Summary
While the traditional view holds that spam traps are inert and do not engage with emails, a more nuanced understanding reveals that modern anti-spam systems can, in some cases, mimic human actions like opening and clicking links to better identify sophisticated spam. Consequently, opens and clicks are not reliable indicators to confirm an address is not a spam trap. Instead, these actions are often generated by automated security scanners or pre-fetching services. The primary purpose of spam traps remains to identify spammers, not to engage as real users, emphasizing that deeper, genuine engagement signals are far more indicative of a real subscriber.
Key findings
- Varying Views on Engagement: While many sources assert that spam traps are inert and do not generate opens or clicks, a significant perspective, particularly from those involved in advanced spam filtering, indicates that anti-spam systems may mimic human engagement to identify sophisticated malicious emails, making these metrics unreliable indicators of a real user.
- Unreliable Indicators: Opens and clicks are not definitive proof that an email address is not a spam trap. Any recorded 'engagement' from a known spam trap is likely due to automated systems, security scanners, or pre-fetching services, rather than genuine human interaction.
- Purpose-Driven Nature: Spam traps are special email addresses set up by ISPs and anti-spam organizations specifically to identify senders of unsolicited bulk email, and they are not intended to be monitored or interacted with by real people.
- Machine-Generated Activity: Any engagement, such as opens or clicks, associated with a spam trap address is typically machine-generated by filters or scanners, not by a human subscriber. Therefore, such activity should not be considered legitimate for deliverability metrics.
Key considerations
- Focus on Deeper Engagement: To truly validate a user, rely on more substantial engagement signals than opens and clicks, such as form submissions, log-ins, or other in-app interactions that clearly indicate human intent and interaction.
- Contextualize Engagement Metrics: When analyzing open and click data, correlate it with other user information like signup location or IP addresses. Be aware that 'opens' often come from cloud IP addresses, indicating automated rather than human interaction, and factor this into your assessment.
- Maintain Rigorous List Hygiene: Regularly clean your email lists and manage bounces to remove non-existent mailboxes. While traditional list validation tools may not effectively identify spam traps, proactive hygiene reduces the risk of hitting them.
- Adapt to Evolving Filters: Understand that modern spam filtering and anti-spam systems are increasingly sophisticated, capable of mimicking human behavior. This complexity means that relying solely on basic engagement metrics for list quality is insufficient.
What email marketers say
14 marketer opinions
While the widely accepted view among many email marketers is that spam traps are static and do not engage with emails, a more complex reality emerges from the perspective of anti-spam experts. Modern spam filtering systems can, and often do, simulate user actions like opening emails and clicking links to effectively identify highly sophisticated spam. This capability means that opens and clicks on your emails cannot be definitively relied upon to confirm an address is not a spam trap. Instead, such interactions might originate from automated systems rather than real people. The core function of a spam trap is always to detect and deter spammers, underscoring the need for email marketers to seek deeper, more authentic forms of engagement to truly validate their subscriber lists.
Key opinions
- Dual Perspectives on Engagement: While many sources state that spam traps are inert and do not generate engagement, others, particularly those with insight into advanced anti-spam systems, confirm that these systems can mimic opens and clicks to better detect sophisticated spam.
- Automated Versus Human Interaction: Any 'engagement' from a spam trap, such as an open or click, is not from a real human but rather from an automated system, security scanner, or pre-fetching service designed to analyze email content.
- Unreliable Metrics: Opens and clicks alone are not reliable indicators to determine if an email address is a spam trap or a legitimate, active subscriber, due to the potential for automated system interaction.
- Primary Purpose of Spam Traps: The fundamental purpose of spam traps remains to identify spammers and protect inboxes, not to function as interactive recipients. They are designed as a detection mechanism.
Key considerations
- Evaluate Engagement Depth: Move beyond simple opens and clicks to evaluate more substantive user interactions, such as logins, purchases, or form submissions, as these actions provide stronger evidence of a genuine human subscriber.
- Analyze Engagement Sources: Investigate the source of opens and clicks. High volumes of opens from datacenter or cloud IP addresses, or clicks without corresponding deeper actions, may indicate automated interaction rather than engagement from a real subscriber.
- Regular List Validation: Implement continuous and robust list hygiene practices. While not all spam traps are detectable by standard validation, proactive removal of invalid or unengaged addresses reduces the overall risk of hitting traps.
- Understand Evolving Threats: Recognize that anti-spam technologies are constantly evolving. Filters are designed to adapt to sophisticated spamming techniques, which can include mimicking user behavior, making it crucial for senders to remain vigilant and adapt their list management strategies.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks advises that spam filtering systems increasingly mimic human engagement, such as fetching images and following links, making opens and clicks unreliable indicators that an address is not a spamtrap. He suggests that genuine engagement, like form submissions within a web application, provides a much stronger signal of a real user.
