How to reduce SPAM

Written by Chris Harpin   

Email SPAM is wasting more working hours than ever before. This article covers three software options available to help you win back your working day.

Three months ago we all thought that we were at boiling point and to support you we issued an article on what measures can be taken to reduce the risk of getting these unwanted emails in the first place. For want of a better phrase it appears that ‘we were trying to close the stable door after the horse had bolted’.

Over these last five months SPAM has risen by a staggering 200%.

Microsoft Outlook 2003

All Castus employees use the Microsoft email management software Outlook 2003 for many reasons including SPAM protection.

You can simply right click any email message and select ‘Junk Email > Add Sender to Blocked Senders List’. You are then guaranteed never to receive junk from this address again.

Very easy to install and even easier to use, this is my No.1 tip on how to beat the SPAMMERS.

Spam Bayes

An excellent free programme available at http://spambayes.sourceforge.net/ can be added to your email software which will check messages as they are received and will filter SPAM into a separate folder freeing up your inbox.

As emails are not deleted you can check the predefined SPAM folder periodically to ensure that genuine emails are not lost by accident.

Spam Blocker

The above methods are great for small mounts of SPAM, but if you’re receiving a large amount of SPAM, you really want to be getting rid of the unsolicited emails before they reach your computer. If your email domain is hosted by Castus you can try our Spam Blocker software on a 14 day free trial.

With this system the email goes through one server, dedicated to getting rid of SPAM, and then the remaining email is forwarded on to the normal email server, so you can download your email with the peace of mind that you will not be offered a penis extension or shares tips.

From the moment you activate SPAM Blocker on your mailbox you can expect to see all virus bearing mail and upwards of 98% of unsolicited mail eradicated from your inbox. However we can tune the sensitivity of your SPAM Blocker as well as add addresses and domains to your block and allow lists to create a perfect solution tailored to your needs.

If you decide to keep the programme you can purchase a domain licence for £50 which covers all email addresses on your domain.

Feedback

If you have any experiences that you feel would help other readers please contact us through our website. These methods are what have worked for us but as we are working against organised crime groups there is nothing to guarantee that they will all work in the future.

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