There are several common ways that spammers can get your email address: Crawling the web for the @ sign. Spammers and cybercriminals use sophisticated tools to scan the web and harvest email addresses. If you publicly post your email address online, a spammer will find it.

How do you stop spam email?

5 Simple Ways You Can Fight Spam and Protect YourselfNever give out or post your email address publicly. Think before you click. Do not reply to spam messages. Download spam filtering tools and anti-virus software. Avoid using your personal or business email address.

How do spammers get my Gmail address?

Using Harvesting Programs Spammers and hackers use complex automated tools to scan the web and gather email addresses. Spammers harvest email addresses from mailing lists, websites, chat rooms, domain contact points, and much more. Understand that if you list your email address online, a spammer will find it.

Can I get hacked by opening an email?

Opening an email attachment is a serious security breach if you dont know what the attachment contains. Email by itself is harmless, but hackers use attachments and downloads to embed viruses on your computer. The virus then accesses data or tracks your logins to gather information for its creator.