How to filter through spam properly

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Spam usually starts in a simple way: your address is picked up by a script on some website, and from then on a steady stream of unwanted mail follows. Spam filters try to catch it by looking for suspicious, overused words. The trouble is that spammers know those words too, and they simply avoid them. A message that looks like an ordinary letter passes any filter, and the result is an inbox full of mail you never wanted.

So, how do you work around it?

Instead of trying to filter spam after it arrives, keep it from reaching your real inbox at all. That is what a temporary email box is for. It takes an instant to get one, and you do not have to enter any personal details.

The rule is simple: use a temporary address for everything that is not essential. When you subscribe to a service you only need once, give it the disposable address instead of your regular one. Whatever that service sends afterwards, including the spam that often follows, lands in the temporary box and never touches your main inbox.

It's convenient and quick

Creating a regular mailbox means filling in a long form: name, date of birth, sometimes even a phone number. A temporary address skips all of that. It is ready as soon as you open the page, and it costs nothing.

If a temporary address gets flooded with spam, drop it and take a new one; that takes just as little time as the first.

A simple routine that works

  1. Keep your real address for people and services you actually rely on: work, bank, family.
  2. Use a temporary address for one-off sign-ups, downloads and trials.
  3. Never use a temporary address for anything that needs a password reset later: the inbox is public and letters are removed after a while.

Your email is the entry point for many online threats, and spam often carries harmful links and attachments. The less of it reaches your real inbox, the smaller the risk.

What else helps against spam

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