What is spam?
Spam is unwanted bulk communication, most commonly email but also messages through social networks, messengers and comments. It can be advertising, fraud or a delivery channel for malware. The fact that a message is unsolicited does not prove that it is dangerous, but its links, attachments and requests deserve careful handling.
Why spam reaches you
Addresses may be collected from public pages, compromised databases, guessed combinations or forms that share data. A sender can also forge the visible From field. Receiving spam does not automatically mean that your mailbox has been hacked. If contacts report mail apparently sent by you, inspect your account’s sent items, active sessions and authentication settings, and ask the provider for relevant logs.
Mass senders change domains, wording and infrastructure to evade controls. One complaint or block list cannot eliminate every campaign. Publishing an address on a public page may increase exposure, but hiding it in an image can reduce usability without solving harvesting. Use role addresses or aliases when it helps manage access and exposure.
How filters work
Mail services assess sender reputation, authentication, content patterns, user reports and other signals. SPF specifies which servers may send for a domain, DKIM signs messages, and DMARC tells receivers how to evaluate alignment and report failures. These mechanisms reduce some impersonation, but an authenticated domain can still send unwanted messages. Filters can also misclassify legitimate mail, so check the spam folder when expected messages are missing.
A block list records sources associated with abuse; it is an input to a provider’s decision, not a universal verdict. Shared hosting or dynamically assigned addresses can complicate attribution. If your own legitimate mail is rejected, inspect the exact SMTP error and your provider’s sending configuration before requesting removal from any list.
Safer handling
Do not open unexpected attachments or enter passwords through a link in a message. Visit the service through a known bookmark or independently typed address, and confirm urgent requests through a separate channel. Avoid clicking “unsubscribe” in an obviously fraudulent message because it can confirm that your address is active. For a genuine newsletter from a known sender, its unsubscribe control is usually appropriate.
Mark unwanted messages as spam in your mail application, block repeat senders where useful, and report fraud through the provider’s abuse process. Keep evidence if the message threatens you or contains a financial scam. Do not forward a live malicious attachment to other people.
If you interacted with a message
If you entered a password on a suspicious page, change it promptly through the official site, revoke unknown sessions and enable multifactor authentication. If you opened an attachment, update and scan the device and seek help if you see unusual activity. Contact your bank or relevant service immediately if payment details were exposed. The response should match the data or access actually at risk.