Hide your email address from spammers

Mon Apr 7, 2008 9:15PM EDT

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I'm always amazed at how many people volunteer their email address on forums and comments sections. I suppose no one told them spammers use programs that crawl the Web in search of email addresses, or perhaps they just don't care. As a site owner, I often hesitate about posting my email address publicly, but sometimes it's inevitable.

I've used different tricks to deter spammers, like using graphics, contact forms, or spelling out the entire email address (yourname [at] yahoo.com), but somehow, those accounts still manage to get spam. You're probably familiar with CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) since most websites with logins and forms use them, but until now I haven't seen one for individual email addresses.

The folks at Carnegie Mellon University have created an application called Mailhide to help you hide your email address. Users have to enter their email address and copy a piece of code that displays a partial email address (yah...@yahoo.com) wherever it's posted. If a person really wants to find out what the entire email address is, they'll have to solve one of the two CAPTCHAs the application displays. HTML code is also provided for website owners.

The words can be hard to read, but once solved, the visitor is taken to a page that shows the complete email address (here's an example). It's a bit tricky, but it keeps spammers from collecting your email address.

 

 

 

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  • 26 Posted by mary_1932_99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:10PM EDT Report Abuse

    I sure hate all that junk that still make it to my E-mail.

  • 27 Posted by arstart2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    Using two e-mail addresses is one possibility as mentioned by someone else. I have solved my junk mail by using Spamcop. All my e-mail accounts are forwarded to Spamcop. I get very little junk mail and what little I do get results in the offending sender getting their e-mail account cancelled. I love it -- pay back time!

  • 28 Posted by staterpie on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have never given out my charter addy, but yet am constantly getting SPAM. I use Yahoo acct.s for signing up on list & things. They get even more SPAM. Seems there is no getting around this annoying individuals!

  • 29 Posted by stewage75 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I guess I must be blessed, or one of the few that don't give their email out to everyone in the world. I may get one spam email a week, which isn't bad considering what I get in the real mailbox.

  • 30 Posted by superchick214 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    ok, so i am like really, rally hyper and when i do check my mail, IIIIII HHHAAAATTTTEEEEE SSSSPPAAAMMMM!!!!!! it bugs the crudolies out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahhahahahahah im hyper!

  • 31 Posted by goldimac on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yes I am bombard by many junk emails and I can't unsubcribed to get out of these mess. I will see if the problem will be solved when I go to and click mailhide. Thank you Antonio

  • 33 Posted by summer_star_65 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Thank you. That's very insightful. There are a number of things you can do to prevent spam. Like, setting you filters and changing your marketing preferences. One thing you can do once you get spam is, go through each of them then opt out, one at a time... They stop soon after. Just make it a regular maintenance thing. It has worked for me.

  • 34 Posted by djgilmore4life on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    I totally hate it as well, if only I can burn the people sending it i will do that...crap!!

  • 35 Posted by biggt46 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    register for web site, they turn around and sell your address.? as a web site owner that you register for i do all i can to help stop spammers like projecthoneypot http://www.projecthoneypot.org/?rf=48003 and Spam Stopper http://www.code-authors.com/index.php and this http://nb-productions.com/modules.php?name=VirusAdvisories&showPage=true&pageID=42 from my on site but to say sell your address is not all ways true most good forums as some from of paln to help stop spammers but theres all ways to by past this best to do like ganns1980 said

  • 37 Posted by kentz321 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    There are people in this world that like spam. Don't ruin free speech.

  • 38 Posted by disposableone2003 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:44PM EDT Report Abuse

    Interesting. So what happens if I put an e-mail address like msipp@bar-s.com in this?

  • 39 Posted by kb_investor on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Spam is a legitimate way to conduct business. It is the new telemarketing. People may not like it but it pays off for the business I own. I sent out 10 Million emails today and made $5,000. How many people wish they could make $5,000 by clicking a send button and sitting back and watching your bank account grow? Knock it all you want but I am laughing all the way to the bank! Best company to go with is my buddies at http://www.emailsondemand.com

  • 40 Posted by cardsfanbj on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    I just have a dummy account to use to register for forms or other sites that I don't trust my email account to. That solves most problems, otherwise the Yahoo! spam filter takes care of most of the rest.

  • 41 Posted by cory.cregan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    I've been using this system for a while for my eBay business, and website. It's works great, and is very easy. I also use Yahoo AddressGuard, it works relatively well.

  • 42 Posted by liangjianchi2003 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:50PM EDT Report Abuse

    you can stop the junk and spammer? i think the spammer can create another application too

  • 43 Posted by mjasfca@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    I agree with ganns1980. I have an email acct that ends in the letters "jm", for junkmail. Whenever I have to enter my ema somewhere, they get the "jm" one. I never look at that folder, so problem (mostly) solved.

  • 44 Posted by ghw329 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    I ALWAYS use the BCC line to send out frivilious things. I clean every e-mail address off anything I forward. I've requested all that have my e-mail address to respect that I don't want to be added to their forwards.. just e-mail me seperate.. on the BCC line. Suny329

  • 45 Posted by spyguy0045 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:37PM EDT Report Abuse

    Try spamgourmet.com for all temporary account forwarding needs. And who needs the google toolbar for popups when firefox+adblockplus can be so easily acquired. Shoot, it wasn't 'til I used a Library computer's IE (it wouldn't let me run Firefox Portable) that I realized that yay-hoo users were subject to so many ads. It had been a long time since I'd seen one.

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