How many email messages do you receive daily? And how many of these messages are spam? You may spend precious hours deleting and blocking spam from your inbox every day. Fighting spam is a never-ending battle and the best battle tactic is to prevent spam from reaching your inbox in the first place.
Never reply to spam
Do not even click on the link to remove your name from their lists. This informs them that your email address is valid and you will only end up on more spam lists.
Do not click on links provided in the email
This is another way to let them know that it is a legitimate email address and will only encourage them to send you more spam.
Be careful when filling out online forms
Read the entire form before clicking Submit'. Doing so will help ensure that your email address will not be sold to other websites. When left at their default values, the check boxes on these forms authorize spam.
Keep more than one email address
It is free to sign up for an email account through Yahoo! or Hotmail. Set up a private account for emailing friends and family. Use a separate account for all other online activities to help prevent spam from arriving in your private inbox.
Use the BCC field when sending multiple copies of an email
This will prevent recipients from accessing other recipients' email addresses. Ask your friends to do the same when emailing you.
Use a unique email address
An email address that is easy to guess is guaranteed a lot more spam than a unique address will receive. Also, never share your email address with anyone you do not trust.
These tips will help to prevent spam in the first place. Additionally, there are ways for preventing spam once you have received it, as well as anti-spam software that can be installed on your computer. The bottom line is to be careful who you give your email address to and, if you do receive spam, do not open it or reply to it.