Spam is electronic 'junk mail'—unwanted messages sent to your email account or by SMS to your mobile phone. Spam is annoying and it can also be dangerous. While some messages promote genuine products or services, many spam messages contain offensive or fraudulent material, and some spread computer viruses.
Protect yourself from spam
If you receive a spam offer, the best thing to do is delete the message. Do not respond. Do not email back, do not call any telephone number listed in the email and do not send any money, credit card details or other personal details to the scammers.
While it is nearly impossible to rid yourself of spam completely, there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam that you receive and reduce the chances of spam causing you serious problems.
Secure your computer
If you do not have effective security measures in place, spammers can infect your computer with malicious software like spyware or key-loggers. Scammers use this sort of software to monitor your online activity and steal your personal information. They can even install programs which enable them to send spam to other people from you without your knowledge or consent. Install a spam filter and a firewall and make sure you have the latest version of anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Keep your software up to date.
Protect your personal details
Do not give out your email address and mobile phone number to people that you do not know and trust. It could end up in the hands of spammers or other unauthorised people. Carefully check the terms and conditions when you purchase products or subscribed to email newsletters—you could be giving organisations permission to contact you.
Avoid opening attachments or following links
Even if you are curious, you should not open any attachments or follow any links contained in a spam email. Internet links do not always lead to the place where their name says they do. Sometimes, clicking on a link or opening an attachment could enable malicious software like spyware or key-loggers to be downloaded onto your computer. Scammers use this sort of software to monitor your online activity and steal your personal information.
Do not respond
Responding to a spam email, even to unsubscribe, can cause you many problems. By replying to spam, you confirm to the spammer that they have found an active email account and they may send you more spam in the future. Replying could also enable malicious software like spyware or key-loggers to be downloaded onto your computer. Scammers use this sort of software to monitor your online activity and steal your personal information.
What if it is a genuine offer, not spam?
Spam is nearly always risky. Make sure you have done some very careful homework before doing anything to take up an offer from a spam email.
If you are genuinely interested in what the email is offering, contact your local office of fair trading to see if they can tell you more about the firm or the offer. You could also use an internet search engine to do some more research.
You should always seek independent advice from an accountant or solicitor if a significant amount of money is involved. Do not provide your credit card or bank account details to anyone you are not completely sure about.
Spam and scams
Despite consumer education and reports in the media, people are still being conned by Nigerian scams, phishing scams and other scams sent by email. Stay one step ahead of the scammers.
Visit our SCAMwatch website to learn more about spam and dozens of scams that target you or your business. You can also find out more about how scams work, how to protect yourself, and report scams to us via SCAMwatch. If you take the right precautions and know what to look out for, you can greatly reduce the chances of being scammed by by spam.
Explore SCAMwatch for yourself, or follow these quick links to find the SCAMwatch page that you are looking for.
The Australian Government implemented the Spam Act 2003 as one part of its approach to combating the widespread problem of spam.
The Spam Act 2003 prohibits the sending of spam, which is identified as a commercial electronic message sent without the consent of the addressee via email, short message service (SMS), multimedia message service (MMS) or instant messaging. The requirements under the Spam Act apply to all commercial electronic messages, including both bulk and individual messages.
The Spam Act is administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Any message that does not meet the following three conditions is generally considered as spam:
it must be sent with your consent
it must contain accurate information about the person or organisation who authorised the sending of the message
it must contain an 'unsubscribe' facility that allows you to opt out of receiving messages from that source.
Reporting spam
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) monitors compliance with the legislation in Australia. If you would like to report or complain about spam, or obtain more information on spam laws, spam reduction, and internet security visit www.spam.acma.gov.au.
ACMA has developed free software for you to download if you wish to report spam directly from your Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express email programs. Once installed you can delete and report spam you receive in your email directly to ACMA—with just one click of the mouse. Installing SpamMATTERS will not stop the spam reaching you, but it can help ACMA to trace where the spam is coming from.
If you have received a spam offer that you think may be a scam, you can report a scam through the SCAMwatch website or call the ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502.
Where can I find more information on spam and protecting my computer?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority
The ACMA monitors compliance with the legislation in Australia. If you would like to report or complain about spam, or obtain more information on spam laws, spam reduction, and internet security visit http://www.spam.acma.gov.au or call 1300 855 180.
Stay Smart Online
Stay Smart Online is an Australian Government website designed to help home users and small businesses. Visit http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au for lots of tips on securing your computer and how to stay safe online.
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has policy responsibility for spam. Visit their website at http://wwww.dbcde.gov.au.
