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FAQ: What is spam? Should I block this newsletter I don't want anymore?

Spam is unsolicited bulk email, usually for a commercial purpose. A spam message may have some or all of these characteristics:

• the sender is someone you do not know

  Spammers make up fake names and email addresses to avoid getting caught. This is called "spoofing".

• the message contains an advertisement

  Usually, the advertisement comes from a merchant from whom you have never purchased products or services.

• the message or its Subject contains jibberish

  The following is an example of jibberish that appeared in a spam message:

  Subject: Re: Zdenko Cushing Check this Offr
  Hi
  Do
  AVE UP
  % on
  ons?
  CIAXanAmbLevVALVIA
  LIS Now $axienitraIUM Now $GRA Now $ 

• the message asks you to click on a Web address

  Spam usually points to a commercial Web site where the advertised products or services are sold.

• the message was sent to an email address that does not appear to be yours

  Spammers sometimes send messages to an "alias", that is, an email address that actually points to a list of many email addresses.

Not all unwanted messages are spam or phishing. Below are some examples of messages which, while undesirable, are neither spam nor phishing:

• messages from someone you dislike
• a newsletter you subscribed to but no longer wish to receive

If you report such messages as spam or phishing, your rating in the Cloudmark network may fall. In the case of the unwanted newsletter, consider unsubscribing instead; newsletters typically include instructions for doing this.

Last updated: 2008-09-02 14:05:30

Keywords: spam, block, newsletter, want

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