Glossary
Spam Trap — Pristine and Recycled
A spam trap is an email address used to identify senders who use bad lists. Pristine traps were never real addresses — hitting one means you bought, scraped, or generated addresses. Recycled traps were once real addresses that bounced for years — mailing them means you didn’t process bounces. Both damage sender reputation.
How to avoid traps
Double opt-in, remove bounces, never buy lists. Traps are designed to catch bad actors — legitimate senders hit them only through hygiene failure.
FAQ
What is a pristine spam trap?
An address never used for real mail — any hit is a strong spam signal.
What is a recycled trap?
An abandoned address that bounced long-term — then reactivated as a trap.
Will providers tell me which address was a trap?
Usually not — you infer from sudden reputation drops and list audits.