How to Stop Spam in Outlook   by AnneEasterling

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Top 5 Tips for SOHO: End Spam in Your Outlook!

If you're in a home office (or a very small office), you're probably like me - Your computer is your life, and Microsoft Outlook is the center of your operations. That means you can't afford to let spam slow you down. You must know how to stop spam in Outlook!

Here are five tips that will cut the spam that arrives in your Inbox to virtually zero.

(Each version of Outlook is slightly different. These are specific instructions for Office 2003.)

1. Turn on the Junk Mail Filter 

Go to the menu item named "Actions," select "Junk Email" then click on "Junk Email Options." On the screen, the first screen you see will have four radio buttons. Recommended: Select "High: Most junk e-mail is caught, but some regular mail may be caught as well. Check your Junk E-mail folder often."

Then check the bottom item: "Don't turn on links in messages that might connect to unsafe of fraudulent sites." Then click "OK" until you're back to the main Outlook program.

2. Block images in HTML messages 

Go to the menu item named "Tools," and select "Options." On the box that pops up, select the "Security" tab, and look for the section labeled "Download Pictures." Click on the button next to it, which is labeled "Change Automatic Download Settings."

(Whew! Is this complicated? Not really, just follow along.)

Now check the two primary items: "Don't download pictures or other content automatically in HTML e-mail" and "Warn me before downloading content when editing...." Then click "OK" until you're back to the main Outlook program.

3. Turn off automatic processing 

Go to the menu item named "Tools," and select "Options." (Same starting point as the last recommendation.) On the box that pops up, make sure you are viewing the "Preferences" tab, and click on "E-mail Options." On the next screen, find the button labeled "Tracking Options" in the center of the screen, and click it. (Hang in there! We're almost there.) Now look for the radio button that says "Ask me before sending a response," and click it. Then click "OK" until you're back to the main Outlook program.

This will one way to keep Outlook for sending messages that you don't intend to send, which helps hide your real email address from spammers.

4. Use a spam filtering service 

Subscribe to a service like Trend Micro's PC-cillin Internet Security 2007. Spam filtering is just one of the service services that protect your email and your computer. To activate the spam filter, open the PC-cillin control panel, and select the "Antiphishing & Content Protection" tab. (Yes, that is confusing.) On this screen, which is labeled "Spam and Fraud Filters," check "Check for spam and fraudulent messages." Then set the slider to "High."

Suggestion: Click "Manage Exception List" to fine-tune the spam filters.

(By the way, I've been using PC-cillin Internet Security for the last five years. I've found it to be very reliable, quietly operating in the background. Very few spam messages end up my Inbox. Its automatic updates work very smoothly. The labels on the control panel are confusing at first, but it's easy to find what you're looking for.)

5. Use your common sense 

Don't depend on Outlook or a spam filtering service to protect your emails completely.
  • Don't click on links in emails from people you don't know.
  • Delete emails that seem "fishy" - or "phishy."
  • Use the private message function on public forums instead of posting your email address online.

Die, Spam, Die! 

So now you know how to stop spam in Outlook. By using Outlook's built-in anti-spam tools, along with PC-cillin Internet Security (or other spam filtering service) and a good dose of common sense, you will eliminate the majority of spam headed to your computer. Saving time by cutting out spam is money in the bank to me!

msg

Great lens! This is something that I really need to do, and I am sure most everyone that has Outlook. Thanks for the instructions. :)

Posted May 07, 2008
Evelyn_Saenz

Nice lens. 5*

Posted November 20, 2007
Retro_Loco

Great tips! Thanks for sharing. Gave you 5 stars. Love your lens on the escaping cat! Gave it 5 stars, too! ~Vicki~

Posted August 18, 2007