Where does porn spam come from? How do I stop it?
Millions of people get inappropriate spam email every day. Often times they have never 
been to a porn site or given out their email to an adult website. How do these sites get your email address? Well, the first thing to clear up is that most porn sites have strict policies not to send unsolicited emails. Spam email can violate US law as of 2007 due to the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act of 2003). Adult websites often feel they are scrutinized enough by legal authorities and try to avoid any unnecessary problems with the law.
However, many adult websites have affiliate programs which allow others to promote their website in return for a portion of proceeds. Porn sites find it more difficult to police these affiliates. As we have seen from some recent high profile spam arrests, one rogue person can be responsible for millions of spam emails.
Ok, so that explains who is sending out the spam. How do spammers get my email address? If you’ve never signed up for an adult website, you might be asking why do you get targeted. Spammers try to get as many email addresses as possible, as they profit from large numbers. If 1 out of every 100,000 emails results in a profitable sale, they need their emails to as many people as they can find. They scour the internet with automated scripts to find email addresses publically available online. If you are infected with a virus, the first step of the virus is often to access your email program and copy not only your address, but the email addresses of all of your contacts. So even if a friend or family member becomes infected with a virus, your email address can be stolen and used for spam.
How can I stop getting porn spam?
If you have a website, or post on online forums, do not post your primary email address. You can use a “throw-away” email address where you signup for a free email account at Hotmail or Gmail, then after a time change to a new one. You should give out your primary email address to friends and family, but use your throw-away email for signing up for websites and posting on forums.
Another thing you can do is adjust your spam filters in your email program. Outlook has a Junk Mail Filter which can be adjusted with different levels. Many online email providers such as Gmail and Hotmail have customizable junk mail filters.
You can customize your filter to block emails with words like Viagra, Cialis, and other popular keywords contained in spam emails.
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