Mailbox providers and blocklist operators run spam traps to see who mails people they have no reason to mail. A trap has no real owner, so there is no legitimate way to have its address on your list.
Types of trap
- Pristine traps are addresses that were never used by a person and were published only where scrapers would find them. If you have one, you got it from a scraped or bought list.
- Recycled traps are old addresses that were abandoned, then reactivated as traps. If you have one, you kept mailing a dead address for a long time.
- Typo traps are common misspellings of big domains. These come from sign-up forms that do not check addresses.
What happens when you hit one
A trap does not tell you. It tends to accept the mail and report it to whoever runs it. The effects are slow and unpleasant: a blocklist listing, a drop in sender reputation, or mail landing in spam at a provider that used to deliver it. You rarely see a bounce to explain it.
Staying away from them
- Use double opt-in, so every address is confirmed by someone who can read its inbox.
- Never mail a bought or scraped list.
- Stop sending to subscribers who have not opened or clicked in a long time.
- Check addresses at sign-up for typos in common domains.
If you suspect a listing, see blocklist for how to check and what to do.
Common questions
Can I find out which addresses are spam traps?
No. Operators keep the addresses secret. The only defence is list hygiene: collect addresses with confirmed opt-in and stop mailing people who never engage.
Do spam traps count as bounces in SES?
Usually not. A trap tends to accept mail, so you get no bounce. The damage shows up elsewhere, as blocklist listings or falling reputation.