Set up a spam account

Whether buying something via the Internet or registering with a Web site, you’re often asked to provide an e-mail address. The recipient may use the address only to confirm a transaction, or they might sell your address to the highest bidder. So how do you conduct business online without being added to another spam list? Set up a spam account.

Visit a free service like Yahoo or Hotmail and sign up for a free
e-mail account. It’s fast and easy to get a Web-based account with these providers, and you don’t have to download or install any software. The main differences among account providers are how often you must use the account to keep it active and the amount of storage each offers. Yahoo achieves a good balance, requiring you to sign in every four months and giving 4 MB of storage; Hotmail allows only 2 MB of storage and makes you sign in every month, which may require too much commitment for a mailbox you’ll access only occasionally. Both these options lack sufficient storage space for a regular business e-mail account–a couple large digital photos can fill up your Hotmail account-–but the storage is sufficient for basic e-mail functions.

Use your new free account for online purchases and registrations, ensuring that any spam generated from these Internet activities stays away from your legitimate e-mail accounts. Remember to log in to your free account periodically and delete the accumulated spam to keep your in-box within the provider’s space limits. Unlike your business account, you need not worry about deleting legitimate e-mails. Just trash all the messages.

Illustration © Artville.

Buyers & sellers, visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.