Top tips for spam avoidance

Spam: we all hate it, but on the whole we put up with it. There seems to be an endless stream of the stuff clogging up in-boxes everywhere, and it's easy to think there's nothing we can do to stop it.

Even replying to an unsolicited email asking to be unsubscribed from a list can make matters worse: many spammers use this technique to confirm that the email addresses they're sending messages to actually exist.

So what is to be done? Spam will never be wiped out altogether, but by following these handy tips from McAfee.com, you might just cut down on the amount of dross you have to wade through every day.

1. Beware of purchasing spam-advertised products. Aside from encouraging spammers, this makes more personally identifiable information (e.g. name, address, phone number, credit card numbers, etc) available to them. It will also guarantee that you'll get more spam.

2. Refrain from using the reply or remove option. Some senders may remove your address, but others may flag your email address as "live" and send you more spam or even sell your address to other spammers.

3. Use a public email address while online. Set-up and use a public email address, which may either be an additional address from your ISP or a free web-based email address. Use this email address when participating in newsgroups, joining contests or anytime that your email is requested by a third party online. Potential spam will go to your public email address instead of your private email address.

4. Don't post your email address online. You'd be surprised how often you use your email address for newsletter subscriptions, in chat rooms or to join online groups. Before you post your email address, know whether it will be displayed or used. Then use a public email address when necessary.

McAfee.com also recommends the use of a spam filtering program.