What are spam traps and how do I avoid them?
Spam traps are addresses used by mailbox providers and blocklist operators to catch senders with poor list practices. Avoid them by only mailing people who opted in, removing bounces and sunsetting long-inactive contacts.
Some traps are old abandoned addresses that were repurposed, and others were never real users at all. Hitting one suggests you are mailing old or acquired lists.
You cannot identify a trap by looking at it, so prevention is the strategy. Use confirmed signups, validate addresses and stop sending to people who have not engaged in a long time.
If you suspect a trap hit, pause, clean the list and review your sources.
In practice.
A store inherits a decade-old customer file and starts mailing it. Delivery drops. It stops, removes everyone who has not interacted recently, re-asks consent from the rest and rebuilds sending slowly.
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