Do not be a victim of spam just because you want to lose weight fast. Do not join the group of users who lost money in those bogus offers. The spam trap is there, and it has been intended for you. Be sensible enough not to say “yes” to the products that claim instant weight loss. Find a legitimate site offering genuine products. Be wary of con artists who have mastered their craft and make their claims appear legitimate. Protect your privacy before they take it away from you.

Weight loss claims which are sent through spam mail generally fall into two types. The first group consists of products such as creams, patches, pills or other items that promise weight loss, minus the need for a special diet or exercise. The second are products that boast about their ability of absorbing fat, calories or carbohydrates.

What makes weight loss spam mails interesting is revealed by a New York-based research. One in five, or 20%, of young, heavy people have been victims of email spam. The study also revealed more associated data about these mails. First, 88% of heavy individuals say they received spam that “sells” weight loss products as opposed to 73% of other respondents. Second, 42% of overweight individuals say they opened these emails compared to 18% of other respondents. Third, 18% of overweight individuals say they purchased these products, whereas only 5% of other respondents did the same.

You might ask why more overweight people get this particular spam. Experts explain that these people go to more weight loss internet sites than other people consequently they end up in the databases of these internet sites. Additionally, they also provide their personal info to these internet sites. Accordingly, these spam emails might come from 2 sources. These might be from the internet site vendor itself, or from a third party that has access to the owner’s database.

Spam will not work if users will not give the information that spammers require. Basic among all these is personal information, especially an email address that is uploaded online. Some seemingly simple posts such as “I want to lose weight” placed in social networking sites can trigger spam. Keep in mind the 42% open rate and 18% conversion rate of weight loss spam. Let us look at a “worst case” spam scenario. For example, a spammer will send email offering a bogus weight loss product to 1,000 targeted individuals. Count how many emails equals 1% of these. It is 10. If ten spam recipients finally decide to buy the “product” being offered, how much money would the spammer have? Assuming that the unit cost of the product is $50, the spammer gets $500.

Also, simple posts such as “I want to lose weight” sent to social networking sites can trigger spam. The numbers presented earlier can give a picture of what a spammer can get out of the emails. Do not forget the 42% open rate and 18% conversion rate. For instance, a spammer will send emails to 1,000 targeted individuals. Because of anti-spam protection, let us say only 100 people opened these emails (less than 42%). With an 18% conversion rate, it means 18 individuals finally buy the product. If the unit cost is $50, the spammer gets $900 – it’s as simple as that! Being alert with websites and cautious with your personal information is the best way to avoid spam. Do not give up your email address easily because of the claims that they make. Social networking sites offer privacy settings that you can easily learn to use to your advantage. Finally, do as experts advise about losing weight safely. Burning more energy and eating fewer calories is not the fastest, but surely the safest way to lose weight.

Just because you are heavy does not mean that you must put up with additional threats on the world wide web. Follow easy online safety rules and use an Anonymous Proxy to be secure on the net.