Stopped clicking "Unsubscribe" in spam emails after a coworker got hit last month

I mean, I always figured hitting unsubscribe was fine, like the polite way to get off a list. But my buddy Carol from the next town over clicked one on a sketchy looking email and ended up with her banking info compromised within 48 hours. The scammer used the same link to verify her email was active and then targeted her with a fake login page. Now I just mark everything as spam and delete. Has anyone else had a close call with those unsubscribe buttons?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.thea1mo ago

Gotta be careful though, hitting unsubscribe actually tells scammers your email is active and real, which is why Carol got hit so fast. Best move is to just mark as spam and block the sender without opening anything. I never touch those links at all anymore, same reason.

hannah3851mo ago

Wait, but is that actually true across the board though? I mean, I've heard that argument before, but I've also seen some legit email newsletters where their unsubscribe link is required by law to actually work and remove you. Like, how do you tell the difference between a real company's unsubscribe button and a scammer's trap? Seems like there's a gray area where you could accidentally block a genuine email you actually wanted to get, just because you're scared of clicking anything.