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Constant e-mail spam...?
Recently, I've been getting weird e-mails, things like "You have money at a certain island, click here to claim it" etc and other stupid ads that won't quit even if I try to place it in the spam folder. Each one coming from a different e-mail address. How do I stop it?!
Answer
Basic prevention
Step 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.
Step 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
Step 1
Create an e-mail folder called Suspected Spam.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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."
Step 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.
Other Answer
turn on your spam filter
2010-3-9 7:29:06I recommend you get a new email account and use the tips you have gotten above to keep it clean and safe for a sure way of staying spam free.
Lycos Mail & Msn Mail are the best I have seen. Yahoo, Gmail and Aol seem to be prone to spam eventually. ISP Email is even better.
Sadly, you can't really. The best you can do is to block all incoming emails form unknown senders, but then if a friend sends you an email, and you haven't put their name on the accepted sender list, then their email gets deleted. Trust me, it is a real pain, you don't want to do that. The only other option is to get a new email address. Sucks, but it's the only way.
2010-3-9 15:24:18Once you are on a spam list, there is really no way to stop it. You (or someone else) probably posted your email address "somewhere". This email address was then "harvested" by an automated program and then placed on a list of potential spam recipients. The addresses on those lists are then sold and re-sold and the flood of spam messages just keeps getting bigger and bigger. If you ever press the link to "unsubscribe", you are just confirming that this address is valid at which point it becomes more valuable to spammers and gets sold to even more spammers. The only way out is, to get yourself a new email address. (yahoo, hotmail, gmail etc)
2010-3-9 19:56:28
