Camille Sutra, Match.com

Have you ever come home and found your mailbox chock-full of envelopes and flyers? I mean so many of them that the mail carrier had to leave some on the ground?

That’s sounds a lot like my email inbox.

If it’s not junk email from advertisers, it’s my aunt sending me joke after joke after joke. Who has time to wade through them all and read each one?

But what bugs me the most is when I receive emails that I know are bogus. You know the ones: They say, “Hi, I’ve been looking for you!” or “All she needs is $5.00” or “Open immediately!” If I don’t recognize the email address, I’m usually pretty hesitant to open it at all.

Be cautious when you open email.
Sometimes you may find email addresses that look familiar because the person sending them to you has messed around with the From: address. The email could look like it’s from a company you know, but it’s really some guy sending you sales material or trying to trick you into giving him something.

Remember these five tips when you receive your next email from Match.com:

1. Never reveal your real email address to another member until you’ve established a trusting relationship. To communicate with other members, either press the “Send Email” button in the member’s profile or click “Reply” in your email application. When you use the “Reply” button to respond to an email, delete all text from the body of your message, including header information which may include your actual email address.

2. Never include your email address within the context of your profile. To protect your privacy, Match.com prohibits profiles that include any direct contact information — including email addresses.

3. Never respond to emails from supposed members that ask you for money. This should be a no-brainer, but we know how soft-hearted some of our members can be. Be soft-hearted — not soft-headed.

4. Report any profile that asks you for your email address. Match.com prohibits profiles that solicit email addresses. If you encounter such profiles, please report them immediately to abuse@match.com.

5. Report any email that asks you for your email address. Match.com only requests your email address when you initiate contact with us. If you encounter other emails that request your email address, please report them immediately to abuse@match.com. When possible please include the original email in your correspondence.

Don’t let an email scare you away from finding romance, though! Connect with local singles and meet your match today!

5 tips to manage your mailbox by Camille Sutra
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