Block images
Just as a lighthouse beacon beams a message with light, so pictures (or “Web beacons”) in e-mail messages can be adapted to secretly send a message back to the sender. Spammers rely on the information returned by these images to locate active e-mail addresses.
The best defense against Web beacons is to stop pictures from downloading in your inbox until you've had a chance to review the message. (For example, both MSN Hotmail and Outlook 2003 are preset to do this automatically for people not in your address book.)
Improve your computer's security
You can greatly reduce your risk from hackers, viruses, and worms if you use a firewall, install antivirus software (and update it routinely), and keep your Windows and Office software up-to-date.
Be careful about sharing your e-mail or IM address
- Only share your primary e-mail address with people you know.
- Set up an e-mail address dedicated solely to Web transactions. Consider using a free e-mail service to help keep your primary e-mail address private. When you get too much spam there, simply drop it for a new one.
- Create an e-mail name that's tough to crack. Try a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters: Don2Funk9@example.com or J0e_Y0ng@example.com (substituting zero for the letter "O").
- Disguise your e-mail address when you post it to a newsgroup, chat room, bulletin board, or other public Web page. For example, SairajUdin AT example DOT com. This way, a person can interpret your address, but the automated programs that spammers use often cannot.
- Watch out for prechecked boxes. When you buy things online, companies sometimes preselect check boxes to indicate that it's fine to sell or give your e-mail address to responsible parties. Clear the check box if you don't want to be contacted.