13 Mar 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks recalls an expert confirming that spam traps can click and open emails, indicating that simply removing inactive users will not eliminate all spam traps.
15 Jun 2025 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
Spam traps are fundamentally inert addresses, purpose-built to catch malicious email senders without generating genuine user interaction. While they are not intended to open or click emails, any recorded 'engagement' from such addresses typically originates from automated security scanners, bots, or pre-fetching services employed by anti-spam systems. This means opens and clicks are unreliable metrics for distinguishing legitimate subscribers from spam traps and should not be factored into deliverability assessments or campaign performance analysis. The consistent message is that these addresses are passive detectors, and any activity is machine-driven.
Key opinions
- Inert Nature of Spam Traps: Spam traps themselves are inactive email addresses not designed to open or click emails, serving purely as detection mechanisms.
- Automated Interaction: Any observed opens or clicks from a spam trap are almost certainly generated by automated systems, such as security scanners, bots, or ISP pre-fetching services, rather than human interaction.
- Unreliable Engagement Metrics: Basic engagement metrics like opens and clicks cannot reliably differentiate a legitimate subscriber from a spam trap, making them unsuitable for validating list quality in this context.
- Ineffectiveness of Validation Tools: Standard list validation tools are generally not effective at identifying spam trap addresses, emphasizing the need for other hygiene practices.
Key considerations
- Discount Automated Activity: Do not consider opens and clicks from suspicious or unknown sources as legitimate engagement, particularly when evaluating the health of your email list or the performance of your campaigns.
- Prioritize Deep Engagement: Focus on more robust forms of subscriber engagement, such as logins, purchases, or explicit consent actions, as these provide stronger evidence of a genuine human recipient.
- Implement Robust Bounce Management: Regularly process and remove bounced addresses, especially hard bounces, to eliminate non-existent mailboxes which can sometimes evolve into spam traps.
- Maintain Proactive List Hygiene: Beyond bounce management, continuously monitor and remove unengaged subscribers to reduce the likelihood of interacting with any type of spam trap.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that while rare, spamtrap maintainers may follow links, meaning opens or clicks do not definitively exclude an address from being a spamtrap. She also clarifies that list validation tools are generally ineffective at identifying spam traps and that non-existent mailboxes should already be caught through bounce exclusions.
17 Nov 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that spam traps are inert addresses not designed to open or click emails. Any recorded 'engagement' from a spam trap is likely due to security scanners or bots, not actual interaction, and should not be considered legitimate for deliverability metrics.
30 Jun 2022 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
3 technical articles
Email spam traps are special addresses created by ISPs and anti-spam organizations, serving purely as passive detection tools. Since they do not belong to real users, these addresses inherently do not generate genuine engagement, such as opens or clicks. Any recorded activity, if it occurs, is a byproduct of automated security systems or pre-fetching services, not from human interaction with the email. This underscores that opens and clicks are not reliable indicators of a spam trap's presence or absence.
Key findings
- No Genuine Engagement: Spam traps, by their nature, do not produce human-driven opens, clicks, or other interactive behaviors.
- Automated System Activity: Any detected engagement from a spam trap address stems from automated security scanners or email pre-fetching, not from a human subscriber.
- Detection Purpose: The core function of a spam trap is to identify and catch senders of unsolicited bulk email, not to function as an active recipient.
- Unreliable Metrics: Opens and clicks are insufficient and often misleading metrics for determining if an address is a spam trap or a legitimate subscriber.
Key considerations
- Focus on True Interaction: Prioritize engagement signals that definitively indicate human interaction, such as website logins, purchases, or form completions.
- Analyze Engagement Sources: Be aware that "opens" and "clicks" can originate from automated systems, making it crucial to examine the context and source of such interactions.
- Proactive List Hygiene: Regularly clean and validate email lists to remove inactive or invalid addresses, reducing the likelihood of encountering spam traps.
- Understand Evolving Threats: Recognize that anti-spam systems are sophisticated, and automated interactions with traps are part of their defense mechanisms, requiring vigilance in list management.
Technical article
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that spam traps are used by ISPs and anti-spam organizations to identify senders of unsolicited bulk email, and because they are not real users, they will not open emails, click links, or mark them as legitimate.
15 May 2024 - Spamhaus
Technical article
Documentation from Validity explains that spam traps are email addresses used by ESPs and anti-spam organizations to catch senders of unwanted email. Since these addresses aren't monitored by real people, they will not open, click, or interact with emails in any way.
27 Apr 2022 - Validity
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