As you surf the World Wide Web, you will be invited to sign up to many great offers and subscriptions. On face value, they seem to be genuine and great!

But sadly that is not the case, and at present there are a great many scams with more dark and sinister implications, when it comes to registering. Disclosing your email freely across the web, can create an easy environment for you to be conned, they will come in all forms of shapes and disguises. Like tricking you into thinking that you are responding to a request made by an existing subscription service, where you are asked to update and confirm your details 'known as phishing'.

As a new web surfer, you can easily sign up to a subscription and think nothing of it. But then all of a sudden, your email box starts to get full by the day with bizarre comments and junk email.

In this event, sadly your email has been obtained through a subscription service, only for the purpose of selling your email to a data base outfit. If you put a query into a search engine for 'buying email lists', you will really be alarmed by the many results.

These organizations have no morales or codes of conduct. You can also be tricked into a subscription after a purchase of an item, only to find out a month later, that the 10% discount offer available on future purchases. Costs you a regular standing or direct debit order payment of 5 - 10 pounds a (10 - 20 dollars) month.

I cannot emphasize enough, how important it is, to dig around if you plan to enter into any form of relationship with an entity on-line. Read the terms of conditions, the privacy statements, check out their contact details.

You see if your email is part of your domain name for your web site or family business?

e.g. Jimmy.perkins@mywebsite.com , as your email is circulated on a data base, it will eventually be blocked and entered into a black server list. The dynamics and implications are massive, as the domain name of www.mywebsite.com will also be entered.

The catastrophic result being, that the search engines will ban your domain and your traffic will diminish to zero. Even browser software like Internet Explorer, Netscape and Firefox have pre-set built in black and white server lists of banned emails and domain names.

As an example.

You will note that our Newsletters, are clearly explained, they are classic news wires. They are only published and distributed once a month only!

They can be viewed on-line or sent to you by mail. But once a month, means 'Once A Month'! There is no hidden agenda, they are free and we clearly state the importance of your privacy, hence subscriber records are store on a separate Local Area Network.

Long term reputable stores and leading brands, are very concious and have codes of conduct. They will not blast you with all and sundry, but in 99% of all cases, only what you have subscribed too and asked for, in relation to offers, of certain products and brands that they carry will you receive.

by Alastair Agutter

date: 2007-11-06