How to Avoid Spam - Don’t Fall for the Tricks!

Spam is annoying and sometimes dangerous. It’s the unwanted email messages that try to sell you something, scam you, or infect your computer. Here are some tips to reduce spam and keep your inbox clean.

1. **Turn on spam filters.** Your email app or website has a tool that can find and move spam messages to a different folder or delete them. Make sure this tool is on and set it up well to catch as much spam as you can.

2. **Don’t share personal information.** Don’t tell anyone your email address or phone number unless you know them well and trust them. This can stop your contact information from being used by spammers.

3. **Stop unwanted emails.** Some companies have a link in their emails that lets you unsubscribe from their messages. Use this link if you don’t want to hear from them anymore.

4. **Don’t reply to spam.** Don’t send any message back to spammers, even if they have an unsubscribe or remove option. This can make things worse. It tells spammers that your email address works and may cause more spam.

5. **Don’t click on links in spam messages.** Like replying, clicking on links can also tell spammers that your email address works and may cause more spam.

6. **Use strong passwords.** Keep your email account safe. Use a password that is hard to guess and different from your other online passwords.

7. **Mark the message as spam.** Your email app or website has a button that lets you mark a message as spam or report it as spam. Use this button to help the spam filter learn what messages are spam and catch them next time.

8. **Delete the spam message.** If you get a spam message, delete it. Don’t talk to the sender or click on any links.

9. **Use email aliases.** Think about using different email addresses for different things, such as one for personal use and one for online shopping. Keep your main email address private and get less spam.

10. **Ask your email provider for help.** If you get a lot of spam, ask your email provider for help. They may have more ways to filter or stop spam for you.