How to Get Rid of E-mail Spam
Unsolicited junk e-mail, or spam, is an unwelcome and often offensive byproduct of the Internet's success. Although there's no guarantee you can avoid all spam, there are ways to avoid looking at most of it.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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Basic prevention
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1
If you're already getting spam messages, check with your Internet service provider to see whether it has a spam-prevention option that scans your incoming e-mail for known spammers.
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2
If you're lucky enough not to be getting spam now, then sign up for a second (free) e-mail address from a service such as Yahoo or Hotmail. Use this address exclusively for e-commerce, mailing-list subscriptions and bulletin-board postings of any kind. Reserve your main e-mail address for private e-mail to and from friends.
Rule filtering
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1
Create an e-mail folder called Suspected Spam.
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2
Use the filtering feature in your e-mail program to create rules that redirect spam messages to your Suspected Spam folder. Most spam is not addressed to its recipient by name.
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3
Define a rule for incoming mail that says, "If my name appears in the To: or cc: field, then move this message to the Inbox." The procedure for defining rules varies among e-mail programs, so you should consult your program's Help feature to learn exactly how this works.
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4
Define individual rules to catch e-mail that isn't addressed to you personally but that you nevertheless want to receive, such as messages from lists you've subscribed to. Have these rules redirect the relevant messages to the Inbox or to special folders that you have created for mail from those sources--for instance: "If the Sender field includes 'MyList,' then send this message to the MyList folder."
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5
Define a final rule that sends all other e-mail that hasn't already been redirected by one of your other rules to the Suspected Spam box. For instance, a rule that says, "If the Sender field isn't 'XYXYXYXYY,' then move this message to the Suspected Spam folder" would work as a catchall.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Never reply to a spam message, even to request that your name be removed from the list. That just tells the spammers that your address is valid.
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Comments
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I hope all spammers will be flaming in hell!
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avidgamer3693
Aug 13, 2010
I personally use a program called SpamBully it does a great job of weeding out the spam for me. When you first install the program it has a feature that allows you to train it to detect bad mail and good mail and whenever you have spam show up in your inbox you can click a button to let the program know that it is junk. It does have a drawback that there is always a spam message or 2 that gets through the cracks but you have all those messages in separate folders so that you can check them manually instead of them being auto deleted. The program also has a one click option to report the spam sender and to the senders isp and the government. This is a great program for the price. I also use the outlook message rules for sorting my good mail as the program does not have this option in it. I create a folder called Newsletter for newsletters and use the message rules to move all my... -
Aug 08, 2006
Companies that send you spam have a product they want you to buy. On their web pages, they'll usually have a support@ or other contact email address, since they want you to ask questions about their product, and for other business. Since the emails they spam from don't usually accept replies, this support email is the one you can use to get revenge. Do this: 1. Copy the link to the web page from the spam. Don't click on it, just copy it. Paste it into your browser's address window and go there. 2. Find the contact or support email address and copy it. Go back to the spam. 3. Forward the spam to the address you just copied. In the subject line, replace the "re:..." with something neutral, like "question." This way, they won't be able to distinguish it from real questions about their product. At the top of the email, you can put something like "Please remove me from your list." If everyone does this, support email boxes will be packed with their own spam, and the companies will have no choice but to open them if they want to sort them out from real questions. If they continue to spam you, you can share their support addresses with other spammers.
