Ten habits that make everyday email safer

1. Keep your recovery address permanent

Maintain one reliable inbox for identity-sensitive accounts such as banking, school, work, healthcare and anything involving money or legal records. Make sure you can access it regularly. A disposable mailbox is unsuitable for account recovery because it expires.

2. Give low-stakes services a separate address

For newsletters, free trials and low-risk activities, consider aliases, separate addresses or a temporary mailbox if the service allows it. Separating these communications means you can deal with spam without also losing important account messages.

3. Use a unique password for each account

If one website suffers a data breach, reused passwords can put other accounts at risk. A reputable password manager makes it easier to use long, unique passwords. SpeedMail offers a browser-based Password Generator, but storing your passwords safely is still your responsibility.

4. Turn on multi-factor authentication

Choose an authenticator app, passkey or hardware security key when supported. Email codes may be useful but depend on inbox access and timely delivery. Never share a one-time code with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, even if they claim to be customer support.

5. Check who sent the message

Display names can be misleading. Examine the actual sender address, the context of the message and any links before entering a password or payment detail. Criminals may create domains that look very similar to legitimate ones.

6. Avoid unexpected attachments

Do not open unexpected files simply because a message looks urgent. When necessary, visit the service directly using a bookmarked website or its official app to verify the claim. SpeedMail intentionally does not expose attachments in its temporary inbox.

7. Watch out for pressure and urgency

A message that demands immediate action to avoid a penalty, claims you won an unlikely prize or requests verification codes is a reason to slow down. Check through an independent channel rather than replying to the suspicious message.

8. Limit the information you type into sign-up forms

Share only what is needed for a legitimate service. A temporary address may reduce how often your permanent email is exposed, but it does not hide information such as your phone number or name if you provide them separately.

9. Review connected apps and newsletter preferences

Periodically unsubscribe from legitimate marketing mail, remove browser extensions you do not use, and review third-party app permissions for your long-term email. For suspicious messages, use your email provider's spam or phishing reporting controls instead of clicking an unsubscribe link.

10. Know when to use a temporary inbox

Disposable email is most appropriate for short-lived, non-sensitive messages you do not expect to need later. SpeedMail addresses start with 60 minutes of access and may be extended before expiry, within a three-hour cap. Read our beginner's guide for details.

What to do if you receive suspicious email

1. Do not follow the link or open an unexpected attachment.
2. Open the organization's official website yourself and check your account there.
3. If you disclosed a password, change it on the official site, revoke unknown sessions and enable multi-factor authentication.
4. Report the message through your regular mail provider or the organization's official abuse channel.
5. If misuse involves SpeedMail's service, visit our Report Abuse form; never paste full passwords or OTP codes into that report.

Disposable mail versus aliases versus separate accounts

A temporary mailbox is intentionally short lived. An alias forwards messages to your existing inbox, so it can be useful when you need future messages but don't want to share your main address. A second full email account offers a longer-term separation but requires account management. Pick based on whether the messages need to be kept and whether account recovery matters.