What to Do When You’re Flooded with Thousands of Emails in Minutes ?

Email Bomb Attack? What to Do When You’re Getting 25+ Emails Per Minute

If your inbox suddenly exploded with hundreds or thousands of emails per hour, you might be experiencing what’s known as an email bomb attack — or more specifically, a subscription bomb. This isn’t just an annoying spam wave — it can be a cover for fraud or identity theft.

In this blog, we’ll explain what’s happening, why it’s dangerous, and step-by-step actions you should take right away.

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⚠️ What Is an Email Bomb or Subscription Bomb?

An email bomb occurs when someone signs your email address up for thousands of newsletters and mailing lists at once. You suddenly begin receiving 20 to 50+ emails per minute, making your inbox unmanageable.

This tactic is often used to distract you from real-time fraud, such as:

• Unauthorized credit card purchases
• Password resets on your accounts
• Hacking attempts on Amazon, PayPal, eBay, or even your bank

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🧨 Why It’s Dangerous

While it may look like a simple spam attack, it’s frequently used to hide important emails — like a purchase confirmation, a password reset email, or a notification from your bank.

If you recently:

• Applied for jobs on unfamiliar platforms
• Entered information on lesser-known websites
• Filed any claims (including class action settlements)

…you may have unknowingly exposed your email to bad actors.

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🔐 Immediate Steps You Should Take to stop email flood

✅ 1. Check Your Bank and Credit Cards Immediately

Use a secure device like your phone and:

• Check for unauthorized charges
• Lock or freeze your card if needed
• Notify your bank that you’re under a potential email-based obfuscation attack

✅ 2. Change All Your Passwords

Start with your email account, then update:

• Amazon, PayPal, eBay, bank accounts
• Job platforms, resume sites
• Anything connected to your email

Use unique passwords + 2FA.

✅ 3. Don’t Click “Unsubscribe” on Suspicious Emails

Some of these fake emails use malicious links disguised as unsubscribe buttons. Avoid clicking anything unless the email is from a verified, trusted sender.

✅ 4. Create Email Filters

Set filters in Gmail/Outlook to:

• Auto-archive bulk senders
• Move unknown subscription emails to a folder
• Isolate important messages like “Password reset” or “Invoice”

This helps you spot real threats.

✅ 5. Sign Up for Identity/ Credit Monitoring

Use services like:

• Experian IdentityWorks
• LifeLock
• Credit Karma (free monitoring)

They can alert you to sudden credit activity or fraudulent account openings.

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How to Prevent Future Attacks from Email bombarding

✔ Use Email Aliases

Services like Gmail allow you to create aliases using yourname+job@gmail.com. This helps you track which services leaked your email.

✔ Avoid Reusing Passwords

One breach = total compromise if you reuse login credentials.

✔ Don’t Autofill Personal Data on Sketchy Websites

Disable browser autofill for sensitive info. Some phishing sites abuse it without your knowledge.

✔ Use a Spam Service or Clean Email Tool

Use third-party tools like:

• Clean Email
• Unroll.me
• Mailstrom

They help mass delete or categorize unwanted email.

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👀 Real-Life Case: What Others Have Experienced

Many victims of email bombs have shared similar patterns:

• “After applying to a job or entering my email on a form, I received 3,000+ emails in 3 hours.”
• “While sorting through the junk, I noticed a $600 Amazon order I never made.”
• “Hackers tried to reset my Google password during the flood.”
• “I had malware on my laptop. They accessed autofill data, passwords, and emails.”

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🧭 Final Advice

Do not wait for the flood to die down. Assume this is part of a larger attempt to steal or exploit your data.

Secure your accounts, notify your bank, and clean up your inbox methodically. If it gets worse or feels targeted, consider reporting the event to your local cybercrime authority or a security expert.