Have you ever wondered why you get so many spam emails, but your friend Steve doesn’t, even though he never unsubscribes from them? It’s not just luck that keeps Steve spam-free. The truth is, trying too hard to avoid spam might actually be drawing more of it to you.
When you respond “STOP” to a spam text or unsubscribe from a spam email, you might think you’re fixing the problem. However, you’re actually falling into a trap.
Scammers don’t usually pick their targets one by one; that would take too much time. Instead, they use a method like throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks. If you respond to these spam messages, you stick to their wall. That makes you look like an easy target for more spam.
Why you should never respond to spam, even to unsubscribe
Sometimes, saying “STOP” or unsubscribing can help reduce messages from real companies. However, if the message is from a scammer, replying can make things worse. When you respond, scammers learn that your phone number or email is active.
Scammers are clever and know that people are wary of scams. They use tricks to catch you off guard. One new trick is sending messages that say, “This wasn’t you? Click here to unsubscribe.” But clicking the link doesn’t actually unsubscribe you. Instead, it tells the scammers that you’re paying attention, making you a target for more scams.
Here’s what you should do to protect yourself
If you want to handle spam like Steve, here’s what he does:
When Steve is added to a Twitter group chat with lots of people talking about the newest cryptocurrency, he quickly tells Twitter that it’s spam and leaves the chat.
If he gets a text from someone pretending to be PayPal, with a link saying, “Not you? Click here,” he doesn’t click it. Instead, he sends the text to 7726, which is how you report spam texts to your phone company, and then he blocks the number.
When Steve receives an email claiming he’s inherited money from a prince in Nigeria, he just marks the email as “spam” and deletes it.
You should handle spam on Instagram and phone calls the same way. Don’t talk to Instagram bots, don’t reply to spammers, and don’t answer calls just to joke with spammers. There’s even a group of people on Reddit who like to waste scammers’ time as a hobby.
Be like Steve. Block, delete, and ignore any spam.