Types of Spamming and How to Beat Them

Have you ever checked your email inbox, only to find it spammed? You’re in good company: 45.6% of all emails globally were considered spam in 2023, according to Mailmodo. Spamming affects millions of internet users daily and poses a threat from mere annoyance to a full-blown cybersecurity vulnerability. Understanding different types of spamming could help equip you with tools to protect yourself and your identity.

How does spam affect our lives?

Spam is more than a simple annoyance. It often invades our private lives and even our workspaces, and its real-world effects span from cluttering inboxes to serious security threats. Here are some concrete ways spam impacts our lives:

Distraction

You can get a constant stream of spam messages. You might receive spam emails or text messages – any kind of message really – from someone who really wants you to buy their product or listen to their message. The problem is that being interrupted by these notifications can mean that you lose focus on your meaningful goals.

Reduced productivity

Having to filter out spam wastes valuable time that can be better spent on more important activities. This problem is particularly acute for businesses that have employees sifting through unwanted mail, resulting in significant reductions in productivity.

Security risks

Spam often has embedded links or attachments that may contain malware or lead you to a phishing website designed to steal your credentials or other confidential data.

Financial loss

Victims of spam-related scams can also lose a great deal of money, either by revealing their banking details or transferring money directly into a false account.

Reputation damage

Falling victim to a spam trap could tarnish your personal or business reputation if you’re known to engage in spamming practices. You’re less likely to be trusted by peers, potential clients, or customers.

Phishing emails

There are different types of email spam and phishing emails is one of them. These are the ones that attempt to impersonate legitimate services, as part of a deliberate attempt to fool the recipient into revealing their passwords, bank or credit card details, or other confidential information.

These might appear to be from a bank or well-known company, or otherwise appear to be coming from a legitimate source. Some tactics used in phishing emails include:

• Sending emails that look like they come from trusted entities.
• Inducing a sensation of urgency to prompt the recipient to act immediately, such as notifications about suspicious activity on their account.

Emails informing you that your account has been used in suspicious activity and that you should take action immediately, are almost certain to be spam. Messages attempting to get you to change your password, typically via a link, are another example.

To protect yourself, look at the sender’s email address to make sure it’s consistent, and don’t click on links. Once you’ve picked up on that, type the URL of the website yourself on a browser to check for its authenticity. You can also use email filters to try to spot and remove phishing emails before they land in your inbox.

Email spoofing

Email spoofing modifies the message header to make a fake email appear to come from someone else. This in turn encourages the recipient of the message to reveal information, or take action, that they might not have otherwise. This sleight-of-hand can be very effective because recipients tend to trust the apparent sender. 

Common indicators and examples of email spoofing include:

• Inconsistencies in the sender’s email address, such as domain names that are slightly off.
• Requests for sensitive information or immediate action that seem unusual for the sender.

For instance, phishing emails that seem to come from someone you know but have strange requests, such as asking for a password, are the classic example. That is, a message that appears to be from a trusted source but is actually a fake request for confidential information.

As a precaution, check the email address domain carefully for typos and mismatches, and be cautious about providing sensitive information over email, especially if the request came from an unclear source.

Technical support scams

These technical support vishing scams fool people into thinking they’re using a computer that has an issue and needs to call a phone number or click a link. The scams drive urgency and fear into their victims.

Some of the common tactics they use are:

• Pop-ups warning of serious computer issues that need immediate attention.
• Soliciting calls that are pretending to be from legitimate companies such as Microsoft that need to talk to you because there is a problem with your computer.

For instance, a message about a virus infection instructs you to call a given support phone number to ‘fix’ the problem. Calls might also solicit permission to dial into your computer to ‘fix’ non-existent problems.

For such cases, do not ever call the numbers appearing in those unsolicited messages or pop-ups. Instead, be sure to check the support contact information (if any) on the official website of the company. You can also use pop-up blockers and antivirus software to avoid becoming the victim.

Instant messaging spam

Instant Messaging Spam (SpIM) is defined as undesired messages sent over popular instant messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, which link to malicious websites. With the personal feel that instant messaging brings, spammers are also spending more and more time targeting it. 

Here are some indicators and examples:

• Messages from unknown contacts, often contain enticing or urgent calls to action.
• Links to websites offering everything from false employment opportunities to urgent requests for help to the poor. 

As an example, messages are promising free gifts or prizes for clicking on a link and entering some personal data. You shouldn’t click on such links from contacts you don’t know, or are less trustworthy, especially if the message is inappropriate to the context. Make sure to block and report spammers to the administrators of the platform to avoid further messages. In extreme cases, make your contact list private. This will reduce the risk of exposure to potential spammers.

Social media spam

Social media spam is made up of fake accounts, unwanted messages, and adverts involving inaccurate links on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter (X). They aim to advertise fake goods and offers. These spammers rely on the large number of users in social media, to spread their spam widely across the social network. Here are some factors to help distinguish this form of spam:

• Profiles that lack genuine personal information and have generic or stock photos with little online activity.
• Posts or messages with exceptionally high levels of engagement from unrecognized profiles, often promoting suspicious links or deals. 

You may receive some fake friend requests from people who simply want to send you spam for products or services. They will often accompany these requests with unsolicited spam. They will send you links for counterfeit surveys or giveaways that ask you to enter your personal information or share something to win.

To lessen your public exposure on these platforms, set your privacy settings so other people can’t see the posts you make, or read your messages. Block and report the accounts that are suspicious to stop them from contacting you or somebody else.

