Introduction

Spam emails, also called junk mail, are unsolicited messages sent in bulk to different email addresses. Most of these spam emails are usually sent to you for advertisement purposes. Spam emails are annoying and can be dangerous when you come across them, making you fall victim to threats, including phishing scams, suspicious attachments that can spread malware to your device, and other social engineering tactics that can compromise your data and steal your login credentials. 

However, the good news is that there are various ways to tackle this issue and prevent yourself from receiving these spam emails. This is the ultimate guide that will walk you through the steps you must implement to avoid getting spam emails and protect yourself against online threats. So, if you’re ready to figure it all out, let’s get started.

Most Common Types Of Spam Emails

These are the most common types of spam emails that you’ll find in your inbox:

1) Phishing Emails

Phishing emails trick recipients into revealing sensitive passwords, user names, and credit card details. The senders of these emails pose as someone you trust to get sensitive information from you. They use urgent language and fake websites to get information from users. In some cases, hiding your IP address such as when using a VPN, can make it harder for attackers to gather certain details about you.

2) Lottery Scams

These emails are sent to the user claiming they’ve won a lottery, contest, or prize they didn’t even apply for. These scams request payment information or ask for payment to get the price.

3) Financial Scams

These spam emails impersonate banks and financial institutions, asking users to update their account information, provide login credentials, and verify transactions. This is to steal their financial information.

4) Malware-Infected Scams

These are emails with attachments that look legit but contain malicious software. Once you open these attachments, your device becomes infected with malware, compromising your sensitive data and your device. To prevent this, modern email services often include built-in malware detection tools that scan attachments for threats before you open them.

5) Work From Home and Business Opportunities 

Some spam emails promise users easy ways they can make money from home or offer lucrative business opportunities. These often involve fraudulent schemes and can lead to users incurring financial loss.

Why Am I Receiving So Much Junk Mail?

You may be receiving a lot of junk mail for various reasons. If your email address is publicly available on some website, online platforms, or social media, then spammers can easily find your email address and target them. If your email address is part of a data breach, it also makes it easy for spammers to target your email address. this is where credit monitoring services can help by alerting you to breaches involving your personal information.

When signing up for online services, making online purchases, or signing up for newsletters, always check for the pre-selected boxes that can subscribe you to additional mailing lists. By unchecking these boxes, you can help reduce any unnecessary emails. If you have an older email account that you don’t use frequently, it can get targeted more frequently by spammers since your account is inactive and you aren’t checking and filtering messages as often. 

As mentioned above, clicking on suspicious links in phishing emails or engaging with suspicious content can alert spammers that your email is active, leading to more junk mail. If you’re using your email for different purposes, such as registering for online services, forums, or social media platforms, your email address can expose you to more spam. When purchasing items from an e-commerce store, your email often gets added to marketing lists for promotions, offers, and deals, creating more spam emails. If your email provider does not have good spam filters or you haven’t configured them properly, you will have more spam in your inbox.

6 Ways To Stop Getting Spam Emails

Here are the ten most effective ways to stop getting junk mail. With a few adjustments, you’ll be free of spam emails quickly.

1) Block The Sender’s Email Address

One of the easiest ways to stop getting spam emails is to block the sender’s email address. Although this won’t prevent them from sending you emails, all their emails will be moved to the spam folder instead of appearing in your primary inbox. Here’s how you can do it:

Gmail

1. Go to Gmail and then open the spam email.
2. At the top-right corner, click the three-dotted menu.
3. Click Block [sender].

Microsoft Outlook

1. Open Microsoft Outlook.
2. Select Settings > Mail > Junk email.
3. If you want to block an email address, enter the email address in blocked senders and then select Add. 
4. Once you’re done, select Save.

Apple Mail

1. Select a message that you want to block in the Apple Mail app.
2. Move the pointer next to their name in the message header, click the arrow, and then choose Block Contact.
3. You can also add senders to the list of blocked senders directly. Choose Mail > Settings, click Junk Mail, and then click Blocked.

Yahoo Mail

1. In Yahoo Mail, click the Settings icon > More Settings.
2. Click Security and Privacy.
3. Under “Blocked addresses”, click the Add button.
4. Enter the email addresses that you want to block.
5. Click Save.

2) Mark Email As Spam

You can also mark emails as spam to move them to the Spam folder automatically. This also lets your email provider identify similar spam emails in the future and prevent you from getting them and other users.

Gmail

1. Open Gmail and select one or more emails.
2. Then click Report Spam.

Microsoft Outlook

1. Open the message or messages you wish to add to the junk folder.
2. On the Home tab, click Junk, then Junk or Mark as Junk.
3. The message is moved to the junk email folder for that account and assigned to the junk category.

Apple Mail

1. Open Apple Mail.
2. Select the spam message.
3. From the toolbar, click Message > Move to Junk. 

Yahoo Mail

1. Open Yahoo Mail.
2. Locate the spam icon.
3. Click on Report Spam.
4. Click OK to confirm that you wish to report the email as spam.

3) Change Your Email Privacy Settings

You should keep your email address private by staying anonymous and implementing strong passwords. Additionally, email service providers come with privacy settings that you can use to add a layer of security regarding your email privacy.

Google Privacy Settings

1. Go to Gmail, and at the top-right, click the gear icon > See all settings.
2. Click the Accounts and Imports tab and ensure the email addresses listed next to “send mail as” are familiar and known to you.
3. Also, click on the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, and ensure that you’re not forwarding your emails to unknown recipients next to “Forwarding.”

Apple Privacy Settings

1. Open your Apple Mail, and click Mail > Preferences from the toolbar.
2. Click Privacy and then check Protect Mail Activity. Apple’s Mail Privacy protection feature hides your IP address from the sender and blocks remote content.

Yahoo & Microsoft Privacy Settings

Yahoo Mail and Microsoft Outlook aren’t geared towards offering email privacy, but you can go to their settings and adjust them per your needs and preferences.

4) Unsubscribe From Unnecessary Mailing Lists and Newsletters

It would help if you also considered unsubscribing from unwanted newsletters and mailing lists to avoid spam emails. You can use a bulk email unsubscribe tool for this, or simply open your inbox and type “unsubscribe” into the search bar. This will bring all the newsletters and mailing lists you can unsubscribe to. All email campaigns have an unsubscribe option, which you can find at the bottom of the email. Click on the unsubscribe option to opt out of receiving emails. You can also report the emails as spam, which will unsubscribe you from the emails automatically.

5) Use a third-party spam filter

Even the best spam filters won’t be able to catch every single unwanted email in your inbox. Spam filters protect you from junk mail and block phishing emails, malware, and viruses. If your junk filter still can’t detect all unwanted filters, it’s time to invest in a third-party spam filter. They analyze different aspects of the email, from the email address to the attachments of the email and the subject line, before assigning a snap score. This will help determine whether the email is spam or not.

6) Use A Secondary Email Address

You can also create a secondary email account to protect yourself from junk mail. If you use your email address for purchases, downloads, subscriptions, or to sign up for events, they are more likely to be subject to spam email. Using one email address for work and acquaintances and a secondary email for other purposes can clean up your inbox and prevent your inbox from being cluttered with spam mail.

Wrapping Up

Junk mail can add to the frustration and annoyance of users. It’s a good idea to take the necessary steps to remove spam emails from your inbox and wipe it clean so that you only receive emails that you require. Preventing spam emails also helps you protect yourself against phishing scams and social engineering tactics, as spam emails are the perfect gateway for users to fall victim to these scams. By implementing the tips and tricks outlined in this guide, you’ll be able to get rid of junk email quickly and effectively.