Advice Request Why I get these spam emails?

Please provide comments and solutions that are helpful to the author of this topic.

amirr

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jan 26, 2020
1,628
I don't know why I have these spam emails every day or so in my junk folder and I hate that. Anyone knows how to stop them such emails please?
I never used that email anywhere else. And I have no idea why I am getting such spam.

Thank you very much.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

roger_m

Level 41
Verified
Top Poster
Content Creator
Dec 4, 2014
3,015
There's no way to stop them. If your email provider is correctly identifying them as spam, and they are going to your junk mail folder and not your inbox, that's a good thing, as they are kept separate from emails you want to receive. The only thing I would suggest is that if any spam email ever goes to your inbox, rather than your spam folder, then instead of just deleting it, you should have the option to mark it as spam. This will train the spam filter to become better at identifying spam emails, which should result in less spam emails going to your inbox. Also, if any legitimate emails ever reach your spam folder, mark them as not being spam, so most likely next time they will go to your inbox.

 

Gandalf_The_Grey

Level 76
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Apr 24, 2016
6,506
There's no way to stop them. If your email provider is correctly identifying them as spam, and they are going to your junk mail folder and not your inbox, that's a good thing, as they are kept separate from emails you want to receive. The only thing I would suggest is that if any spam email ever goes to your inbox, rather than your spam folder, then instead of just deleting it, you should have the option to mark it as spam. This will train the spam filter to become better at identifying spam emails, which should result in less spam emails going to your inbox. Also, if any legitimate emails ever reach your spam folder, mark them as not being spam, so most likely next time they will go to your inbox.


The article on this video:
Why Doesn’t Blocking Email Senders Work?
 

amirr

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jan 26, 2020
1,628
@BigWrench I do not use it. I just get spam emails in the spam folder in one of my Gmail accounts. In the second Gmail account, I have zero spam!
It doesn't matter but I do check spam folder because sometimes you get valid emails end up in the spam email, even though I have added the sender into the Gmail contacts.

Also, my email is not like firstname.lastname but combination of letters and numbers.
@roger_m for the highly informative video.
 

BigWrench

Level 17
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Apr 13, 2014
845
@BigWrench I do not use it. I just get spam emails in the spam folder in one of my Gmail accounts. In the second Gmail account, I have zero spam!
It doesn't matter but I do check spam folder because sometimes you get valid emails end up in the spam email, even though I have added the sender into the Gmail contacts.

That’s a great question. Personally, I’m not sure. I don’t use Gmail, so I’m really not able to comment on them. Although I’ve heard good things about their spam filtering. However, this seems like a failure to me.
 

amirr

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jan 26, 2020
1,628
@BigWrench I read that in Twitter in the past for instance this tweet below:


These days Gmail's spam filtering works great and also Leo also mentioned that in the video above.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: show-Zi

Gandalf_The_Grey

Level 76
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Apr 24, 2016
6,506
Breaches you were pwned in:
Adobe: In October 2013
Kickstarter: In February 2014
Malwarebytes: In November 2014
Exploit.In (unverified): In late 2016
Collection #1 (unverified): In January 2019
Verifications.io: In February 2019
Data Enrichment Exposure From PDL Customer: In October 2019
It is surprisingly quiet on the spam front with +/- 4 spam mails a day :D
 

amirr

Level 27
Thread author
Verified
Top Poster
Well-known
Jan 26, 2020
1,628
Sorry to hear this. I guess a deluge of spam is the symptom of something like this. I use 2-FA with my dumb-phone for my gmail acct. Haven't been pwned yet--iknock wood.
I have already 2FA on:
1635964351884.png

Should I also change my password? last change of my Gmail password was on 2019.
Thank you.
 

Gandalf_The_Grey

Level 76
Verified
Honorary Member
Top Poster
Content Creator
Well-known
Apr 24, 2016
6,506
I have already 2FA on:
View attachment 261662

Should I also change my password? last change of my Gmail password was on 2019.
Thank you.
You were pwned in 3 data breaches.
Can you tell us what they were?
If it's not your Google account AND you do not use that password for any other accounts, there is no need to change your password.
 

rain2reign

Level 8
Verified
Well-known
Jun 21, 2020
363
In regard to Gmail, there is nothing to be paranoid about, unless you carry sensitive information in that particular email. I made my Gmail account when Gmail was just an email account and not connected to any of the other Google services many a year ago, hell even before android required it to function. Primarily used it for potential spam accounts/logins, account forms I wasn't sure about or accounts I knew I would delete at some point.

Now 2021, well over 15 years later, that email has been flagged in consumer spam, "research" and copy-pasted by bots in large spam lists so many times no one count any more. Since Gmail has one of the best, well better, spam filters/algorithms out there as far as free email accounts go. And with most of those bot networks have been shutdown by now, I only get somewhere in between 3-6 emails a week in the spam-folder.

Only look into that folder whenever I know I am expecting a particular email, otherwise I let it clear itself out automatically every 30 days.

Have to note, that I use this same account for my Android smartphone as well. Just make sure you have [A] a strong password, 2FA enabled and [C] Important contacts (and recovery codes) backed up properly, and you're Gucci. Though, when in doubt, change password and reset 2FA in absolute worst-case scenario.
 
Last edited:

Zorro

Level 9
Verified
Well-known
Jun 11, 2019
404
I receive spam emails from various lotteries, where I won 100,000 rubles (1,300 dollars), an apartment in Moscow, various cars (from Mercedes to Porsche), and even 1 free bitcoin :) It happens that letters come from unknown girls, and one letter was even from a certain Greta from Norway (I was already frightened, maybe from Greta Tumberg :)).
But, mostly reports about how different users pass my online tests get into spam.
The fact is that 5 years ago I created several tests in an online test constructor on a readily available site, and anyone can take them, and I collect detailed statistics for each participant, and statistics in general. The tests relate to knowledge of computer security. The most popular test turned out to be "Your level of knowledge of computer security." 1474 people have passed it (at the moment). Another 774 people took the PC Protection (Easy) test, and 432 people took the risk of taking the PC Protection (Hard) test. And absolutely crazy geeks in the amount of 134 people risked to overcome the test "What do you know about a computer, Windows and not only ...?". :) If interested, I can throw links to these tests of my own. But they are in Russian. If you have an automatic translator, that is good, but if not, then it is unlikely that you will be able to pass :)
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top