By Charles Miller
In an earlier column, I recommended a newly-available service called “Email Protection” from the folks at DuckDuckGo. Briefly, if you point your browser to the website duckduckgo.com/email/ then follow the instructions you’ll be able to make up a working email address ending in @duck.com. It can be used just as your existing email address. The difference is that when asked to give your email address to a suspect site online, give the email address ending in @duck.com. When anyone uses that address, you will receive a cleaned-up copy forwarded to your regular inbox.
Unexpectedly, that previous column provoked several email responses and a couple of phone calls, all of them from readers expressing their disappointment or annoyance. One upset caller commented that my suggestion was “worthless” because it couldn’t stop the dozens of spam emails he was receiving daily. “It’s like a doctor saying he can cure my cancer if I can go back and stop smoking 40 years ago.”
His point is well taken because in the earlier column I did fail to make it clear that using the “Email Protection” service provided by DuckDuckGo is not a way to stop the unwanted spam emails already clogging your inbox. The “Email Protection” is a way to prevent the problem occurring in the future. Unfortunately, once your email address is known to spammers, there’s no way to stop them filling your inbox with unwelcome junk emails.
Trying to blacklist spammers is usually an exercise in futility. In some cases, when a spammer sends a million spam emails, they use a million different phony return addresses. The only proven way to stop receiving the spam is to change your email address.
Everyone that called and wrote this week commented they cannot change their address. It’s understandable to not want to give up an email address all your friends know, but note there is a way to ease the transition. Create a “Vacation Response” to automatically respond to all emails, which lets everyone know your address has changed. You could even be a little snarky with a message such as: “This email address is cancelled. If you’re a friend, I have sent you my new email address so please check your inbox. If you’re a spammer, get lost!” Most importantly, do not put your new email address in the auto-respond message for the spammer to use.
Almost every email platform today has the Vacation Responder feature. Find the settings page for within your email system and search for the Vacation Responder section. Turn the feature on, enter the dates, and add your message content. Now, everyone using your old email will receive an immediate response notification you are using a new email address.
I offer my apologies to all my readers who thought my earlier column was a cure for spam emails. I hope this explanation helps as it’s an annoying part of maintaining an email account. The only attempt of a cure that I know is prevention.
Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant, a frequent visitor to San Miguel since 1981, and practically a full-time resident. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8@SMAguru.com.
