Help with Spam

Is your email inbox inundated with spam and marketing emails?  Most active email users receive an average of 5-15 spam emails per day.  If your email has been compromised, you may receive dozens of spam emails each day.  Spammers flood inboxes with emails to distract you from noticing fraudulent activity.  If you see a spike in spam emails, you can use Have I Been Pwned to check whether your email address is part of a known leak.  There are several steps to take to stop the spam storm.  

 First, review your bank and credit card statements for fraud.  The best way to stop spam is to report it.  Report spam emails you receive (Gmail, Outlook, Apple iCloud).  Delete existing spam by emptying the Spam folder and bulk-deleting spam emails from your inbox (use search/sort by sender).  

 Malicious spammers use the "unsubscribe" button within their emails to confirm that your email address is active.  Unsubscribe safely!  Use your email provider's built-in tools to unsubscribe (Gmail, Outlook, Apple iCloud).  It is safe to click "unsubscribe" in legitimate marketing emails and newsletters you previously signed up for.  You can also block the email sender (Gmail, Outlook, Apple iCloud).  You can create a rule (Outlook, Apple iCloud) or filter (Gmail) to block a sender or domain permanently.  However, sophisticated spammers constantly shift email aliases.  A "catch-all " filter to send any email containing the word "unsubscribe" to trash/junk will catch most spam.  Add important contacts to your Safe Senders spam settings so you don't accidentally remove emails you really want to see. 

Lastly, protect your primary email address.  Avoid posting it publicly and consider creating and using a secondary email address when making purchases online or signing up for shopping rewards, apps, and untrusted online accounts.