No matter how annoying spam emails are, we all find a few in our inboxes sometimes. However, aggressive spamming, where you get multiple spam emails inside your inbox, is a matter of concern for email security.

You can take many different types of action to stop spam emails. These include taking preventative measures to keep your email address out of the spammer’s hand and actionable measures once the spam email reaches your inbox. In combination, they can significantly reduce spam emails and keep you safe from phishing attacks.

So, what are your options if you keep getting email spam? Let’s explore!

How to Avoid Getting Email Spam

First, we will discuss some tips to avoid getting email spam in the first place –

Pay attention to terms and conditions

Some websites and apps’ terms and conditions include subscribing to their mailing lists. Read the terms and conditions in detail before agreeing to them. Only subscribe to trusted companies and websites that you’d like to hear from in the future.

Use a disposable email address

If you need to sign up for new websites or apps but don’t trust them, use a disposable email account instead of your original address. It helps to keep you and your contact list safe and doesn’t let your email address spread over the Internet.  There is range of disposable email platforms – search ‘disposable email’ in Google to learn more.  We’ll create a topic here soon to discuss.

Don’t reveal your email address in public spaces

Spammers use scanning tools and bots to scour through the Internet to find your email address. Avoid posting your email address in public forums and online spaces. If you need to post it somewhere, use an alternative email address or change the settings to control who can see your email address.

Don’t engage with spammers

Maybe you’re tempted to write an angry email to the spammer to stop them, or you want to have fun by replying to the email as many people on the Internet suggest. But this is one of the worst things you can do as it confirms that your email address is active and currently in use. It also motivates the spammer to send you more spam messages and sell your email address to others.

Check your email address visibility

Go to Sniff Email to check your email address visibility on the web. Sniff Email is an online platform dedicated to finding out if your email address exists on the Internet. Enter your email address in the search field and click fetch to find out if your email address exists on the web within a few seconds. Based on the results, you can take appropriate action to remove it.

How to Block Email Spam

The tips mentioned above can significantly reduce the email spam you receive. But what can you do if a spam email still manages its way to your inbox?

Here are ways to block unwanted senders on different platforms and email hosting providers –

Block emails on Gmail

1. Go to an email from the sender you want to block.
2. In the top right corner, click on the icon with three dots.
3. From the dropdown menu, click on Block.
4. You will typically find an unsubscribe button next to the sender’s address if it’s a marketing email. Click on it to prevent receiving any messages from them in the future.

Block emails on Outlook and Hotmail

1. Open an email from the unwanted sender you want to block.
2. Select Menu > Junk Mail from the Outlook menu bar.
3. Click on Block Sender to add the address to the Outlook block list.

Block emails on Yahoo!

1. Click on the gear icon in the Yahoo email.
2. Select Settings > Blocked Address.
3. Go to the Add an address field and choose
4. Enter the email address you’d like to block, then click on

Block emails on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the mail app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Open an email from the spammer or unwanted contact.
3. Tap on the name of the sender.
4. Tap on From in the header and select Block this sender.

You can check your blocked contacts from Settings > Mail > Blocked. If you’d like to unblock a sender, find their address from the blocked list and hit Unblock.

Unwanted emails are annoying, harmful, and a threat to your digital security. Following these tips and actionable measures can significantly reduce spam emails and help you keep yourself safe on the Internet.

Click here to learn clever ways to reduce spam emails in your inbox.