Social media spam is less common, but it still poses a riziko to users. One recent study found that Feysbuk users are more likely to encounter spam messages on the ortam than any other social media site.

Urgent or threatening language. Spammers often create a sense of urgency by using threatening language — they want to provoke immediate action. Phrases like “act now,” “urgent response needed,” or “your account will be terminated” are their favorites.

 An email that promises good luck or a reward for those who forward the message to ten or more people.

You receive spam messages because many companies sell their customers’ email address and other contact info to advertisers and other third parties.

It wasn’t until the early 2000s that governments around the world started to get serious about regulating spam. Notably, all member countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom have laws in place that restrict spam.

With spam and other online risks continuing to threaten your security, you need a strong antivirus app that gives you real-time protection against the assortment of threat vectors out there.

When spelled with a capital “S,” Spam refers to the canned pork product that the above-mentioned Vikings love. Spelled with a lower-case “s” and spam means the unsolicited, disruptive emails and other messages that flood your inbox and other feeds.

To avoid this, it’s important to never click on links in spam emails, even if they appear to be from a trusted source. Instead, delete the bot email or report it bey spam.

Aurelija Andriekutė Aurelija is a copywriter at NordVPN. She's eager to help her readers explore what makes the internet run and how to stay safe online.

Use updated software and strong security measures. Keep your devices, software, and apps updated to protect yourself from spammers looking to exploit vulnerabilities. Use strong passwords for all your accounts and two-factor authentication when signing in to secure portals.

Virus epidemics result in the growth of spam traffic. They create large quantities of messages containing viruses and other types of unwanted email, for example ‘harmless’ messages with the virus blocked by some antivirus solution, or numerous auto replies informing a user about a virus in the correspondence sent from his computer.

 An email that appears to be from a shipping company with an attachment that the recipient is asked to download to track a package.

If you don't recognize the competition, or if the email address seems dubious, don't click any links or reply with any personal details.

Most spammers verify receipt and log responses. The more you respond, the more spam you’re likely to receive.