Do you get loads of spam messages in your e-mail inbox? If you are or are starting to, this may be for various reasons. This may include signing up at different sites throughout the year and forgetting to close your account, the website suffers a data leak or the website is selling your data.—A good way to stay protected from this is by using an alias e-mail address. Having a separate e-mail addresses for personal and work is the best defense. However this can be difficult to organize and manage over time. With an alias you can keep all your messages in one box. You can also pinpoint its source and prevent possible phishing scams.
So what is an e-mail alias?
An e-mail alias is a second e-mail connected to your main e-mail address. Thankfully, both Apple’s iCloud and Google’s Gmail offer this feature for their e-mail services.
With gmail, you can use an alias email beginning with your current address. For example, take the email [email protected]. You can set up to receive emails at [email protected] or [email protected], easily separating where you used it and its purpose. Learn more about Gmail aliases here.
iCloud offers a similar feature with Hide My Email. You’ll get unique, random generated e-mail addresses that you can use to send emails, sign up for newsletters and more. They’re unique to you and forward to your main box. You will need a Cloud+ subscription to generate them manually, but can start using them for free with a website’s “Sign in with Apple” option. Learn more about Apple’s Hide my Email here.