How to prevent email SPAM

Email SPAM has become one of the worst annoying things associated to Internet communication.
There are many things you can do to avoid SPAM. There are preventive measures and there are remedial actions. Between the two of them, the preventive actions are the best because have the least impact on you. Preventing SPAM costs less than removing and saves your precious time.

What can you do to prevent SPAM?

First of all do not give your email address to dubious sites or people you don’t trust.
If you need to subscribe to various doubtful sites you need to create a second email account that you can easily discard when the SPAM level becomes intolerable.
Even better, have three accounts. At least one account should be dispensable.
Do not publish your email address on your web-pages. These are regularly scanned by spammers to harvest addresses. Use web – forms instead. These forms will allow people to send you emails but they will hide your address from spammers’ eyes.
When filling registration forms online, look for the box that requests future offers, or subscription to news-letters and select or deselect as needed.
Do not forward chain letters or, if you really need to, read this article on how to prevent spammers to harvest addresses from your email correspondence.
BCC is your friend against spammers. When sending messages to many recipients at once, use BCC to insert all the destination addresses. This field (blind carbon copy) hides the addresses of your recipients. Read this article for more information.
Your work email is only for work. Do not mix your work emails with the personal ones.
Many Government Agencies and Institutions use email as a way of communication. You should use a special email account only for this kind of communication. This might even be a free account like “Gmail” or “Live” accounts. This will avoid getting this important account spammed.
If you don’t know the sender of an unsolicited email, delete the message immediately.
Never buy from unsolicited emails. You might get scammed and end up on a spammers’ list.
Do not answer spam messages and do not click on any links in spam messages. The “Unsubscribe” links on spam messages are just a way to trick you to confirm the spammer that he has a good address.
Generally speaking, reduce the exposure of your email address in any way.
Use dispensable accounts for dangerous activities.

What can you do to remove SPAM from your mailbox?

Use user level anti spam software.
Speak to your Network Administrator about a corporate Anti-spam solution. A cheap solution is Spamassassin.
If you use Microsoft Outlook keep you Ms Office up to date as the integrated Junk Filter filters most of the unrequested emails.
Unsubscribe from any news-letter that becomes annoying. I was surprised by the number of people that tolerate unneeded messages and do not unsubscribe. As underlined above do not unsubscribe to unsolicited emails, you will only make it worse.
As a last resource give up the email account and create a new one. Inform all your friends about your new address and set an auto responder informing about your new address. Spam emails are automated there isn’t a person who is reading the bounce backs or replies, therefore an auto responder with the new address will be only read by real people.

What can you do to help the fight anti-spam?

Spread the word. Give your friends the address of this page.
Translate this page in other languages.
Comment on the bottom of the page with other suggestions.
Publish a link to this article on your website.

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