Spam Email Corruption

  • 20 June 2016
  • 4 replies
  • 35 views

I opened a link in a spam email.  What should I do?    Thanks!!

4 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +11
Hey there bikerchick
 
Welcome to the Webroot community!
 
FEAR NOT! Webroot has you covered!
 
First Initiate a scan of your computer and see what it finds, you can always Submit a Support Ticket if you are concerned. This will put you in contact with someone from Webroot who can look at your results and guide you further. This is free with an active Webroot subscription.
 
Hope this has helped.  
All the best
Brad
Userlevel 7
Hi bikerchick
 
Welcome to the Community Forums.
 
If I may just add to what Brad has posted...opening a spam email is not per se necessarily a bad thing as it really depends on the contents of it. Many are just of nuisance value filling up you inbox, etc., trying to sell you something which will cause no harm, but indeed some may carry a malicious payload in the form of an attachment, etc., but even that in itself does not necessarily mean that you will be infected.
 
I too am wary of spam but occassionally I do manage to inadvertently click on/open one or two by mistake with no ill affect.
 
So if the spam email you opened has no URLs or attachments included then it is unlikely that your system has been compromised...but you are wise to be cautious and to want to check things out. 
 
Regards, Baldrick
Thank you for your replies.  I was under the impression that opening a link in a spam email was a recipe for disaster, therefore, it was good to know that it might not be.  However, I don't know the lingo and don't know what is a URL.
 
The email link I opened was about an Ellen DeGeneres show on weight loss or some such thing.  I didn't look at it but about 5 seconds.
Userlevel 7
Hi bikerchick
 
Opening a link (or a URL...they are one and the same thing) in a spam email can be a recipe for disaster...but it really depends on the provenance of the email, i.e., are you expecting the email or not and if not then who is it from? And whether it has attachments and/or links included?
 
If it is from someone or some company that you do not know and especially if it also has attachments and/or links included then treat with suspicion.
 
In fact I would delete an email that meets those criteria on the basis that if it is from someone who really is trying to get in touch with you or it is important then they/it will most likely be resent.
 
Hope that clarifies somewhat? But if you have further questions then please let us know and we will do our best to respond further.
 
Regards, Baldrick

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