In this article you get a quick and easy way to filter your unwanted junk email, often referred to as SPAM (Self Promotional Advertising Message). Similar to junk mail that you find in your residential mailbox, you will probably receive unwanted junk mail in your email box as well. Below is a listing of general recommendations on how to handle Spam that should help in reducing spam.

1. Never send e-mail or reply to an e-mail requesting that you be removed or to unsubscribe unless you are familiar with the company. Some individuals and companies use this reply as a method of verifying the e-mail is valid and using this information to subscribe you to other mailing lists. If you do not know the individual or company simply delete the e-mail.

2. When filling out any type of form on the Internet, watch carefully for any type of check box that by default may be checked for you to receive a newsletter or share your e-mail with a a third-party.

3. When signing up for any e-mail list, see if the company has any type of SPAM or e-mail sharing disclaimer. See Computer Hope's Legal page for our example.

4. If you are concerned about a company sharing your e-mail address, register the site with a fake e-mail address.

5. Be careful who you send your e-mail to. Sites that require you to sign up or request an e-mail for free products, free services, or contests commonly share your e-mail as a method of generating revenue.

6. Don't send or recommend a friends or families e-mail address unless you are familiar with the service.

7. Never forward an e-mail that claims that it is capable of tracking the e-mail as it is sent or will help generate revenue for a certain cause to the more people it is forwarded to. These e-mails are commonly referred to as a chain mail and are commonly false and help individuals get additional e-mail address for SPAM.

8. Be careful where you post your e-mail address. In chat rooms or news groups, for example, anyone could quickly grab your e-mail address. We recommend that when you need to post or send your e-mail that you send it to a specific person or setup a temporary e-mail account as explained in number 4.

9. Send an e-mail with the e-mail header to the ISP or web host of the user who is sending you the spam. Below is a short list of some of these e-mails.

abuse@aol.com - File a complaint against an AOL users.
abuse@hotmail.com - File complaints for MSN and Hotmail e-mail addresses.
abuse@geocities.com - File complaints against Geocities users.
abuse@sprint.net - File complaints against Sprint users.
abuse@usa.net - File complaints against USA.NET users.
Yahoo abuse form or abuse@yahoo.com - File complaints against Yahoo users.

As can be seen in the above examples, it is common for the e-mail to file complaints to be "abuse", "postmaster", or "spam" @ the domain name. It is also important to realize that a spammer may spoof an e-mail address making it look as if it is coming from a domain that it really is not coming from.

10. Send a full copy of SPAM or deceptive e-mail including the e-mail header to uce@ftc.gov. The FTC uses the unsolicited emails stored in this database to pursue law enforcement actions against people who send deceptive spam email.

11. Check with your Internet Service Provider for their SPAM policy. Many Internet Service Providers may already have SPAM blocking mechanisms in place and may even allow you to forward to them the SPAM messages you receive, helping prevent the same types of e-mail reaching you in the future.

12.Finally, consider changing your e-mail address and/or getting another e-mail address and only letting friends, family, or the people you want e-mails from know about the new address.