How easy it is to fall for spammer tricks
Recently, LifeHacker reported on a tool they believed could be helpful if you ever need to make sure an email address is safe. Now they’ve removed the link because they realized (thanks to comments) that this seemingly helpful tool could be nothing more than a spam trap, harvesting the emails input so spammers can send hundreds of spam emails to everyone whose address is entered.
If LifeHacker can make the occasional mistake like that, experts that they are, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Be skeptical. Ask yourself, “How does this benefit the people who made the site? How are they making money from this?” It’s rare that people provide a useful tool online without getting something for themselves out of it. Even a site that purports to be raising money for disease research could just be a clever front.
Consider what they’re asking of you. If they want an email address for reasons other than registering with their site for a service, they might be harvesting email addresses.
Avoid “refer a friend” forms. While legitimate sites use these without abusing them, the chances are good that if you give a site 5 friends’ email addresses (usually to get a bonus or freebie from the site), you may be signing your friends up for spam. Smart sites offer you tools for referring friends yourself via your own emails, so they will never see your friends’ addresses unless your friends sign up.
Consider using disposable email providers for sign ups. Sure, it’s an extra step, but it’s better than having to change email addresses because you’re overrun with spam.
Read us in your 
For even more great stuff, follow us on 
Or get a daily digest by email:
