Archives - Email Tips


Create a separate email address for online shopping and promotions

You can more easily manage notifications and offers from online retailers by creating an email address solely for engaging with them. This setup has the added benefit of making it easier for your to spot scam emails, which are often disguised as promotions, that wind up in your primary personal inbox. Ultimate Internet Security from […]

Look out for tech support scams

Chances are that when you need technical support, you’ll reach out to the company – not the other way around. The latter situation is common with many scams, though. Someone will call or email you and ask you to take a few (likely compromising) steps, such as revealing your Social Security number or account login […]

Disable the automatic downloading of graphics in HTML email

Many spammers send HTML mail with a linked graphic file that is then used to track who opens the mail message. When your mail client downloads the graphic from their web server, the spammers know you’ve opened the message. Disabling HTML mail entirely and viewing messages in plain text also prevents this problem.

Do not supply sensitive information in response to unsolicited calls or emails

Chances are, you wouldn’t give someone your Social Security number or address to a stranger who asked for it on the street. Likewise, you shouldn’t hand it over to someone who calls purporting to be a tech support specialist (a common scam) or in an email saying you’ve won a prize and need to fill in […]

What is a digital signature?

A digital signature—a type of electronic signature—is a mathematical algorithm routinely used to validate the authenticity and integrity of a message (e.g., an email, a credit card transaction, or a digital document). Digital signatures create a virtual fingerprint that is unique to a person or entity and are used to identify users and protect information […]

Check your spam folder occasionally

Modern email spam filters are very powerful and can keep many common threats at bay without them ever hitting your inbox. Still, it’s advisable to periodically take a look at your spam folder to see if the filter is too aggressive and is blocking mail you want to see. Marking items as spam or not […]