Often times when you sign up to get a free coupon or enter a sweepstakes online you may have to give your e-mail – if this makes you nervous, you’re not alone. You probably get concerned – who is actually getting my e-mail or what type of e-mails will I be receiving now? A good way to still take part in these freebies without hurting the integrity of your e-mail is to set up a separate, free e-mail account. Use this second e-mail account specifically to give companies that you suspect will overload your inbox with lots of clutter, or worse yet, sell your e-mail address to spammers.
Woman checking e-mail on cell phone
My suggestion would be to set up a Yahoo! or Gmail account with your name or initials and add the word ‘junk’ to the end. For example if your e-mail now is johndoe@yahoo.com set up a new account that is johndoejunk@yahoo.com. Check this e-mail weekly or monthly to keep the account active and to keep the inbox quantity at a manageable level. When you check the ‘junk’ account delete the e-mails that are obviously junk without even opening them, never open an attachment unless you know the sender personally and are expecting the attachment, and only open the e-mails that you are expecting (the e-mails from the companies that you signed up for). This will keep your ‘junk’ e-mail free from hackers and spammers. Also, your everyday e-mail that you use for personal e-mails will stay clean, safe, and manageable.
If you have questions about setting up a new e-mail account check out one of these sites for simple step-by-step instructions.
It takes about 10 minutes but will save you time and peace of mind in the long run when your inbox isn’t full of spam but you still get the freebies you wanted all along. And at a time when we’ve all become a bit savvier and a bit cheaper – freebies are a wonderful thing!!!
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