How Spam Works
The most unfortunate feature of spam is that it is so easy to do. This is the reason that you receive hundreds, if not thousands, of junk messages to your Inbox on a daily basis. Since fighting spam has become a significant part of surfing the Internet, it makes you stop to wonder where exactly spam comes from and how spammers get your email address.
How Spam Works
Spam is usually not targeted to specific email addresses. Instead, the email addresses are collected at random for the purpose of emailing promotions and other junk. Since the email addresses are not targeted, the idea of mailing the promotions is a numbers game in the eyes of the spammer.
Sending out spam is a really easy and inexpensive process, which is why a lot of marketers who are lazy and want to find a get-rich-quick way to make money resort to spamming. The reality is, it is not a quick way to make money and you face a lot of headaches in the aftermath of a spam promotion.
Spammers use software that is specifically designed for spamming. The software has the capability to weave its way down through the layers in the Internet to collect hundreds of thousands of email addresses from websites, social networking groups, and any other sources where people reveal their email addresses. The addresses are collected in a very short amount of time. Once the addresses are collected, the spammer simply enters the sales message into the software, creates a title, and then presses "Send." It is that easy.
Any website you have visited where you have entered your email address to receive more information or for some other reason is fair game to spammers. This is how they get your email address. Additionally, they can set up the software to address you by name among a host of other sophisticated practices.
Deceptive Practices of Spammers
- Spam Blocker Escape: Spammers are masters of getting around the spam blocking software. Although this software is effective in blocking spam, spammers are learning more and more how the software works and then wording their messages to get around the spam blocker.
- Evading the Law: In recent years spam has become against the law in some areas of the world. Spammers get around this by intruding on remote computers which send out the spam for them without the knowledge of the PC owner. This way there is no trace of the spammer's real Internet protocol address. The problem with this is the IP address of the computer they hacked will show up on the spam message which results in the innocent person losing their Internet service account due to spam.
- Cloaking: Some versions of spam software include what is called cloaking. The software will automatically cloak the spammer's Internet protocol address so the message cannot be traced. Additionally, it will insert a bogus return email address which is the reason it is nearly impossible to track down.
If you have ever wondered how it is possible that you can receive hundreds of spam messages, this article should provide you with a basic explanation of how spam works.
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