Email spam can contain spyware or Trojan malware. It may also direct you to phishing websites. Scammers use these sites to trick you into giving your personal or financial info.

If an email asks for personal, account, or credit card info, don’t respond or click anything. Report it to AT&T Internet Security at abuse@att.net. You can also forward the email to the Anti Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@antiphishing.org, or report it to the FTC.

Why you get spam

Email is cheap and easy to send, so scammers and marketers use it to reach lots of people. They often build spam lists by:

• Scanning discussion groups for email addresses
• Finding email addresses in chatrooms
• Buying or stealing mailing lists
• Searching the web for email addresses
• Guessing email addresses

How to avoid spam

• Change your email address when you post online. Add a letter or a word so bots can’t easily read it and scammers can’t collect it.
• Don't share your address unless you trust the site. Check how it’ll be used first. Read the terms of use and privacy statements of sites before providing your email address. If you can't find the site's privacy statement, don't give them your address.
• Don't reply to spam. Even unsubscribe requests can lead to more spam.
• Never click links in spam. This can confirm your address is active.
• Skip sites that promise to stop spam. Many collect active email addresses.
• Leave spam in your Spam folder. It won’t count toward your storage.