How to Stop Spam Junk Mail

Spam, or unwanted junk mail, can fill your email in box with unwanted messages. You may be so busy dealing with spam that you miss important messages. Some spam can contain harmful viruses or elaborate phishing (information gathering) schemes. While it's difficult to eliminate spam email completely, you can drastically reduce the amount of junk mail that you receive.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Email account

1. Protect your email address. Avoid sharing your email address on your blog or website. If you want people to be able to contact you, try creating an email icon. Open a graphic design program and type your address. You can even spice up the icon with a distinctive background or font. Place the image on your website. This will make your email address viewable, but it cannot be acquired by bots. Read terms and conditions before you provide your e-mail address to a website that requests such information. Trustworthy sites usually have a no-spam policy.

2. Create a separate personal email account. Two email accounts can help you stop spam. Provide one address to your family and friends. Use the other when you sign up for services on-line. You'll also be able to tell which companies are spamming you when you receive more junk mail after signing up for a website.

3. Block the sender when you receive spam email. Mark the spam junk mail by checking the box that says "Mark as Spam" or "Mark as Junk Mail." It isn't necessary to open the email. Then click on the "Junk" link or icon. All future emails from that sender will be automatically deleted.

4. Set your junk filter to a higher setting. Most of the major free email services such as Yahoo Mail, Gmail and Hotmail have built-in junk filters. Access the filter through the "Options" or "Settings" menu. You can choose an exclusive filter where you will only receive email from the people on your contacts list. Be sure to keep your contacts list up to date whenever you give your email address to someone new.

5. Unsubscribe from newsletters. Some of the messages in your spam folder may be legitimate emails. You might have signed up for a newsletter or update reminder without having realized it. If that's the case then follow the "Unsubscribe" link, usually at the bottom of the message, so you have fewer unwanted emails.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful that in your efforts to stop spam email you don't stop regular email. Check your junk folder periodically to make sure your friend's messages aren't being marked as spam. Mark any senders that you want to contact you in the future as "Not Junk".

References

• Stop Spam