Block and Report Spam Emails Like Your Life Depends on It

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

28 Oct 2025 • 2 min read

Spam isn’t just annoying. It’s risky. Every click, reply, or download can open the door to scams or malware.

Spam is unsolicited, unwanted electronic junk mail sent in bulk to a wide list of recipients, typically for commercial purposes. It can range from annoying advertisements to malicious messages containing scams, malware, or phishing attempts to steal personal information.

Spammers use various methods to obtain email addresses, such as scanning the web, guessing addresses, or buying lists, and they often use deceptive tactics to trick users into interacting with their messages.

Is email spam increasing? A sudden increase in spam emails often results from your email address being sold or exposed in a data breach, or from accidental sign-ups on compromised websites. To address this, immediately mark all spam as spam, report phishing attempts, and unsubscribe from any legitimate newsletters. You should also block senders and avoid interacting with spam emails, and in the long term, consider creating an email alias or secondary email for online sign-ups.

Protect yourself by being proactive:

Use your spam filter.
Mark unwanted emails as spam or junk. Most email providers learn from this and automatically block similar messages in the future.
Block and unsubscribe wisely.
Block specific senders or domains. Unsubscribe only from legitimate marketing emails. Never from suspicious ones, as that confirms your address is active.
Disable auto-load images.
Turn off automatic image loading in your email settings. Spammers use tracking pixels to see who’s reading their messages.
Use a secondary email address.
Create a separate address for shopping, newsletters, or sign-ups. Keep your main inbox for personal or professional use only.
Report phishing.
Report phishing attempts to your email provider or to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
Use antivirus software: Protect your devices from malware that could compromise your information.
Scan for your email on the dark web: Check if your email address has been compromised and is available on the dark web.
Change passwords: Regularly change your passwords and use strong, unique ones for each account.

Source: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/topics/security/what-is-spam.html#:~:text=Spam%20email%20is%20unsolicited%20and,botnets%2C%20networks%20of%20infected%20computers.

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