Tired of Receiving Junk Mail? Get Your Name off the Mailing List.
Nothing is quite as irritating as being bombarded by email messages that you simply have no interest in reading, even if they aren’t technically ‘malicious’ in nature. Fortunately, today’s spam filters are better than ever – thanks in large part to the hard work of MailCleaner and spam-filtering teams. But it’s worth noting that most spam filters are designed to target malicious emails – such as those that perpetrate phishing schemes or download malware or spyware onto your computer. Spam filters aren’t necessarily designed to sift through junk email.
The problem is that it’s necessary to draw a rather generous line between what is and is not acceptable. Ideally, the line should be positioned such that no malicious emails get through, but some otherwise unwanted emails still might make it into the inbox. This ensures that people, companies and other organisations that legitimately need to get in touch with you are still able to do so.
Promotional Emailing Campaigns Work from Bulk Lists
If you find that you are receiving a higher volume of junk, promotional emails than you previously were, it’s possible that your name appears on a leads list that’s currently in circulation. The said truth is that some marketers have no qualms at all with purchasing lists like this and unleashing a barrage of emails on those unfortunate recipients.
But the good news is that there are steps you can take to get your name removed from lists like this. While there’s no formal way to opt out of these lists (as there are with the post), there are still steps you can take to reduce the number of junk emails you receive. We’ll go over a few of them below:
- Take advantage of available spam filters, such as those from MailCleaner; this will significantly limit the number of unwanted promotional emails you receive.
- Choose to ‘unsubscribe’ only if you are confident that the sender is an above-board operator; less scrupulous senders could use the unsubscribe button to confirm that the address is valid.
- If the sender is clearly going too far with their email campaigns, don’t hesitate to block them.
- Consider switching your email client to a more reputable provider with better spam filters.
And remember that you have certain protection from spam under the law. If you feel that you are being spammed by a mailer that doesn’t include an opt-out option, you can file a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK (or with a similar office in another jurisdiction.
Even the top performing email spam filters are going to let a small amount of junk mail through, but that doesn’t mean that you have to resign yourself to constant spam bombardment. If the volume you’re receiving is more than you can handle, you may want to open a new email account and be reluctant to give that address out unless you’re assured of the integrity of the person you’re giving it to.