How can hygiene tools detect spam traps?
Spam trap detection is probabilistic, not definitive. Tools use signals suggesting trap likelihood: address age (old addresses in pristine trap patterns), domain characteristics (domains known for operating traps), and behavioral patterns (no engagement ever recorded).
No tool can definitively identify all traps because: trap operators deliberately make them undetectable, new traps exist in no database, and trap characteristics overlap with legitimate inactive addresses. Tools estimate risk, not certainty.
Use trap detection for: flagging high-risk addresses for removal, prioritizing list cleaning efforts, and evaluating list acquisition sources. Combine trap indicators with engagement data; addresses that both look risky and never engage are safe to remove.
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