineteenth position of the top 20 from major spam-emitting countries.
As a curious fact we mention that The term “Spam” has its origins in World War II, when the American company Hormel Foods launched its canned meat called “Hormel’s Spiced Ham”, which means ham with spices. From whose contraction the word in question arises.
This meal was very popular with the American and British troops, as it saved the use of the can opener. But, it is in 1970 when the kings of British humour, The Monty Python’s in their sketch, describe it as annoying, repetitive and inevitable.
This in view of the fact that when trying to order food in a cafeteria, all the dishes on the menu contained the food, which became somewhat invasive.
It is then, when almost half a century later, this description is not funny at all and it fits perfectly with those emails or advertising messages that are received on the Internet.
What are the main forms of SPAM that exist?
Like we have already said, all ads, images or links can be considered spam that we often find on websites. But what ways are there to find it?
Here we mention them:
adult advertising
Typically, it includes offers for products designed to increase or enhance sexual potency, erotic or pornographic advertisements that direct the user to paid or subscription sites.
Phishing
It is an illegal data collection technique that consists of duplicating web pages making the user believe that they are in the original. This is commonly done with bank pages where notices are sent to access them. In this case, what hackers do is update data such as passwords, expiration dates, account numbers, etc.
Propaganda about health and medicine
They are carried out by miraculous products, magic therapies or shamans who say they surpass the specialists of medicine and nutrition. These are usually published in magazines that use “before and after” montages.
computers and internet
It includes hardware and software offers, as well as services aimed at website owners, such as hosting, web optimization, domain registration and so on.
Advertising about finance and economic opportunities
They usually offer insurance of all kinds, debt reduction services, low-interest rate loans, and investments that seem to be advantageous. The desire to have a stable economic life makes many fall for this type of propaganda.
Messages about educational and professional content
They usually arise in economic crises and when unemployment increases in a population. In them offers are made for seminars, training and online titles that will allow them to access secured jobs in exchange for apparently nothing.
On which platforms can we find unwanted messages?
Since there are no perfect anti-spam measures that completely protect a means of communication, No platform is exempt from suffering from this problem that is spread not only in the most popular, but also reaches the least frequented. and most private that exist.
In what follows, we will show you the most bombarded by the subject in question:
Forums
Spam is also considered when a user posts something that has nothing to do with the group’s topic of conversation. Likewise, when a person repeatedly sends messages solely in order to increase their rank or number of messages in the forum.
Social networks
These consist of sending invitations, job offers, among other unsolicited advertisements. Adding to this comments on social networks, blogs or videos that do not contribute anything to the content and are only looking for a promotion, new subscribers or a link.
SMS
This is known as the one that is carried out by telephone through the operators through text messages. That is, it is all that advertising communication in which there is no prior consent. In the same way, this is considered unsolicited commercial communications.
chat
Generally, this is reflected in chats on social networks, and consists of repeatedly posting the same thing so that messages from other members cannot be read. They are chains where instructions or promotions of a product are given.
calls
Spam is also called calls made by telephone companies at any time, or by organizations that seek your participation in certain contests.
Unsolicited communications on the fax
Although at first it was not considered spam, they are currently also punished by the Spanish Agency for Data Protection, since sending this type of message goes against the General Telecommunications Law and data protection regulations.
street advertisements
Although it is not a platform, we can mention it as one of the ways to find this, especially in cities, since it is very common to find advertising attached to walls, poles, cars, among other structures, while we walk. In the same way, we can witness this when they make us take, almost out of obligation, a piece of paper that describes something that we may not care about.
SPAM risks on the Internet Why is it so bad?
This pile of spam is not only annoying because of the fact that the mailbox fills up with unwanted messages, but also It can also be very dangerous.
While it is true that this does not belong to the group of virtual attacks and is most often used for marketing purposes, many cybercriminals can also use it as a means to distribute to devices and steal user account access data. In particular to online banking services through techniques of or identity theft.
More than 40% of spam aims to steal personal information for illegal purposes, which can cause significant financial damage to the user. For this reason it is clear that it is not always for commercial purposes.
We can basically classify online criminals into two groups. scammers who send misleading advertisements or sell “miracle products”, and hackers that use emails as a means of distributing viruses that can give them full access to the recipient’s device.
How can I protect myself from spam and spam?
The sending of this is considered worldwide as good customs, but As we have already mentioned, there is no measure that provides perfect protection against it. Therefore, you must decide which of the possibilities presented below is the most applicable. to avoid receiving unwanted messages:
- Use alias accounts: do not use your primary email account in newsgroups, guestbooks, or forums; If not, it uses alias accounts that you can delete after using them. You should only spread your private account to people you really want to communicate with.
- Implement anti-spam software on your computers: You have the possibility to configure your account in such a way that all incoming messages are rejected through anti-spam software. They themselves have built-in smart software filters to recognize these messages and move them from the inbox to the spam folder.
- Be careful what you click: You should not reply to spam messages, or click on links, files or images in them, because they may contain dangerous scripts and in this way they will also have the possibility to verify that your account exists, which could result in an increase in spam.
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