Blog comment spam

Blog comment spam is an instance of an unsolicited or irrelevant comment posted on a non-spam blog post, intended to gain backlinks or to promote products. It may contain links that look genuine, but that point to potentially malicious sites.

Spammers try to ‘hitch a ride’ on popular blogs, capitalizing on their traffic and SEO ranking. Here are some giveaways: 

• Comments with generic praises or vague statements that don’t relate to the post’s content.
• Links embedded in the comment text that direct users to unrelated or malicious sites.

Comments such as ‘Good post! Visit my site at [link]’ always appears in posts. They are spam and irrelevant comments with embedded links without being related to the post’s topic.

Requiring human users to verify themselves by engaging in CAPTCHA makes it less likely that spam bots will slip through. Comment moderation – where you have to manually approve comments before they are posted publicly – is something you should enable if your blog permits it. You can also install spam filters and any other plugin that’s specific to your blogging platform, which will automatically detect and manage spam for you.

Trackback/Pingback spam

Trackback/Pingback spam is when spam sites use your blog’s trackback or pingback feature, which creates links or ‘backlinks’ to their site. These links clog your comment sections and can also harm your site’s search engine optimization (SEO).

Spammers use trackbacks and pingbacks to gain visibility and SEO benefits through nefarious means. The warning signs include: 

• Trackbacks from unrelated sites – a sure sign of spammers looking to capitalize on your traffic.
• Multiple trackbacks from the same domain, often signaling automation or spam activities.

When you have links from low-quality websites to your blog with tags that don’t fit and you get recurring notifications about so many backlinks from unidentified spammy sources, your blog is overrun. They flood your comments section.

Check trackbacks manually before approving them, and even then, make sure they are on-topic and relevant to your content. Also, make use of plugins that filter and block spam trackbacks. In some cases, it might be better to disable trackbacks entirely and focus, instead, on direct engagement.

Spam calls

Spam calls, or robocalls, are recorded messages advertising merchandise or perpetrating fraud. Robocalls can spoof local numbers, and will often be more likely to be answered. These calls can range from relatively innocuous telemarketing calls to outright scams designed to scam your financial information or money. Common spam calls include:

• Calls from private or blocked phone numbers, often using local area codes to raise the odds of answering. 
• Automated voice messages that provide a recorded spiel promoting products or requesting personal information.

If a person calls you claiming to be from a well-known company, such as a bank or utility firm and asks for sensitive information in a hurry, then be wary. You could also receive messages that claim to offer a fantastic deal or prize, and a call back or personal information would be necessary.

If you’re a citizen of the United States, you can enter your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry which will reduce the frequency of telemarketing calls. Call-blocking apps and services that your phone provider offers might also help you identify and block suspected spam calls. Avoid posting your phone number online so that it isn’t added to spam call lists.

SMS spam

SMS spam is another common form of spam that involves receiving unsolicited text messages on your phone. These messages, which are among the various types of spam messages, usually contain links to malicious websites, fake offers, or phishing attempts. With the increased use of phones for communication and commerce purposes, spam through SMS has been on the rise. Here are some symptoms to look for:

• Messages from unknown senders, often promising rewards or urging immediate action.
• Texts you think might have malicious links or commands attached; or messages that suddenly seem inappropriate for the platform, or that you feel are too good to be true.

Examples of this kind of spam include messages that you’ve won a prize and need to click on a link to claim it, or texts asking me for personal information or money, often masquerading as legitimate requests.

Inform your service provider about spam messages, which might assist them in stopping such spam in coming ages. Install SMS filtering services in your smartphone (if your smartphone natively filters the content, even better), which will assist in identifying the spam text and automatically deleting it. Never click on the links or reply to any unwanted numbers, and delete them immediately.

Use WOT to battle spam

WOT, short for Web of Trust, stands as a precious warrior in the battle against unscrupulous content on the web. It provides users with information about website reputations and aids in combating different forms of spam, improving the safe online experience to a large extent.

Safe browsing

The Safe Browsing feature warns you about potentially dangerous sites so that you don’t click on unsafe links used by spammers.

Anti-phishing email protection

WOT’s Anti-Phishing feature scans incoming emails for potentially malicious emails that are trying to phish you; then the plugin places your inbox into quarantine before anything bad can happen.

SMS filtering

WOT’s SMS Filtering feature is currently exclusive to iOS and filters out spam text messages before they can reach your phone, or alerts you when a message contains malicious links.

Safeguard your digital life

Spam can be a total interruption to your daily life and can present serious security risks to your personal and professional world. Learning what types of spam exist and how to avoid them and combat them can go a long way toward reducing the risks they pose.

Whether it’s improving your email security, using tools like WOT, or simply being more vigilant, and taking proactive steps, you need to stay informed, stay safe, and take control of your digital communication.

FAQs

How can I identify suspicious emails?

Look for hallmarks of a scam, such as generic greetings, spelling mistakes, and requests for personal information. Check the email address and don’t click on any links.

What should I do if I receive a suspicious text message?

Don’t click on any links in it and don’t reply to the message, but do report it to your service provider and block the sender if you can.

How does a spam filter work?

Spam filters that use algorithms filter out unwanted emails such as spam by, for instance, considering word lists that are typically used in spam, the reputation of the sender, or pattern recognition of email content.

Are there any legal measures against spamming?

Yes, some countries have legislation, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the US, governing the sending of commercial emails and providing penalties for spamming.

How do social media platforms handle spam?

Spam accounts and content are flagged and removed by algorithms on social media platforms. Spam can be reported by users, and platforms are updated.