Introduction and Basics| Filtering Mail

Filtering Software
Special software is also available that will filter out the majority of spam you may receive. This filtering software intercepts your mail before you see it in your inbox, and will delete the messages it sees as spam.

MailWasher is a popular and free program that you can use to filter your mail. MailWasher has some added features that can also prevent future spam. The program will send a "bounce" message back to spammers, essentially telling them that your e-mail address does not exist and there is no reason to send messages there, anymore. You can also delete messages before you even download them, giving you one more way to keep a virus from ever coming in contact with your computer.

Blocking Senders
If you find that you are regularly receiving spam from a single address, there is a way to block any messages from that address ever reaching your inbox.

In Outlook Express, highlight a message from the sender you wish to block. Select the "Message" menu, and click "Block Sender." Outlook will inform you that the sender has been blocked, and will ask you if you wish to remove all messages from that sender from your computer (you can select either "Yes" or "No").

In AOL, click the "Keyword" button (directly to the right of the address and search bars), and enter "Mail Controls." In the window that comes up, click the "People and Places" tab on the left. You'll have five options presented to you. The best option is the fifth one, which allows you to specify exact addresses to block from sending you messages. Enter in an e-mail address (or entire domain, such as "hotmail.com") and click the "Add" button. You can always come back at any time to select a name and click "Remove." When you're done, click "Next" twice to get to the final screen, and click "Save." Your e-mail controls have been set. AOL may ask if you wish to close the Mail Controls screen; hit "Close."

Now What?
You will inevitably still receive some amount of spam, despite all efforts. The best tool to deal with this remains the "Delete" key. If you are unsure about a message, especially if you are concerned about viruses (be sure to read the virus tutorial), just delete it.