We all hate spam. Most major web based email providers like AOL, Hotmail and Yahoo offer spam filtering that work fairly well so we will not cover those here. Since there is so many different email clients, we will cover email using Outlook, plus how to track spam down and report it. Curently, 50% of all email sent is spam.
The majority of spam uses HTML. The reason for this is, when you view the email, it downloads graphics from the sender, which also verifies the mail was sent to a valid email address and your current IP address. The best way to combat this is to use only plain text for reading email. Depending on your email client, you may not be able to do this.
When you do get spam, there is several things you can do. You can manually delete it, create a rule to move it to a differnt folder or delete it, or use third party software to move or delete it. Download.com has tons of software to block and filter spam. Click on the link and then search for "spam". For instructions on filtering email using Outlook, click here.
Filtering email using third party software or Outlook Filters will only move or delete spam once it arrives in your inbox. The sender knows it was delivered. My favorite thing to do is report the spammer. For instructions on what to look for, click here. Sam Spade has great free software you can download used for tracking down the sender and reporting it. I usually report them to thier ISP and to the FTC (spam@ftc.gov), and if possible the Attorney General in thier state. Some other good sites to report spam are SpamCop, Spam Fighter, and CAUCE. If you want more information, please do a Google search on SPAM.
