How to Stop Spam Emails - Easy Blocks and Fixes

If you have an email account, you've probably received a lot of spam (unsolicited email) in your inbox and you're not happy with it. They could be from someone trying to sell you a product you don't need, or they could be from unknown senders you've never met trying to scam you.

We all know the frustration of spam emails. This creates an endless cycle of sorting through your inbox, deleting one, then another, then another just so you can find that email from a colleague or friend you don't have heard about for a while. This can take time and rob you of your privacy.

You'll be happy to know that there are some steps you can take to protect your inbox from a deluge of spam. It's time to deal with it once and for all and you have the power to do so. Let's go.

1. Never click on a link in spam

One of the best ways to deal with spam emails is to minimize all interactions with them. You shouldn't even open them, but if you do, avoid clicking on any link in them. Clicking on links alerts the spammer that the account is active, giving them the impetus to keep inundating you more and more.

2. Never reply to spam

When someone bombards you with tons of spam, you may be tempted to respond and maybe tell them to stop. This is a mistake most people make. Replying to the email can be validation for the sender with malicious intent, and it can lead to spam escalation. In some cases, you may end up giving out more of your personal information.

3. Use a secondary email address

Today, most email services, including Gmail and Yahoo Mail, provide an option to set up an alternate email address alongside your primary address. With another address, you can interact with websites and platforms or forums that could potentially flood you with spam messages. You can even filter everything addressed to your alternate address into a specified folder for easier management (more on that below).

4. Unsubscribe from mailing lists

A good way to avoid spam is to unsubscribe from marketing emails. This way, your inbox volume will be kept at a reasonable level without having to delete unwanted messages. Once you unsubscribe, marketers will exclude you from future mailing lists. But even if they don't, their messages won't end up in your inbox anymore.

Most companies include an unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission requires companies to include an unsubscribe link in their marketing campaigns. However, there are a few unscrupulous traders who won't. If your spam emails don't include the unsubscribe button, you should deal with them through the other means described in this article.

5. Do not interact with spam emails

Spam emails aren't just annoying; they can also be dangerous. With the exponential rise of cyberattacks, it is important to be vigilant against suspicious emails.

Spam messages can contain malicious attachments and viruses that could harm your device or infiltrate your system with malware in seconds. Most spam emails will try to trick you into doing something dangerous, like divulging personal information or clicking on a harmful link. Thus, it is important not to fall into these traps by avoiding any interactions with suspicious emails.

6. Block spam emails

Blocking emails from specific senders is an effective measure to stop spam. Most email services offer users a way to block senders in just a few steps. For example, here's how to block a sender on Gmail:

1. Open Gmail, then open one of the sender's messages.
   
2. Click on Suite in the upper right corner.
   
3. Click on Block.
   

7. Use email filters

Interestingly, most email services ignore all dots in the address before the domain name. For example, messages sent to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] will all end up in the same inbox. This means that you can use a dotted version of your email address whenever you want to sign up for a service that could potentially be a source of spam messages. When you want to isolate the emails, you can then instruct your service to move all messages sent to that address to a folder of your choosing.

8. Do not publish your email address

If you want to keep your inbox clean and reduce the number of spam emails landing on your account, you should consider not posting your email address in public areas. These include social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and professional growth spaces like LinkedIn. But what if your job requires you to publish your contact information, including your email address? In this situation, you can create an alternate address to filter out spam.

How to Stop Spam Emails on iPhone

No matter what device you use to access your mailbox, spam is a pain. If you have an iPhone, there's an easy way to stop unwanted messages before they reach your phone. Here are the steps:

1. Open one of the emails received from the address you want to block.
2. Press Suite.
   
3. Press Block [Sender].
   

You can also unsubscribe from the sender's email campaign by pressing the "unsubscribe" button, which is usually found at the bottom of the email.

How to Stop Spam Emails on an Android

If you have an Android phone and are tired of spam, here's how to fix the problem:

1. Open the mail service and open the spam message.
   
2. Press Suite in the upper right corner.
   
3. Select Block [Sender].
   

How to stop spam emails in Outlook

To stop spam emails in Microsoft Outlook:

1. Select the spam sent from the source you want to block.
2. Right click on the message and select Junk in the drop-down menu.
   
3. Click on Block [sender].
   

How to prevent spam emails from texting

We live in an increasingly digital age, where many people communicate through text messages. And just like spam email messages, your phone can be flooded with text messages from unknown sources, some of which may even attempt to steal your data. There are a plethora of companies that send unsolicited messages to everyone on their contact list.

If you receive unwanted messages, you can block the sender as soon as the message arrives. Although the steps required differ slightly depending on the type of device you are using, you usually need to open the message settings section, find the "block" button, and then enter the phone number to block.

How to Stop Spam Emails in Hotmail

Hotmail is one of the most popular email services in the world, but it's not immune to spam. To prevent spam messages from flooding your Hotmail account, you can use the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email.

Another way to stop spam emails in Hotmail is to add unwanted senders to the "Blocked List". Here's how:

1. Open your inbox then click on the Parameters gear icon in the upper right corner.
   
2. Select Suite.
3. Under 'Spam Prevention', click 'Safe & Blocked Senders'.
   
4. Sous Blocked senders and domains, click on Add.
   
5. Enter the email address you want to block.
   
6. Click on save to complete the process.
   

How to Stop Spam Emails in Xfinity Mail

Are you tired of spam messages clogging up your Xfinity email account? The best option is to configure spam filters which will automatically send all incoming messages to the spam folder. Here's how to set it up:

1. Open your Xfinity Connect account.
2. Click the gear icon in the upper right corner.
3. Click on Parameters.
4. Select advanced settings.
5. Select Automatically move spam and potentially dangerous messages to the Spam folder.

All messages directed to the spam folder are deleted after seven days.

How to Stop Spam Emails in Yahoo Mail

Yahoo Mail comes with a spam filter tool that keeps them out of your inbox. However, some spam can still end up in your inbox. If this happens, you can take steps to train the filter and improve its ability to catch unwanted emails. Here's what to do:

1. Open the Spam email folder.
   
2. Click on the ellipses (three small dots) in the upper right corner.
   
3. Click on “Filter messages like this…”.
   

You can also click the "Unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the email message.

Additional FAQs

Why am I suddenly getting a lot of spam?

Spammers usually buy email addresses from special providers in bulk to add to their mailing lists. If you have noticed a sudden increase in the number of spam messages landing on your account, chances are your address is part of a list recently sold to one or more scammers. This usually happens when you enter your email in a field that looks safe but is actually a tool used by scammers to harvest email addresses.

How do I report spam to the authorities?

You can report spam to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting the following page: www.ftc.gov/complaint.

All reports are sent anonymously, so scammers and the authorities themselves cannot trace them to you.

How to spot spam?

Spammers often send emails in a way that makes them seem urgent, important, or personalized.

Good tips for spotting spam emails include realizing you've never contacted the sender before. Another way is to identify an email different from a company's known product updates. Always check the "From" address: if it doesn't match the company's official contact email address, it's probably a fake email.

Take back control of your inbox

Spam emails are a nuisance and can affect the receipt of critical information, such as online banking details. You could end up losing your money or exposing your organization to fraud. If you're tired of your inbox being cluttered with unwanted messages, it's time to take a stand. Follow some of the steps we've outlined to find the most effective ways to stem the flow of spam and regain control of your inbox.

Have you tried these tips? Did they work for you? Let us know in the comments section below.