Free Computer Help From Mitz
If you are familiar with using Outlook Express message rules you will already know how amazingly handy they can be. Did you know that you can use this program as a spam filter. I create a message rule for nearly every email that enters my computer, therefore when spam or junk email comes in, it stands out because it has no-where to go.
Using message rules as a spam filter is one way to control unwanted junk email messages from entering your computer. Here are some ideas on how to use your rules effectively. Sometimes just adding a sender to the block senders list is not enough.
If you are not familiar with the basics of message rules go here
Some of my favourite conditions I use
Where the From line contains people Who is sending the email? There is where you add their email address in here. There is a problem with this condition as the true email spammers change their email address all the time. I had an email advertising Viagra come at least twice a week with a different email address every time. Therefore this condition did not work.
Where the Subject line contains specific words I noticed that all of these particular emails about Viagra had the word pills in the subject line. Before adding a word in this section, make sure your other emails would not use this particular word in their subject line.
Where the message body contains specific words Unfortunately not all of the Viagra emails contained the words pills in the subject line so I added some words that may be in the body of the message…Words like pill, pills, Viagra, 50mg, 100mg, mg (pill measurement).
Some of my favourite Actions
Move it to a specific folder I only move emails to a specific folder if I want to keep them. Therefore the spam or junk email does not warrant this action. This action takes the whole email and moves it to another folder.
Do not Download it from the server This action and the one below are the best remedy for junk email.. You don’t even want to download it to your computer.
Delete it from the server This has to be obviously the best action for junk and spam. Delete it from the server before it even gets to you.. This is the one I chose for the Viagra emails and I have never had another since.
How to View your blocked senders list
- Open Outlook Express
- Go to the tools menu at the top
- Choose message rules, then choose blocked senders list
With the overwhelming popularity of sending messages through email, it is very important that you use a spam filter to stop junk email and maybe even viruses from entering your computer.
Notes:
- As well as a spam filter, you should also have all of your emails scanned through a virus checker.
- Even the email you get from a friend could contain a virus and should be checked.
- If you use this spam filter in Outlook express and the junk email still gets through, you can find other programs that are designed specifically for this purpose.
- The serious
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
You can set these rules in hotmail and live mail as well.
I don’t really use it for spam though, as most spam already gets filtered to my unwanted folder anyway. But it’s great to keep your email organized. But now I start to have too many folders, which looks a bit messy as well.
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I think this is a very nice and effective way to stop spam from entering your computer. If it does not stop spam it may reduce the number that come of junk that come in by a large percentage. Great post.
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I know about the subject line. But now, spammers are putting spam words in the “from line”, and OE doesn’t allow for configuring for from line, other than the sender’s addy, which changes with every spam, so that is useless. But I’m seeing “viagra”, “Cialis” etc., in the from line, but generic words in the subject line. If I could filter for words in the from line ( other than the sender’s spoofed addy ), I could eliminate over 100 spams a day, but OE does not allow for this.
Thanks for the article, but I really wish Outlook Express, on the “Where the From Line contains People”, had this: “Where the from line contains specific words”. If it had that feature, since most of the spam I’m getting has different senders, and they are putting spam words in the from line, if I could delete the spam via from line words, I would block over 100 spam emails every day. is their third party app that can do this? if not, create an app for us? Thanks.
Patrick
I know it has where the subject line has specific words??