Spam Explosion and Deluge

Hi @brian_1! We hear you, and we're here to help you.

We understand that email spam is more than just the annoying online version of junk mail. Review these tips to protect yourself from email spam.

How to avoid spam

• Alter your email address in public forums. If you post your email address in a public place, you may want to change the address slightly. One way to do this is to add an x element to your user ID. For instance, instead of MemberID@att.net, your email address could say MemberIDX@att.net or MemberIDnospam@att.net. Try to be as creative as possible with both the placement and use of special characters.  (Just remember to remove the x element if you answer a post with email.)
• Don't give out your email address without knowing how it will be used. 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 divulge your address.
• Don't reply to a spam email, even if the spammer offers to unsubscribe you. A reply lets the spammer know your email address is active, potentially resulting in more spam.
• Never click a URL or website address listed within a spam email. This lets the spammer know the validity of your email address, potentially resulting in more spam.
• Never sign up with sites that promise to remove your name from spam lists. Although some of these sites may be legitimate, more often than not, they are address collectors. The legitimate sites are ignored (or exploited) by the spammers, and the address collection sites are owned by spammers. In both cases, your address is recorded and valued more highly because you have just identified the address is active.   

Meanwhile, you can check the article Protect yourself from email spam.

Let us know if this works for you.

Thank you for visiting AT&T Community Forums!

David, AT&T Community Specialist.

domo arigato mr roboto

when I finally cleaned out all the spam emails, the total number was 344 - three hundred and forty-four spam emails - in a matter of 10 minutes or so beginning at 3 AM EST.

thanks for weighing in, really cleared things up

Thanks for writing back to us @brian_1.

We're glad to hear you were able to clear things up. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you.
David, AT&T Community Specialist.