It’s frustrating to open your email to find a mountain of spam — especially when you have no idea how companies got your information.
Companies use all kinds of tricks to get their hands on your data. We’ve listed several ways that businesses get your information and what you can do to limit it.
1. Data is sold
The most common way companies get your information is when databases are sold.
Whenever you sign up for a website, you agree to their Terms of Service. Whether you take this seriously or click through, what you agree to is an important indicator of how your information can be managed.
Services that aren’t AI-focused may be more likely to sell the information they get their hands on. This traffic can help scammers get access to data like your email address or accounts you’re signed into.
Broadly, it’s difficult to have any serious control over how businesses handle your data. Data leaks are an example of what could happen, but giving out your email to any new website could create risk.
2. Your data is stolen
In this case, a professional group of scammers gains unauthorized access to customer information. A breach may expose sensitive information like account passwords, bank information, and phone numbers without anyone’s permission. To combat this, and find out if your personal data is on the dark web, you can sign up for identity theft software like McAfee.
Hackers don’t delicately break into your accounts, however. Depending on what they’re phishing for, they may use your email profile to crack into your accounts in the first place.
Emails with insecure passwords are easy prey for hackers who use the inbox as their main way to reset passwords and access other accounts. Without two-step verification, you may find that your emails double against you.
3. Social media oversharing
Social media platforms often hold a wealth of personal information, and oversharing can open the door to spammers. Many platforms collect data to personalize user experiences, but third parties can use this information to gather your email address. Some businesses buy data directly from social media platforms or use data-mining tools to extract it.
If you’ve linked your email to social media accounts or used it to sign up for services tied to your profile, spammers can easily trace and collect it. Once obtained, spammers can use your email to send targeted phishing emails and advertisements or even sell it to other marketers. Being mindful of what you share and how your email is connected to various social platforms is crucial to protecting your inbox from unwanted messages.
4. You give your information away
Giveaways and promotions are popular strategies for companies to increase exposure and attract potential customers. While participating in these promotions can be enticing, providing your email address when signing up also reveals your interest in specific products or services. This can lead to assumptions about your preferences, potentially opening the door to more targeted marketing or even spam.
Many sweepstakes and giveaways request more than just an email address—they often ask for additional personal details such as your name, phone number, home address, or banking information. While legitimate promotions claim to prioritize security, scammers may mimic these strategies to create highly personalized and convincing phishing attacks.
5. You’ve been phished
A phishing scam is real, purposefully misleading communication to try to compromise your email accounts or company information.
It goes both ways, too. You may get an email from a scam website that looks like it’s attached to an official email like AOL, Yahoo, or Gmail. It may even look like an email domain associated with AI tech.
The website may prompt you to enter a code, password, or sensitive information—they say that’s how to maintain your profile and keep your data safe.
Though this seems like the kind of scam your parents are susceptible to, scams happen because all kinds of people fall for them.
The best protection against email phishing scams is to check the sender’s email every time you get a new message. Look for emails with domains like “@eu” or “@fr” that may be hidden under legitimate-seeming names like “Customer Service.”
6. You’re using public WiFi to roam
If you’re prone to working in cafes or enjoying the sights while you take a cozy break, Wi-Fi attacks mean spam email will get through to you more easily.
That public Wi-Fi makes it easy to uncover unmonitored data. Crooks can grab a boatload of data, such as websites you visit or emails you send. Social platforms face this risk with the greater the number of people who use their networks.
Using a VPN means hackers can’t get your email unless they get into the network itself.
7. Questionable purchases
You’re not alone if you’ve ever purchased a low-cost or “free” product from a lesser-known business site. These sites, often led by unscrupulous operators, may turn a profit not only from selling products but also from selling your email address if they close your account or shift focus.
Compounding the issue, signing up for notifications or promotions from these platforms can further expose your email address. The more you engage with questionable sellers or sign up for weekly coupon alerts without vetting the source, the more your email ends up in databases vulnerable to being shared or sold.
Scammers are quick to capitalize on this. By purchasing items from dubious sellers or falling for trial offers without checking reviews or authenticity, you inadvertently put yourself on the radar for unwanted spam and phishing attempts.
Stay Vigilant
To protect yourself, it’s essential to research sellers, read product reviews, and avoid signing up for notifications or offers from untrustworthy sources. It’s also a good idea to maintain two email accounts: one for friends, family or business and another for shopping and signing up for websites.
Another solution is to use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, that hides your online communication for every source.
Staying cautious about where you share your email address can help prevent it from being exposed to spammers and safeguard your online security.
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