Do you find your Inbox is increasingly clogged up with junk email?
According to a recent report*, a staggering 80% of incoming email is unsolicited! And if the upsurge in "spam" email continues, the situation is going to get worse.
Here are some top tips for minimising the impact of spam:
Do invest in a Spam Filter
A Spam Filter will reduce the amount of junk email clogging up your Inbox by quarantining any incoming message identified as spam. For anyone inundated with junk email, a Spam Filter is a must! Advanced Spam Filters also allow you to maintain a "white list" - email addresses that you trust - and a "black list" - email addresses you want to block, which helps you to refine the accuracy of the filtering.
Do use "rules" in Outlook
Outlook will also remove junk messages for you - use Outlook’s "rules" to set up housekeeping tasks that run automatically when new emails arrive in your Inbox.
Do bounce emails sent to an unrecognised address
Avoid using a "catch all" email address that accepts emails sent to anything@youraddress.co.uk. Ensure messages sent to unrecognised addresses are returned to the sender as undelivered mail.
Don’t publish your email address
Publishing your email address on your website is a sure-fire way of attracting unwanted emails. Use an online contact form instead, which makes it easy for customers to contact you and doesn’t divulge your email address in the public domain.
Don’t read or respond to junk email
Never reply to spam. Emailing the sender of the message with a request, polite or otherwise, that no more emails should be sent your way will not have the desired effect. Instead, you are confirming the validity of your own email address to the spammer, which will result in even more junk email!
Don’t open junk email
Some spam messages contain code that notifies the sender that your email address is legitimate. Opening the message triggers this notification. Similarly, avoid using Outlook’s Preview Pane, as this effectively opens the message and will also trigger the notification.
