How to Read My MSN Email

There are two basic ways to read MSN Email. The first is with an Internet connection on the Web. The second is through POP3 email using a desktop email application. It is important while using MSN Email to be able to recognize spam, phishing scams and other threats to your personal data so that you will not be a victim of identity theft. Mastering these tasks will allow you to read and reply to MSN email in a safe and secure manner.

Instructions

1. Go to the MSN homepage. Enter your user name and password. Click on the "Inbox" tab to see your list of messages in the main view window. Click the subject line to view each individual message in the viewer window.

2. Open your desktop email application to read MSN email through POP3 mail. Go to the control panel and click user accounts. Double click "Mail." Click "Email Accounts." When the "Account Settings" tab opens click "New." Select POP3 from the options available and then click "Next." Enter your username and password for the POP3 account that you wish to add. Then enter the incoming mail server that you wish to receive messages with, which is usually "pop3.email.msn.com." Once this has been done and the account verifies this by connecting, enter the outgoing mail server that you will use to send messages. This will likely be "smtp.email.msn.com." Once this is complete your messages, from this account will begin to download.

3. Reading email in your MSN account and still protecting your personal data requires a discerning eye. You can often tell if a link in an email is a phishing scam by watching closely to see if it redirects away from what is supposed to be a legitimate website to a likely fraudulent one. Keep a close watch on the address bar in your browser to see if this happens. If there is no redirect, you can still spot a phishing scam by a fraudulent copy of a legitimate site by checking for errors in grammar and spelling, even if the graphics appear correct.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that you're accepting cookies from MSN to receive mail through Outlook. Go to "Tools" in Internet Explorer, then "Internet Options" and finally "Privacy." Click on "Edit" near the bottom of the dialog box. Add MSN.com to the list of sites that you will allow cookies from. Be sure not to give out passwords to any sender who requests it. This is a sure sign that hackers are seeking access to your personal information. No legitimate merchant or website will ask for your password or ID through email.

• Be careful of images in attachments of the messages that you receive. If they are from a source that you don't know, be sure to delete it. This is one of the most common ways that hackers infect computers.

References

• Setting up MSN in POP3 in Vista
• How to Configure MSN to work with Outlook

Resources

• Setting up mail in Outlook Express