Q: A friend and I were talking about all the scam emails we get. We know weâre not supposed to respond to the email, but my friend said that if it says, to unsubscribe click here, sheâs been doing that. Is that a good idea or is it the same as responding to the email?
Answer: No, donât click on unsubscribe to get rid of scam emails.
According to Google support, mark suspicious emails as spam or phishing and send to the junk or spam box.
âIf you unsubscribe, that merely tells the sender they have a âlive oneâ on hook â may result in more and more ârealâ spam/phishing, and they often sell your details to other spammers/phishers,â Google said.
Also, clicking on unsubscribe may take you to websites that can download spyware or malware on your computer.
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You can report suspicious emails to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission by forwarding the email to reportphishing@apwg.org. It is an email address that is used by the Anti-Phishing Working Group. The group consists of internet service providers, online security vendors, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies.
Q: It seems like I got a pile of junk mail every day. Isnât there an agency or company that I can register with to keep from getting offers for things I donât want?
Answer: There are a couple of groups that handle removing names from junk mail.
One is DMA Choice, DMAChoice.org, which is sponsored by the Association of National Advertisers. You can register online for a $5 processing fee, which is good for 10 years. You can also register by mail for a $6 processing fee, also good for 10 years. The registration form is found at DMAChoice.org.
Family members or caregivers can also register someone who has died to get their name off mailing lists for companies and nonprofit organizations. There is no charge for the Deceased Do Not Contact List.
This covers most all direct mail advertising. It will not stop mail from companies that you have an existing relationship with, nor will it stop advertising from local businesses. DMAChoice does not ask for Social Security numbers.
There is another organization that will help cut down on unsolicited mail. Its website is www.optoutprescreen.com. It is sponsored by the big four credit-reporting services (Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion) and is for stopping prescreened credit and insurance offers. It asks for Social Security numbers.
According to the website the reason for providing your Social Security number is to make sure the correct person is being removed.
âYour Social Security number and date of birth are not required to process your request. However, providing this information will help to ensure that we can successfully process your request.
âThis websiteâs security protocols and features are designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access or alteration. As an added security measure, we only display the last four digits of your Social Security number on the confirmation screen.
âIf you do not provide your Social Security number, we will attempt to process your request without this information.â
Optoutprescreen.com will remove names from prescreened credit and insurance offers only.
Melissa Hall, Straight Answer Maâam
Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com
Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., #100, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
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