A reader wants help stopping unwanted spam:
“In a past article, you said you could find hidden files that were malicious. I would like to either find out (a) how to find and remove them or (b)have it done .
I am receiving a large amount of spam mail of late. I have tried unsubscribing, but then the volume increases. . I removed some 390 spam emails in the last two months alone. I get so many popup adv. I can’t figure out how to stop them. I am open to any suggestions/ instructions.”
An increase in pop-up ads online can be a sign of malware on your computer.
Any good third-party security software or the built-in Windows Defender program should be able to scan for malicious miles. Malwarebytes is also a great option to look for sneaky malicious files on your computer.
However, malicious programs on your PC are probably not behind your increase in email spam. I also have about that many emails in my Spam folder for the past few months. Spammers just keep on sending and sending and sending. None of us are really any particular target, they just use automated programs to send messages to every address.
My one question for you is, are these messages going into your spam folder? They should. If they are, I’d suggest just trying not to think about them. If they aren’t, try to mark as many of them as possible as spam. This helps teach your email what kinds of messages you consider to be Spam.
In my experience, it’s best NOT to unsubscribe from spam emails, especially if the “unsubscribe” screen requires you to enter the email address to be unsubscribed. The unsubscribe link apparently tells the sender that the message has arrived to an active email address, which just provokes more dissemination of your address. They might also be connected to software that tells the sender when an email has been opened, again flagging an active address. Flagging them as “spam” is a good idea, but try to do that without ever opening the email. Most email providers allow that option. Another option provided by many email providers is “block sender.” Most of these spammers frequently change their email addresses, so spam will always be back. I have my email set up to send all mail to my inbox, even if the program thinks it’s spam. I have found the “spam finder” to be really unreliable in terms of what is deemed spam, and I have missed out on many messages I wanted because they were sent to “spam.” Marking a message as “not spam” never seems to work for more than a day or two. That means I have to sort the inbox and also sort the spam folder, which doubles the work. There are a few emails as to which one is uncertain whether they are wanted or are spam, so those have to be checked. But otherwise, if I’m sure it’s spam, I just delete it, without opening it. Don’t help them aggravate you!! BTW, if you have unwanted email that came from a reputable source, such as a merchant you have patronized or a political candidate, do unsubscribe and don’t call it “spam.” In some circumstances, “spam” flags can adversely affect the sender, who’s really not spamming you but is just sending you advertising because you have visited the site.