Spam : Beginners guide and the basics to avoid it

Digital advancement has blessed us human beings with the power of changing our lifestyle. Be it business or form of communication; it has led the game to a top-level. But, with every positivity comes negativity. And yes, there are few negatives that digital advancement has. One of them is Spam.

Spam is an unsolicited message sent to your mobile phone or email, often to promote goods and services, push a political or social agenda, or spread a virus. By the end of this blog, you will know about the safety measures to avoid spams from threatening your life.

In the spamming process, a large number of email addresses are targeted and sent a junk email. To avoid spams, you should stop going to websites through emails. Go directly to the site to make sure it is okay. To watch out for hackers and spammers, beware of the unwanted electronic mails you find in your inbox.

What inspires the users of the Web to open those unsolicited mails

Now, the question arises what inspires the users of the Web to open those unsolicited mails. They are nothing but tempting words used in the subject line of the mail by which spammers can attract individuals. Usually, spam is a single message delivered to several email addresses or individuals at the same time.

EXPLORE LAPTOPS ONLINE

One of the most relatable examples of a single message spam today is the “2 months of free service of Netflix premium”. You might have received a lot of forwarded messages about it or who knows you’re the fool sending it to everyone. Sounds familiar? Well, we can guarantee you that it was nothing but spam.

Now, the pandemic of COVID-19 is the perfect excuse for fellow viewers into believing that they can get a free service as so. The types of messages hook the audiences to think that it is true when, in reality, it is not.

EMAIL SPAM

Email spam is the most common type of spam there is. These emails are sent directly to the account of users. Sometimes it is easy to recognize whether a particular mail is a spam or not like in most cases, spam has a subject line in the form of advertisements. Some spammers send unwanted emails that consist of contents like “get rich schemes,” “get free offers,” “get more followers or likes,” & so on.

Generally, the objective behind sending the spam is to commit identity theft of the individuals using the Internet for commercial purposes.

Not all, but spammers also send spam to promote pornographic materials and vague health products. Internet using the community is not getting threatened just from advertising spam. There is one more threat, which is known as phishing.

Phishing SPAM (in form of mails or Calls)

Phishing is even more dangerous. In this type of spamming, emails & messages appear to be the part of real and trusted companies like banks, shopping sites, and payment services. Or, in today’s familiar context, Netflix.

These emails ask for critical information like credit card numbers and Social Security numbers, and the content designs look like as if it seems that the mail is not a fake one.

Currently most of us are getting fake calls & mobile text message like the screenshots below (we’ve modified it so you can understand better). Even though people have already activated Viber in mobile app as well as desktop they are still getting activation codes multiple times after the data breach incidences.

How to avoid it ?

• Don’t use the activation code if you hadn’t requested for it.
• Don’t click on the links sent from unknown numbers and sources. It might be a phishing attempt. Someone else trying to access your account.
• If your data was in the breached database, you might also get calls from numbers like +333341295998. Please be aware and don’t answer the call.

If you’ve answered the call or clicked the link there is no need to panic but please follow the below instructions carefully & as soon as possible:

Go to your VIBER Settings –> Account –> Desktops & Tablets

Here you’ll be able to see the devices you’re currently active on. The device you’re using will NOT be on this list.(obviously) –> then deactivate all the devices you’re unknown to.

Our responsibility

Some spam requests the user to click on a link to a fake site that asks for bank account information and password. Now, this confidential information can be used for stealing the identity of a person or for buying purpose in the name of that user. And, we see that when on one side, the Internet offers some incredible conveniences for its users, along with a large number of unsocial threats like spamming and phishing.

Our responsibility lies in becoming more alert and more knowledgeable to combat these types of pressures.

Here are a few tips to limit your exposure and help reduce the amount of spam you receive:

• Consider using more than one email address – use one with close friends and family, another for shopping or newsletters.
• Filter out potential spam or push it to a separate folder in your email.
• Only share your email address with someone you know or related to work, and when you know how they will use it.
• Avoid marketing messages when registering with a new site.
• Ignore spam email, even if it offers to unsubscribe you. A reply lets the spammer know your address is active.
• Never click a web link listed within a spam email or social media message like the one below.
• Disregard sites that promise to remove your name from spam lists. They are likely to address collectors.
• If you post your email address in a public place, add a character to change it slightly. It could be as simple as inserting a number before the @ symbol. Doing this will protect your valid email address from crooks using computer programs to search for email addresses.

Spam SMS/MMS

To reduce text spam, consider the following:

• Reply to unsolicited shortcodes with “STOP” in the body of the response to prevent future messages.
• Block calls and texts from unknown persons or companies.
• If the calls continue, report the number or message sender.

Notice from us

We want all subscribers & customers to know that we will not ask for information through email or text messages. If you think a caller is trying to scam you, hang up. If you get a suspicious email or text, do not reply or click, ignore the spam & BEAWARE.

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