SPAM Control
I've used a different password for every site I had to log into for some time now. I've also used a dedicated email address for that site. If I get any spam at that address, I know the site was either hacked or they sold my information. I could then delete the email address and spam goes away. I have a personal email domain that allows me to do this somewhat a cumbersome manner.
Recently, I decided to consolidate my email to gmail, which means I lose the ability to create these alternate email addresses. The suggested solution is to use what is referred to as plus addressing, i.e. if my email address is aaaa@gmail.com, then I could give sites aaaa+blah@gmail.com as my address it email would come to my mailbox. I can then write filters for it, etc. The problem is, spammers are unfortunately smart and know to strip the + part of the address and then you have spam to your gmail account. Luckily, gmail has some pretty decent spam filters...
Another solution is to create a second email account with Google, and set it to forward to your primary gmail account. When you give out an email address, you use your secondary gmail account with plus addressing. You write a filter to delete anything coming to the secondary address. If you start getting spam to one of the plus addresses, write a filter to auto delete that as well.
For example:
If I have a gmail address of aaaa@gmail.com. I register a new gmail account as bbbb@gmail.com. In the settings of that account, there is a tab to forward all email this account receives to aaaa@gmail.com.
I now log into the aaaa@gmail.com account, create a filter that deletes all email to the address bbbb@gmail.com.
When someone I don't know (website, restaurant, vendor, etc) asks for an email, I give them bbbb+vendorname@gmail.com as the address.
Now if that vendor sells my email address or gets hacked, I can add a filter in my aaaa@gmail.com account to delete anything to bbbb+vendorname@gmail.com
There are some sites that won't accept plus addressing. For this, I created a third gmail account, set up the forwarding and consider this the sacrificial address should someone I gave this address to sell or gets hacked.
If you want more detail with screenshots on how to do this, let me know.
Recently, I decided to consolidate my email to gmail, which means I lose the ability to create these alternate email addresses. The suggested solution is to use what is referred to as plus addressing, i.e. if my email address is aaaa@gmail.com, then I could give sites aaaa+blah@gmail.com as my address it email would come to my mailbox. I can then write filters for it, etc. The problem is, spammers are unfortunately smart and know to strip the + part of the address and then you have spam to your gmail account. Luckily, gmail has some pretty decent spam filters...
Another solution is to create a second email account with Google, and set it to forward to your primary gmail account. When you give out an email address, you use your secondary gmail account with plus addressing. You write a filter to delete anything coming to the secondary address. If you start getting spam to one of the plus addresses, write a filter to auto delete that as well.
For example:
If I have a gmail address of aaaa@gmail.com. I register a new gmail account as bbbb@gmail.com. In the settings of that account, there is a tab to forward all email this account receives to aaaa@gmail.com.
I now log into the aaaa@gmail.com account, create a filter that deletes all email to the address bbbb@gmail.com.
When someone I don't know (website, restaurant, vendor, etc) asks for an email, I give them bbbb+vendorname@gmail.com as the address.
Now if that vendor sells my email address or gets hacked, I can add a filter in my aaaa@gmail.com account to delete anything to bbbb+vendorname@gmail.com
There are some sites that won't accept plus addressing. For this, I created a third gmail account, set up the forwarding and consider this the sacrificial address should someone I gave this address to sell or gets hacked.
If you want more detail with screenshots on how to do this, let me know.
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