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A spam trap is an email address used to identify spam messages. The way it works is a company places a valid email on their website and monitors the email it receives. As it wasn’t subscribed to any email, anything it receives must be unsolicited or spam. Spamtraps are usually e-mail addresses that are created not for communication, but rather to lure spam. In order to prevent legitimate email from being invited, the e-mail address will typically only be published in a location hidden from view such that an automated e-mail address harvester (used by spammers) can find the email address, but no sender would be encouraged to send messages to the email address for any legitimate purpose. Since no e-mail is solicited by the owner of this spamtrap e-mail address, any e-mail messages sent to this address are immediately considered unsolicited. Spamtrap addresses never sign up for a list so if they get an email, they blacklist you. Spamtraps are addresses that drive you directly into ISP spam filters and anti-spam blacklists. Consider them the express route to having your email blocked.

Basically, there’s no way to remove a spamtrap or find out which one is a spamtrap address just by looking at it. So literally it’s very hard to remove spamtrap addresses from a list. However, you can avoid these addresses in the first place. You should always use a double opt-in form to collect the email addresses as when you send a confirmation message to these addresses they will not approve it and hence these addresses will not end up in your list. That’s why I always give stress on building a list. In the long run you will not be blacklisted by servers and your email will always be delivered to the intended recipients.