How to Stop Spam in Emails: Comprehensive Guide

Email has become an integral part of our daily lives, with people worldwide using it daily for personal or professional correspondence.

According to research by THE RADICATI GROUP, INC, the number of email users worldwide in 2023 is 4.37 billion, and it is projected to reach 4.48 billion by the end of 2024.

Every email user eventually encounters a situation where their inbox is flooded with advertisements or simply spam.

Statista shows that about 80% of all sent emails are spam.

Such emails cause a lot of inconvenience, from distracting work to creating clutter in the mailbox and occupying valuable account space. However, the most dangerous aspect is that spam messages may hide viruses, phishing attempts, and other fraudulent schemes. Clicking on a malicious link or opening an attachment from such an email puts you at risk of losing personal data, falling victim to a phishing attack, or even losing control of your device.

Moreover, spam puts a significant load on email servers, slowing down their operation and reducing the quality of service. That's why combating spam messages receives a great deal of attention.

How to stop spam and junk mail? AWAX experts have prepared an article outlining ways to stop unwanted emails, including a comprehensive approach involving a blocker.

But before understanding how to stop junk emails, let's delve into what spam is and its various types.

Spam Emails: What Are They Used For and What Are Their Varieties?

Spam is the mass, anonymous distribution of emails, primarily of an advertising nature, without the recipient's consent, through email, messengers, social networks, and SMS.

Businesses engage in spam when they send templated information about promotions, discounts, and any advertising aimed at increasing sales. Even though this method of promotion tends to harm a brand's reputation rather than increase conversion rates, it is quite popular as it allows for reaching a broad audience with minimal time and financial investments.

However, besides innocent (though unnecessary) offers, malicious hackers can use emails to harm your software, steal data from your bank accounts, or obtain other confidential information.

The following types of spam are distinguished:

Safe: The most common type includes classic advertising messages to promote products/services. The goal of such emails is to generate the maximum number of clicks to the advertised web page. This category also includes "happy emails." They are also considered spam, although they often have good intentions.
Dangerous: The most well-known phishing campaigns aim to obtain personal user data through links to disguised ordinary websites. Also dangerous are the so-called "Nigerian" emails, named after their prevalence in West Africa. The message promises the recipient a significant sum of money (prize, inheritance), a valuable gift, or a lucrative job. Still, it requires a small financial contribution, such as $150, before receiving the promised benefit. After receiving the money, the sender disappears.

Spammers often use automated programs (bots) to send thousands or millions of emails simultaneously. This means that some emails may end up in your mailbox even if you have never subscribed to a company's newsletters or promotional activities.

Receiving one or two spam emails a day may not prompt you to react, but as the volume of junk in your inbox grows, you will likely think about how to get rid of it.

How to block all junk email? We have gathered effective ways to combat spam. We will explain their essence, pros, and cons below.

How to Stop Email Junk: Universal Methods

There are several methods to fight spam. Let's talk about the most common ones.

Using Third-Party Email Services or Aggregation

Well-known email services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook can afford powerful systems for filtering unwanted messages. Using accounts on such services to receive emails helps eliminate a significant portion of spam.

Moreover, the filtering system is configured to categorize incoming messages, such as ads, social networks, general, etc. You don't need to set up your own filters; you can use existing mechanisms from a third-party resource. The system's load is minimized since anti-spam filters work from the email service's side.

The downside of this approach is the possibility of using only one account to access emails. If scammers manage to compromise it, they will gain access to all correspondence.

Using Disposable Email

How can I stop junk emails? Create different email addresses for each specific action. For example, for registering on a particular platform. Afterward, forget about that address and create a new one for another operation. You don't need to worry about these addresses; email services will simply deactivate them after a certain period.

This method allows you to keep your permanent email address unknown to spammers. It is especially convenient when an email address is required for registration or a specific action on a service.

Using Additional Addresses

This approach is similar to the previous one, with a slight difference. You can reuse an additional email address exclusively for various registration purposes. Such an address remains active and is used by you, not getting blocked by the email service as abandoned.

This method is very convenient. For instance, if you need to receive a message, you leave the additional address and check your mail at the right time. Even if spammers get hold of such an address, it's not a big deal, as it is only used for one-time situations like registration or password recovery.

Using Special Labels for Emails or Categorizing Messages

How can I stop spam email? If spammers are attacking you, filters are ineffective, and your inbox is filled with unwanted messages, use a different location for collecting important emails. The essence of this method is based on spammers trying to deliver the email to the "Inbox" folder. Let them have it while you create another. You can set up incoming mail filtering so that messages marked with special labels go to the created folder.

If your email is your only and primary one, this method allows you to communicate without paying attention to spam that slips through standard filters. In cases where this address is rarely used for specific tasks, this method of fighting spam is more than sufficient.

To achieve the best results, use a combination of different methods. This will help you combat any category of spam.

How to Eliminate Spam Mail in Popular Services?

Most email services offer various methods to combat unwanted mail. Let's explore the main ones using Outlook (Hotmail) and Yahoo as examples.

How to Block Junk Emails on Yahoo?

Stopping spam in Yahoo is no more complicated than in other email services. Get rid of unwanted emails in the following ways:

Auto-filtering: Yahoo automatically filters many spam emails, sending them to the Spam folder.
Blocking the sender: Open the unwanted email → Click More in the top menu → In the dropdown menu, select Block Sender. Emails from this address will automatically go to the Spam folder.
Creating filters manually: In the upper right corner, click the gear icon and go to Settings → Choose Filters → Click Add and set parameters for the new filter → Define the action for emails matching the filter conditions (e.g., Move to folder...).

If a useful email ends up in the Spam folder, open it and click Not Spam. This will adjust the filtering and reduce the likelihood of errors in the future.

How to Block Junk Emails in Outlook (Hotmail)?

Outlook offers practical tools to stop spam. You can minimize spam in your inbox in the following ways:

Auto-filtering: Outlook automatically identifies suspicious emails and moves them to the Junk Email folder.
Blocking the sender: Open the unwanted email → In the Home tab, click Junk Email and select Block Sender. All subsequent emails from this sender will be moved to the Junk Email folder.
Adjusting filtering settings: In the Home menu, select Junk Email and go to Junk Email Options → Choose the filtering level from Low to Safe Lists Only.
Adding addresses to Safe Lists or Blocked Senders: In the same Junk Email Options menu, add trusted addresses to Safe Lists and unwanted ones to Blocked Senders.

If a useful email ends up in the Junk Email folder, right-click on it and select Not Junk.

How Do I Stop Junk Emails Once and for All, and What Does a Blocker Have to Do With It?

Everyone knows that blockers are designed to filter online advertisements. However, they can also be useful in combating unwanted emails.

What is their role?

Filtering visual elements: These digital solutions block visual elements in emails, such as images and banners often used for spam distribution.
Blocking malicious links: Many unwanted emails contain links designed to gather personal information or spread viruses. Blockers prevent clicking on such links.
Enhancing the overall email experience: Ad blockers help create a clean and user-friendly email interface by removing unnecessary advertising elements.

Thus, an ad blocker serves as an effective addition to the battle against spam emails.

AWAX – the Best Solution in the Fight Against Spam

AWAX is a blocker that efficiently eliminates advertising that can be annoying and dangerous for your privacy. The app filters incoming traffic and disables marketing creatives, loading only useful and secure information.

The solution operates based on a local VPN connection, meaning the program doesn't use external services, saving additional bandwidth.

Don't know how to stop junk email fully? Use the AWAX blocker along with the built-in spam filtering tools provided by your provider. Ensure reliable protection for your email from unwanted messages.