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Do you receive lots of junk email messages from people you don't know? It's no surprise if you do. As more people use email, marketers are increasingly using email messages to pitch their products and services. Some consumers find unsolicited commercial email - also known as "spam" - annoying and time consuming; others have lost money to bogus offers that arrived in their email inbox.

Use a unique email address: Pick an address that is hard for spammers to guess and easy for you to remember. Also, if chatting online, use a unique screen name that is not associated with your email address.

Use multiple email addresses: Consider creating separate addresses or accounts that can be used for online purchases, chat rooms and other public postings. You can also use a free forwarding address.

"Mask" your email address: If you post your email address online, consider masking your address. There are several ways to correctly mask your address and thwart spammers.

Check the privacy policy when you submit your address to a Web site: Always be familiar with a Web site's privacy policy before submitting any information.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is: Fraudsters, scammers, and crooks take advantage of people via unwanted email.

Learn more about "pop up spam": Recently, a new form of spam has developed via the Microsoft Windows operating system feature Messenger Service. It is a stream of "pop up" messages that stop you from using your home computer until you close them.

Use tools to help prevent spam: Consider tools or programs that can filter or tag spam before it fills your email inbox. (www.ftc.gov)