Spam may feel like an unavoidable part of being online — but it doesn’t have to. Learn what spam is, its different types (with examples), and how to reduce the risks spam poses. Then, get specialized online security to help protect against spam and other online scams.
Spam is any unsolicited messaging sent in bulk. Commonly sent via email, spam is also spread through text messages (SMS), social media, or phone calls. Spam messages often consist of annoying promotional or commercial content — like junk mail. However, spam can also be fraudulent or malicious. It’s important to be aware of the ways some spammers can use these messages to try to scam you or harm your computer.
People send spam because it’s a cheap and easy way to reach you — be it for commercial or malicious purposes. The more people spam reaches, the more likely spammers are to earn a profit. The intent behind spam can be split into two categories: commercial and malicious.
Commercial intent: Businesses sell their customers’ email addresses and other contact information to advertisers and other third parties, allowing spammers to send mass emails you never signed up for — it’s a cheap, low-risk activity for them. After all, even if only a small percentage of people click on their spam campaign, they’ll likely see positive returns.
Commercial spam became such a concern in Europe that the EU passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, limiting what companies are allowed to do with their customers’ personal data. And luckily, by 2021, many companies had shifted away from using third parties to process customer data, opting instead to keep that data in-house. For those in Europe, that means reduced spam and increased privacy.
Malicious intent: Some spammers with bad intentions may want to access your device or steal sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers. This can open the door to much more harmful activity down the line, like identity theft or immediate financial losses.
Spam can have many forms, methods, and objectives. Annoying marketing messages, clickbait headlines, and link-heavy social media comments are all considered spam. But there are more dangerous types of spam too, like texts with fraudulent links that can spread malware or trick users into providing personal information, as well as emails designed to scare people into paying to get out of some kind of invented trouble.
Let’s explore some of the main types of spam:
Spammers can send text messages (SMS) or emails, as well as messages through WhatsApp, Telegram, or social media. They can even call your phone. Advances in technology have given spammers with malicious intent more opportunities, like creating sophisticated AI-generated voice communications. You should remember never to click any links or answer spam messages — in fact, it’s best to block any spam texts, messages, and robocalls you receive.
With the rise of social media, spammers have been quick to add platforms like Instagram and Facebook to their repertoire. Sketchy accounts or bots spread spam containing links to commercial pages in order to increase clicks and revenue for their website. Some social media spam messages are often disguised as “opportunities” for the receiver, making their spammy links more compelling.
Most social media platforms allow you to block spam accounts, and most major US phone carriers allow you to report spam. To reduce unwanted sales calls, US users can add their phone numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry, which prohibits telemarketers from contacting you via calls or texts. However, it may not stop illegal robocalls or scammers who disregard the registry.
While most spam emails are annoying promotional messaging, sometimes they can be a phishing (via email) or smishing (SMS-phishing) attack, and their perpetrators want to do more than sell you something — like commit fraud, steal your identity, or hack your computer.
These kinds of messages may look legitimate at first, as malicious spammers often use sophisticated spoofing techniques to impersonate trusted sources.
Spammers can also send fraudulent messages and emails through unfamiliar email addresses. Often a complex string of letters and numbers, spammers use this method to hide their real email address and identity.
Email spoofing is when attackers make it look like their emails are coming from a completely different origin — maybe a well-known bank, a famous CEO, or another trusted company, organization, or person.
Perhaps it’s an email from “your bank” asking you to verify your password to secure your account. The email may look perfect: with no detail out of place, all the way down to the logos and font. Nothing seems out of the ordinary…except the fact that they’re asking this question in the first place. But that link may lead to a false website designed to steal your login details and compromise your bank account.
Tech support scams can be both intrusive and convincing. A few weeks ago, I got a call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft, saying that my computer had been hacked, and that they needed some of my personal information and a fee to fix it. This type of spam message uses the fear factor to prevent victims from thinking clearly.
Luckily, this tech support scammer wasn’t successful: I lied and said I didn’t currently have a Microsoft computer, and asked how he would have known such a thing. When he said it was because he had records stating that I created my Facebook account with a Microsoft computer, I knew something was fishy. I hung up straight away and blocked the number.
It’s always best to avoid spam calls if you can, but if you find yourself on one, the safest approach is to hang up immediately and never provide personal information.
Malspam is the combination of “malware” and “spam.” It’s spam that contains malware or viruses. Malspam is commonly sent via email attachments or suspicious downloads containing malware like spyware, trojans, keyloggers, and ransomware. Remember never to click any links you’re not sure of, especially in emails you aren’t expecting.
A reliable antivirus tool like AVG AntiVirus FREE will not only remove malware when it’s detected on your system, but also help prevent these infections from happening in the first place. In fact, AVG blocked over 2.4 billion cyberattacks in 2024 alone, including malspam attempts.
Just a glance at the news these days will give spammers dozens of headlines to exploit to grab people’s attention. If you’ve ever been inundated with texts or emails with donation links to help victims of a natural disaster, these spam messages could have been a con. While some of these requests may be legit, they can just as easily be the work of spammers trying to take advantage of human empathy to make a quick buck.
An advance-fee scam is where a scammer entices you with the promise of a reward, such as cash, prizes, or lucrative opportunities. But, to claim it, you have to pay an upfront fee for taxes, bank account setup fees, or some other bogus reason. Once you’ve paid the fee, the scammer vanishes — along with the non-existent reward.
Since they’re sent out as spam, the message will be generic, and you may not recognize the company or organization promoting the “deal.” But the spammer only needs it to resonate with a handful of recipients.
