What's In Your Spam File?

Probably like you, I don’t check the spam file on my computer very much.  It is difficult enough to find the time to burrow through the Inbox. On rare occasions after I scrolled through the Inbox and moved messages over to a different file where I can forget about them, I do check that Spam folder.  It is the file that is always chock full of opportunity, intimate relationships, big time money and discount codes. All are lurking there with compelling headers waiting for me to open them. On a recent scan I discovered a few adventures waiting for me.

Although we joke about Nigerian princes who need help unlocking their fortunes, there must still be people willing to help them.  They are still busy in my Spam file too, all they need is some information like my credit card numbers and those millions could be mine.  They don’t give up. And, although I didn’t know it, I have long lost relatives in other countries who died without a will. Another treasure is waiting for me once they have a few details from me.  Some emails about my dead relatives come from Morgan Stanley or Goldman Sachs or another real financial firm so the dead relative must be real, I just don’t have time for all the paperwork.

Besides my dead relatives, apparently I have a lot of friends, mostly women, who have lost track of me too.  They want to know if I am still single. Lots of others want to know why I blocked them. Many of these old friends claim to have Ukrainian charm and might need help.  I hope they are ok. They are worried about me too and if I let them know where I am and my credit card numbers they will feel better.

Quite a few places need a confirmation for something or other even though I don’t recall ever being in touch with them.  Newsletter subscriptions seem to find their way to Spam world. Who doesn’t have a newsletter these days? Every car dealer within a hundred miles is making me great offers through Spam too.

Every once in a while, like finding a hen’s tooth, there is something in Spam I should have seen and responded to.  “Sorry I missed this…” is the opening to my always delayed response. And that is why we check Spam. Something could be in there that we need to or want to see.  Checking the Spam file is like going to the flea market, there could be a treasure among the junk.

So go ahead and check the Spam file every once in a while.  But remember, it is called a Spam file for a reason. It may be interesting but it is also dangerous.   Just ask your friends in IT security.

[feel free to follow me or add me on LinkedIn]

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Richard is the author of the new book The Thing About Work: Showing Up and Other Important Matters [A Worker’s Manual]. You can follow his writing on Twitter, Facebook, or at his website at richardmoran.com.

Richard is a noted San Francisco based business leader, workplace pundit, bestselling author and venture capitalist.