We all get email spam but some of us get more than others. How can you reduce it? Changing email addresses will work but comes with its own frustrations. And block lists don’t usually work because spammers often use unique addresses each time. Some email providers and Outlook have filter strength settings that can be made more aggressive, but that comes with the risk of legitimate mail being caught. Third-party tools are also available that will scan your email and automatically unsubscribe for you – but if you select a free service be sure to read their data privacy policy. Depending on the type of spam you get, unsubscribing may or may not help. Companies are required by the federal “CAN-SPAM” Act to provide an unsubscribe link. But that only keeps the honest companies honest. Real spammers don’t care about laws and are often outside of the country and beyond prosecution anyway. For them, an unsubscribe request is simply confirmation that a human is checking that email account and they add your address to more spam lists! So unsubscribe where possible, but avoid interacting with any companies you don’t recognize.
