How to Stop Spam: Practical Tips for a Cleaner Inbox

Unwanted email, also known as spam, can be a real nightmare. It clogs your inbox, disrupts your productivity, and often contains malicious links that threaten your security.

Before you tackle spam, it’s important to know how to recognize it and distinguish it from legitimate emails. Learn more in the article Tired of Spam Emails? Here’s How to Recognize Them

Although completely eliminating spam is difficult, there are practical steps you can take to reduce the amount of unwanted emails and protect yourself from potential scams.

Don’t Share Your Email Everywhere

One of the easiest ways spammers get your email address is by you leaving it on unreliable websites, forums, or social media. Your address can end up in databases used by spammers to send unwanted messages.

What can you do?

• Create a separate email address for registrations on websites and services.
• Avoid posting your main email address on public platforms.
• Use tools that generate temporary email addresses when you need one for one-time use only.

Use Spam Filters

Most modern email services like Gmail and Outlook have built-in filters that automatically detect and move spam messages to a separate folder. However, these filters aren’t perfect and may need some fine-tuning.

How to optimize spam filters:

• Mark unwanted messages as spam to help the filters “learn” to recognize similar emails in the future.
• Create rules to automatically move certain types of messages to the spam folder or specific folders.
• Regularly check your spam folder to spot mistakes, as legitimate emails sometimes end up there.

Unsubscribe from Mailing Lists

Many unwanted emails come from companies or services you once signed up for, often unintentionally. These messages might not be classic spam but still take up valuable space in your inbox.

How to unsubscribe:

• Click the “Unsubscribe” link usually found at the bottom of promotional emails.
• Use tools like Unroll.me to manage subscriptions quickly.
• If unsubscribing doesn’t work, add the sender to your blocked list.

Block Spam

If you keep receiving spam from the same address or domain, blocking the sender is a simple and effective solution.

How to block spam?

• In Gmail: Open the email, click the three dots in the top right corner, and select “Block [sender’s name].”
• In Outlook: Right-click the email, choose “Junk,” then select “Block sender.”
• On mobile devices: Look for the “Block sender” option in your email app’s menu.

Blocking is especially useful for annoying promotional emails or persistent phishing attempts.

Be Careful with Links and Attachments

Spam often contains malicious links or attachments that can install malware on your device. Clicking the wrong link can compromise your privacy and security.

How to protect yourself:

• Never click on links in emails that look suspicious.
• Never click on links in emails that look suspicious.
• Install antivirus software that will alert you to malicious content.

Spam is often the first step in more serious cyberattacks, such as phishing. Learn how to protect yourself from these threats in our article Cybersecurity – How to Protect Yourself from Hackers

Use Additional Tools to Protect Your Email

There are many specialized tools and extensions that help block spam and protect your inbox.

Recommended tools:

• SpamTitan: Advanced spam protection for business users.
• Mailwasher: Allows you to preview messages before downloading them to your inbox.
• ProtonMail: A service with built-in encryption and strong spam filters.

Regularly Update Your Passwords

If your data has ever been compromised, your email address could be misused to send or receive spam. Changing passwords is a simple but effective security measure.

How to create a strong password:

• Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts.
• Consider using password managers like LastPass or Bitwarden.

Spam is a problem that can’t be completely eliminated, but with these tips, you can significantly reduce its impact on your inbox. Prevention, the use of technology, and careful management of your email addresses are key to protecting yourself from spam. Put in a little effort, and your inbox will thank you!