Spam

Spam is any kind of unwanted online communication.

Common types of spam

The most common form is unwanted e-mail. You can also get:

• Text message spam — sometimes called smishing
• Instant message spam — sometimes known as spim
• Social networking spam

Harmless vs. dangerous spam

Some spam is annoying but harmless. However, some spam is part of an identity theft scam or another kind of fraud. Identity theft spam is often called a phishing scam.

How to protect yourself

Use e-mail software with built-in spam filtering. For a fuller checklist, see Protecting your business, your employees and your customers.