How to Receive Less Junk Mail

There are ways to reduce the spam you receive in your inbox.

Junk mail, also known as "spam," is a problem for everyone with an email account. Unsolicited email is unfortunately a common occurrence and no one wants to waste time sorting legitimate mail from junk mail every time the inbox is opened. Although you may not be able to completely get rid of junk email, you can reduce the amount you receive.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Do not post your primary email address on a website. Spammers can easily pick up addresses listed on websites by scanning the internet. Instead, set up a separate account with a free provider, such as Gmail, and use that for public websites.

2. Although a built-in junk mail filter will not reduce the amount of spam, it will at least separate the junk from your legitimate emails within your inbox. Setting up a filter varies by email provider. Search for "junk mail" or "spam" in the help section of your current email provider, such as Gmail or Outlook, for tips on using their built-in tools.

3. An external spam filtering service, such as Postini or AppRiver, will help prevent spam from even reaching your inbox. These services manage email with their own servers before delivering it to yours.

4. If spam is coming through a contact form on your website, using a CAPTCHA device can help prevent that. CAPTCHA forces users to enter characters before they submit the form, which stops computer generated spam.

5. Responding to a message from an unknown sender confirms your address to the spammers. As a result, they know they have a good address for continued junk mail. Instead, delete the message.

References

• About CAPTCHA
• Microsoft Outlook
• National Cyber Alert System
• SpamLinks

Resources

• Postini
• AppRiver