Spam traps are the tripwires of the email world. They look like normal addresses but exist only to catch senders who buy lists, scrape addresses, or fail to clean inactive contacts.

What are the types of spam traps?

Pristine traps are addresses never used by a real person, so mail to them means you didn't get permission. Recycled traps are once-real addresses that were abandoned and repurposed — hitting them means your list is stale.

Why are spam traps dangerous?

Spam-trap hits tell mailbox providers and blocklist operators that you have poor acquisition or hygiene practices, which can tank your deliverability or get you blocklisted.

How do you avoid spam traps?

Never buy or scrape lists, use double opt-in, remove long-inactive subscribers, and run regular list hygiene. Permission and freshness are the best defenses.