Spam Trap

Spam Traps: How to avoid and spot them?

Also known as honeypots spam traps are used to identify and lure spam emails. The anti-spam organizations and multinationals use the honeypots to lure the spammers. 

The question is that why should you care? Even if you are not a spammer your email can land in the spam trap that can deny and even blacklist your domain. The sending reputation and the deliverability are severely affected in this regard. 

You may not be a spammer but the knowledge about spam traps is important. To ensure that your emails and domain do not ultimately land in this situation.

Types of Spam Traps

Pristine Spam Trap

These are the email addresses that are created by the ISPs and organizations and these are the ones that have never been used before.  The question is that how do they end up on the contact lists?

Such addresses are embedded in websites and when the email marketers scrape the websites such email addresses land on the lists where the emails are compiled. Such emails are also embedded within the lists that are purchased and rented. 

The pristine email trap identifies that suspicious methods are being used to collect the addresses. It is enough to land your email address on the spam list. 

The pristine email address is one of the severest traps that your email listing can encounter. If you encounter such a trap it means that your IP address and domain are denied listing.

Recycled Spam Trap

As the name suggests, these are the email addresses or domains that were once working but now are being used to combat spam. The common examples include the emails such as sales@, info@, or the emails that were once assigned to the employees that are no longer a part of the company. 

Such traps are not as lethal as pristine traps but they can damage the sending reputation with time. 

The email with Typo Errors

The emails with typos like gnail instead of Gmail or yaho instead of yahoo can also be used as a spam trap. The mistakes are most of the time unintentional but can lead to spam traps that can damage reputation. 

This trap is also not as severe as the pristine trap but can damage the reputation of the sender for not cleaning up their email listings over time. It also shows that the sender is not vigilant enough about the health of their email lists and resultantly contamination has occurred. 

How can I prevent a Spam Trap?

There are very few ways that can land the spam traps on your email address and it is usually due to poor email list management or upkeep. These traps can only be prevented by following the best email practices and the following steps to maintain a healthy contact list. Some of the practices that can prevent spam trap entry are as follows:

Avoid Purchase Lists

This is the worst thing that you can do with your email collection. Such lists include the email addresses that have not opted for your service. It also means that there is no brand allegiance at all. In all such cases, the emails are either marked as spam or deleted, which in return ruin your sending reputation completely. In short purchase, lists are behavior that will negatively affect your sending reputation that will cause damage to your email listings.

List Contamination

Adding a valid email address deliberately or by mistake to an unconfirmed list causes the mentioned issue. To avoid this issue some tips include checking the typos of the email address, email validation when a user signs up, and checking the list for possible typos. The double opt-in is another factor that can be incorporated to ensure that you get genuine email addresses. It refers to.

• Check that the recipient wants your email address
• Verifies and lets you add only the legitimate email addresses to your list

For more information on the subject be sure to check our guide i.e. how to grow your email marketing list.

Outdated Emails

Just remove these and focus on the addresses that regularly engage with what has been sent to them. Outdated emails are related to spam traps and therefore not sending email to an address for an extended period can lead to a spam trap. It also means the same as if an email has not been opened by a user for a longer period. The crux is that you must clean your email listings regularly to avoid any such issue.

If you can see an email address that has not responded for a couple of months then start a re-engagement campaign. If this fails remove the address completely. Such addresses a potential source of spam traps and therefore removal is the best option. 

How to identify the spam trap on my list?

If the domain or the listing gets denied then there is a spam trap on your address for sure. (If you are not sure how to check here is a post about the denied list and how you to check if you have been added to one)

The delivery rates also offer an insight into the issue. If there is a steady decline in the delivery rate then there is a strong chance that you are harboring a spam trap. For a detailed look into the issue use the tools such as 2500k reputation to gather information about spam traps on your listings. It will clear you about the types and number of spam traps your list is currently having.

How to Remove a Spam Trap?

If you think that there is a spam trap on your email address then the list must be thoroughly cleaned. Eliminating the contacts that have not engaged for the past 6 months is a good idea. If this is not working then narrow the window to 3 months for better results.

Segregation is another important aspect. Gather the chunks from your list that are clean and separate them from the rest. Continue the same practice until the spam traps are detected.

Use email verifier services to make sure that you get the clean lists without much effort. The email landscape is tricky so we are the ones you can rely on. We make sure that your list is as clean as you have always wanted it to be.

Takeaways

Spam traps are for spammers, so if you are worried about them then make sure that you do not act like a spammer at all. It means that:

• Never go for purchase lists
• Scrub the list to remove the emails with typos and outdated data.
• Use double opt-in as it is your best friend to identify the legitimate senders.

Maintaining a healthy contact list and following the best practices will keep you out of the danger zone.