What Are Spam Traps?
Spam traps are email addresses used by ISPs and anti-spam organizations to identify senders with poor list practices. They never opt-in to receive email, so any mail they receive is by definition unsolicited.
Types of Spam Traps
Pristine Traps
These addresses were created solely as traps - they've never belonged to a real person and never signed up for anything. They're seeded across the web to catch scrapers.
Recycled Traps
Old addresses that were once valid but have been abandoned and repurposed as traps. ISPs convert dormant addresses after years of inactivity.
Typo Traps
Common misspellings of legitimate domains (like gmial.com instead of gmail.com) that are monitored to catch senders with poor data quality.
How Spam Traps End Up on Your List
- Purchased or scraped lists
- Old lists that haven't been cleaned
- Forms without validation that collect typos
- Compromised signup forms
The Consequences
Hitting spam traps can result in immediate blacklisting, blocked emails, and severe reputation damage that takes months to repair.
Prevention Strategies
- Never buy email lists
- Validate all new subscribers
- Regularly clean your list
- Remove long-inactive subscribers
- Use double opt-in
ValidateList Protection
Our validation identifies known spam traps and high-risk addresses that could indicate spam trap presence. Protect your sender reputation with regular list validation.