How do I stop spam emails?

Q I have been receiving a stream of emails from an organisation named ‘Spin Cash’, which is apparently a gambling site. Each email has a different address of origin, so adding an address to a blocked senders list has no effect. As a result, my junk email folder is full of these unwanted messages.

Doubtless I am not alone in receiving this nuisance. There is a link that purports to allow these communications to be stopped but I suspect all this will do is provide an active address. Is there any way to stop this deluge?
Alan Harris

A It sounds like you already know that spam is hardly a new problem, nor one for which there is a guaranteed solution. Certainly, clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link in messages from spammers would be a very unwise move, for the reason you cite – so forget that as an option.

However, there is another option that can alleviate the problem: message rules. You didn’t tell us which email program you use but to set this up in the latest version of Windows Live Mail, for example, open the Tools menu, point to Message rules and then choose Mail.

Now use the New Mail Rule dialogue box to create a rule where the condition checks the From or Subject line (or both) for the words ‘Spin Cash’ and then choose an appropriate action, such as deleting it right away.

Sensibly, though, in the first instance we suggest setting up the rule so it simply shifts identified spam messages to a different folder, from where you can delete the offenders en masse every now and then. This will allow you to check that the rule is working as you want it to and rescue any legitimate messages that just so happen to match the condition trigger.