Spam is a tricky creation of those who seek something from others. Spam filters can limit some of the daily inflow of unwanted emails, but when that digital sentry allows some sneaky spam to pass through its defenses, some account holders turn to a helpful link at the bottom of such emails to stop it. If an unsuspecting person clicks on it, the action may have the exact opposite effect, or worse.
A helpful “Unsubscribe” button lurks at the bottom of many unwanted emails. Some might actually do the job for which it was intended – to remove you from the distribution list and future emails from that source. While that’s the optimal situation when clicking that link, some links have a far more sinister intent.
Unsubscribe buttons might actually be a way for the originator of the spam email to acquire active email addresses. When a recipient of a spam email clicks on the Unsubscribe link, this sends an alert to the spammer that he or she has found a live account. The spammer might use that as an opportunity to bombard the account holder with a relentless avalanche of spam emails or the personal might sell the active account information to others. Either way, your email account is now flagged as a prime target for unwanted spam.
Clicking the Unsubscribe link might also have the effect of sending you to a website that infects your computer with a malicious program. The program could be designed to steal your personal information or cash. It might also infect your computer with software that damages your computer or locks its contents, requiring you to pay up or lose your data.
The best way to avoid harm when faced with an Unsubscribe button is not to click it. It might remove you from the distribution list of unwanted emails, but it’s just as likely to cause devastating damage to your computer, bank account, or worse.