Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

Figure 5-15

Manage Spam

Spamis e-mail sent in bulk to recipients who haven’t requested it.

People usually get spam from senders they don’t know. Spam can be

transmitted over any Internet-connected device (such as a computer,

cell phone, or PDA). It’s a cheap way to market products or services, but

it’s illegal in many countries.

Nearly 70 percent of all e-mail traffic in the world is spam. In 2007,

one study showed that 90 billion spam messages are sent per day.

While Internet service providers are making serious efforts to block junk

(spam) e-mail, determined spammers are making equally serious

efforts to find ways to keep filling your inbox. They constantly evolve

new methods of fooling the anti-spam filters. Here is some advice

about how to avoid and deal with spam:

➟ Understand your e-mail provider’s anti-spamming

features and use their settings to flag spam or put it in

a separate junk mail folder. (See Figure 5-16.)

See the next section to set up and use spam filters.

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Part II: Using the Internet While Dodging the Risk