Spam email is annoying and dangerous, so what can you do to prevent it and cut down on the amount of spam you receive?

Use a Secondary Email Address

Use a secondary email address for things like online ordering, registrations and signing up for newsletters and other mailings.

Be mindful of who you share your primary and secondary email address with. When asked for your email address pause and consider whether you want to share this information. Stores and other merchants generally only ask for an email address so that they can target you with ads and junk mail, and they may share or sell your information to others. Keep your email addresses as private as possible.

Use a Spam Filter

Most email providers like Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo have strong spam filters turned on by default. You can train the spam filter to work better by marking spam messages that make it through as “spam” or “junk”. You can also block specific email addresses or entire domains. Spam filters are not perfect so occasionally check your spam folder for any legitimate email that may have been mislabeled as spam. If you find something that is not spam, use the option to mark it as safe.

Unsubscribe

If you have signed up to receive emails that you no longer wish to get look for the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message. Legitimate companies will allow you to opt out of further mailings. Don’t use the unsubscribe link in messages from unknown senders. The link could contain malware or verify that your email address is active inviting more spam.

Limit Carbon Copy (CC) Email

If you often receive email messages where your address is included with others in the CC field, ask the sender to use Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) instead which prevents your address from being visible to everyone else.

Consider Turning Off Read & Delivery Receipts & Automatic Processing of Meeting Requests

While some of these may be legitimate, spammers also use them to harvest and verify your email address. If you don’t want to turn these off completely most email providers allow you to approve or deny them on an individual basis.

Read The Privacy Policy

When you sign up for an online account, read the websites privacy policy which should explain how your personal information will be used. Many websites share and sell private information. If the policy is unclear or non-existent or it says they share your information, consider not using the services on that website.

Pay Attention When Buying Online

Pay attention when you are buying something online, often during the checkout process companies add check boxes to sign up for mailings, be sure to uncheck these before you continue, many time the boxes are checked by default. If you opt in, you are signing up to receive spam and unwanted email. They may also share or sell your email address with others. Similarly, when websites prompt you to accept cookies, don’t “Accept all”. Instead, select “Reject all” this is a way that advertisers can track you and target you with spam.

Don’t Reply to Unknown Senders

Don’t reply to spam email messages or any email from unknown senders. Don’t click on links or images within the message or click to unsubscribe. The message could be malicious and replying confirms to the scammer that your email address is legitimate which invites more spam.

Don’t Reply to Email Asking for Personal Information

Be suspicious of any email you receive that asks for personal information. Most legitimate companies don’t request personal information using email. Such a request could be a phishing attempt. If you are unsure and the email looks like it is coming from a legitimate company you do business with call them on the phone using a number you know to be true like one found on a statement, invoice, or other legitimate correspondence.

Don’t Forward Mass Email Messages

Don’t forward joke, political or similar emails and ask your contacts not to include you in these types of messages.

While you may not be able to prevent all spam from reaching your inbox, using these suggestions can limit the amount of junk mail you receive.