How to Stop Spam Email

Don't respond to spam email.

If you want to stop spam email, you can do it by responsible use of the Internet and your email. However, even this may not be enough in some cases, and you'll have to manually filter out the spam. Use good email habits to decrease the amount of unsolicited emails you receive in your inbox.

Instructions

1. Don't open or respond to spam email. Although it is tempting to respond with a snarky message, this won't help you stop spam email in the long run. Instead, mark the emails as "spam" in your email client and delete them promptly.

2. Use a spam-only or disposable email address. Set up a separate email account and use this email address for online registrations that you feel might result in spam email. Only give out your real email address if you know the company you are registering with is legitimate and won't share your personal information.

3. Use your email spam filter. Most of the time, your email client filters out spam email without your involvement. However, just to make sure, you can mark messages as spam as soon as you get them Remove emails in your spam folder that are not spam to let the filter know they shouldn't be removed and adjust the settings on your email filter to the highest setting to stop spam email.

4. Never leave your email address on forum posts, comments, websites or anywhere else online. Spammers troll these types of media and look for unsuspecting people who have left their email addresses; they gather the information and start sending you spam emails. If you need to leave your email address, spell out "at" instead of using the @ symbol, and "dot" instead of using one. Here's an example: bobsmith at gmail dot com.

5. Don't forward emails. This is a common way for spammers to collect huge numbers of working email addresses. Instead, delete them soon as they appear in your inbox. You may find them amusing, but if you want to stop spam email, don't forward them.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're not particularly attached to your email address, and you have tried everything to stop spam email, start over with a new address and use the methods described here to make sure you don't end up in the same situation. You can also join several spam reporting services to help stop spam email and report persistent spammers.

References

• Federal Trade Commission: Spam