Step 1: Identify the Spam
The first step in blocking spam is identifying the spam emails. The most common spam emails come from unknown senders or addresses, advertisements, phishing attempts, and scams. These emails can either be outrightly malicious or come across as legitimate emails from reliable sources. Once you’ve identified an email as spam, mark it as such by clicking on the “spam” or “junk” button. Doing so informs Yahoo’s spam filters, which block similar emails from the sender’s address from reaching your inbox.
Step 2: Enable Yahoo!’s Automatic Spam Filtering
Yahoo! has an inbuilt spam filter that automatically filters out suspicious emails. However, users can customizes the spam filter settings to cater to their inbox preferences. To enable automatic spam filtering, open your Yahoo! email account settings, click on “security and privacy,” then “spam.” Under the “spam” tab, activate Yahoo!’s spam filter by turning on the spam filter option.
Step 3: Block Recognizable Spam Senders
If you keep receiving spam emails from the same senders or addresses, block the senders to prevent them from accessing your inbox. To block a sender, open the spam email and click on the “more actions” icon (three dots) next to the reply button. Click on “block sender,” and Yahoo! will auto-delete any incoming email from the sender’s address.
Step 4: Use Custom Filters
Yahoo! allows users to customize filters that sort emails based on set parameters. Custom filters can help separate emails from individuals or businesses you recognize from spam emails. To set up custom filters, open your Yahoo! email account settings, click on “more settings,” then select “filters.” Under the “filters” tab, click on “add new filters,” set the filter parameters (sender’s email address or domain, subject, or keywords). Then select an action to be taken when an email fits within the filter parameters, either move the email to trash or move it into a designated folder.
Step 5: Report Suspected Spam Emails
Reporting suspected spam emails to Yahoo! helps the email service enhance its spam filters. To report an email as spam, open the email, click on the “more actions” icon (three dots), and select “report spam.”
In conclusion, blocking spam on your Yahoo! email address involves identifying the spam, enabling automatic spam filtering, blocking recognizable spam senders, using custom filters, and reporting suspected spam emails. Additionally, Yahoo! email users can maintain an email hygiene culture by avoiding opening emails from unknown sources, avoiding clicking on links or downloading attachments from unrecognized sources, and refraining from responding to or giving out personal information via email. These measures are essential in protecting your email from spam, phishing attempts, and scams.