Cash prize scams are when a fraudster claims you’ve won a large sum of money or a valuable prize. The goal of this scam is usually to extract personal information. They create a sense of excitement and urgency — all you have to do is hand over your Social Security number or other sensitive data to verify your identity and collect your lump sum.
Even when you’re looking for love in the right places, you might encounter a romance scam. These often begin on legitimate dating apps or websites, where scammers create fake profiles to catfish unsuspecting users. They’ll spam multiple accounts, waiting for someone to take the bait.
Once the scammer has made contact, they’ll usually come on very strong, using flattery and emotional manipulation to build trust and a “relationship” quickly. Then, they will encourage you to move the conversation from the original platform to a private messaging app or social media. Eventually, they’ll make an emotional, urgent plea for money — common reasons are to buy a plane ticket to see you or cover a family emergency.
SEO spam, or “spamdexing,” is the manipulation of search engine optimization (SEO) methods to artificially improve the rankings of a spammer’s website in search engines like Google.
Content spam is when spammers cram their pages full of trending keywords to rank higher and drive more traffic to their sites. Sometimes they even use plagiarized content to make their own page seem more legitimate.
Link spam is something you may have seen in blog comments or forum posts. This is where a spammer posts irrelevant or excessive links on public pages to create backlinks to their sites and draw people there.
Spammers tend to use similar strategies, making it easier to spot if you know what to look for. There are several main tricks to avoid spam, so whether spam finds you via email, text message, social media, or a phone call, here are some things to consider when judging whether you’re looking at spam or not:
Typos and grammar errors aren’t mistakes that legitimate companies are likely to make. If you receive messages with unnatural language or errors, that can be a sign of spam or that the message was sent from a questionable source. Some scammers even include mistakes deliberately — to filter out skeptical recipients early on.
If you’re a customer, the company contacting you should have your information on hand and will likely address you by name. So if you receive a message or email with a generic greeting, like “Dear Valued Customer,” it could be a phishing attempt, and you should delete the message. At the very least, it’s marketing spam trying to get you to buy or sign up for something. Remember never to click suspicious links if you want to help keep your phone and email secure.
By using social engineering and impersonating trusted sources or entities, malicious spammers can look more authoritative and trustworthy. Always look at spam emails and texts carefully, and report and delete any suspicious messages.
Here are some tips to help you determine the legitimacy of an unexpected request:
Agencies or businesses that know you will never ask you to provide personal information via email or text.
Remember that a caller ID, email address, or website can be spoofed, so take a minute to verify the legitimacy of a sender or business before engaging with a message or site.
Be cautious of urgent requests or threats that demand immediate action. These are common tactics used by scammers to pressure victims into providing personal information.
If something seems off or too good to be true, it's best to err on the side of caution and not provide any personal information or click any links.
Check that any site you visit has HTTPS in the browser bar. But be aware that phishing sites may use HTTPS too. Make sure you understand how to spot a pharming attack because you can be redirected to a fake website that looks very convincing.
So. Phew. That was a lot. Now you’re a spam expert! But how can you stop spam, or at least reduce it?
Check for data breaches. You’ve probably heard about data breaches, where confidential information is stolen in a security incident. Use AVG BreachGuard to check that none of your personal data has been leaked. BreachGuard can also help you remove your details from pesky — yet legal — data broker and people search sites.
Do not interact with spam. Don’t respond to spammers in any way. Responding will make you a likelier target in the future. Don’t click any suspicious links or download any strange attachments in case they’re infected or redirect you to fraudulent websites.
Block spam numbers and email addresses. Block spam texts as they come in, as well as spam email addresses and phone numbers so the spammer can’t call or message you from that number or address in the future.
Do not publish your contact details online. Make sure your private information stays private. While it’s hard to completely disappear from the internet, you can remove as much personal information as possible. This includes your address, phone number, or any other identifiable information from people search sites and other data brokers.
Check your spam folder regularly. Email providers sometimes get it wrong. Make sure you move legitimate emails you want to receive out of your spam folder to train your spam filter to improve.
Take advantage of spam-reporting tools. There’s a handy “report as spam” button or equivalent at the top of most emails nowadays, and you can report spam texts by forwarding the message to 7726 (SPAM). And don’t forget, if you fall victim to a fraudster, you should always report internet scams.
Get a second email address. Though this may sound like a hassle, having a “throwaway” email for non-crucial services that require an email address is a smart idea. We all want a cleaner inbox, and this is a great way to reduce the number of commercial spam emails you see every day in your main inbox.
Keep your software updated. Scammers may try to exploit software vulnerabilities, so always keep your devices updated with the latest software releases. Strong passwords and two-factor authentication will also help reduce the risk of exploits.
Inform friends and colleagues. If someone you know sent you spam, tell them. Their account has probably been hacked, and they need to know as soon as possible so they can take action and regain control of it.
Invest in cybersecurity software. With spam and other risks potentially threatening your data, you need a strong antivirus program for real-time protection to help keep security threats at bay.
With a dizzying amount of spam messages sent every day, even the most robust of spam filters and savviest of internet users are bound to slip up now and then. AVG AntiVirus FREE helps reduce your risk of exposure to online fraudsters, scam websites, and infected links associated with malware and phishing. Since you can’t avoid all spam, use robust cybersecurity software to help protect you from threats that may lie inside.
Privacy | Report vulnerability | Contact security | License agreements | Modern Slavery Statement | Cookies | Accessibility Statement | Do not sell my info | | All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
