Google mail

[fly258]

I have just installed and signed up to this and I instantly received two spam emails advertising viagra. I assume no one knows my new email address other than google mail, so whats the crack??
Is this a sign of things to come?
I only changed to Gmail as I was receiving about 50 spam emails a day in my previous account.

[Ethel]

I've had gmail since it started and get very very little spam - possibly one a week, that goes straight into my junk folder.

I have a lot of spam to my blueyonder email - mostly not even my proper email address.

These spammers use a computer to generate millions of email addresses - they don't know whether the addresses exist or not.

Stick with it, and learn how to use the spam filters.

[fo3nix]

Spammers use dictionary hacks too. For instance, if your name is John Smith, then you may have [email protected]

All a spammer has to do is email to john.smith, john.jones, mary.smith, mary.jones, etc. and some of the emails will come through.

The only thing to do against this is to have some random email address like [email protected]. But this is horrible and unmemorisable, so most people don't. Google's spam filter is about the best there is on webmail systems though, so hopefully any spam will end up in there and not clutter up your inbox.

[fly258]

Is there any way to automatically delete any spam mail as soon as it reaches my junkmail box or better still, before it reaches my PC?

[heathfield]

AOL's system does this. It has a 'Report Spam' button on the Read Mail page. Click on that, and they automatically block further mail addressed to you from that sender.

[neg213]

I get loads of spam from Lifespan in my googlemail, looked on there webite and there search engine is powered by google?!

[fo3nix]

fly: no, because the system isn't perfect. you'd end up with an odd good email being thought of as spam by the system and being deleted, which is more annoying than the spam itself.

[tombeg]

If you use a numeric or non-logical alpha address it much reduces spam. Your personnel no is something only you know so it is pretty safe.

[BillyBB]

I have a standard word name and have only received one or two spam emails in many months on gmail.