How to Check Spam Traps

If you’re looking to improve your email deliverability, you’re probably wondering how to check spam traps. The truth is, spam traps can be a real problem. They can negatively impact your email deliverability, even if you’re a responsible sender.

Spam traps are basically old, inactive, undeliverable email addresses that have been collected by illegitimate means. They can be obtained through bulk list purchases or by scraping web pages. But if you’re using up-to-date data, you can still avoid spam traps. You’ll also need to perform regular audits to prevent them from slipping through your spam filter.

Spam traps are not always created by people, but sometimes they can be accidentally picked up by marketers. Email lists can become contaminated with spam traps if the recipient makes a typo or fails to opt in. For example, if the recipient makes a typo on the email address’s domain, it could wind up as a spam trap.

Spam traps can be a serious problem for senders. While some services do offer their own way to remove them, it is recommended that you use a third-party service. These services will not only check for blocked IP addresses and spam traps, but they will also provide a numerical representation of your sender reputation.

Sending email to a spam trap can damage your reputation and can cause your delivery rates to plummet. It can also drop your domain and affect your sender score, making it more difficult to deliver emails to your subscribers’ inboxes. And if you’re sending to an old list, it’s possible that you’ll be listed on a domain blacklist (DNBL).

Spam traps aren’t all bad. In fact, they can be quite helpful in identifying spammers and list builders who aren’t doing a good job of maintaining their lists. However, they can also inadvertently catch the good guys.

There are two types of spam traps: classic and pure. Classic spam traps are email addresses that spam trap removal service haven’t been used for at least 12 months. Pure spam traps, on the other hand, are email addresses that have been created specifically to lure in spammers.

If you’re worried about acquiring spam traps, you can turn to a tool like Microsoft Smart Network Data Services, which is free. This service provides you with an overview of your sender reputation, including whether your domain is currently blocked. Another useful tool is InboxReady Verification Service, which can help you identify invalid email addresses.

Whether you’re sending out cold email campaigns or re-engagement campaigns, you should regularly conduct pulse checks to ensure that your email lists are clean and not full of spam traps. By removing invalid emails and inactive subscribers, you’ll maintain a high sender score and maintain good email deliverability.

One of the best ways to avoid acquiring spam traps is to purchase lists from reputable providers. Many email list buyers aren’t aware of the validity of their lists, and therefore aren’t able to verify whether their contacts have opted in or not.