I often get questions from customers about how to cut down on the flood of unwanted emails they receive every day. Many hope there’s a magic button to stop it but unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
The right approach depends on the type of email you’re dealing with. Here’s a quick guide to the most common kinds of messages and how to handle them:
1. Legitimate Companies (Retailers, Restaurants, etc.)
These are emails that clearly come from a business you recognize, such as “sales@target.com” or “marketing@tacobell.com”. By law, these companies must include an unsubscribe link. Using that link is safe, and within 7–10 days you should stop receiving their promotions.
2. Affiliate Marketers and “Deal” Sites
These come from sketchier addresses like “jayne@yourbestdealsnow.com”. Technically, they’re supposed to follow the same unsubscribe rules—but often don’t. Be cautious: some “unsubscribe” links simply redirect you to more ads. Before clicking, hover over the link to see where it actually goes. A safer option is to use your email provider’s block or report button. This often pushes future emails straight to spam and, in some cases, can even get the sender shut down.
3. Fake or Spoofed Emails
These are the trickiest—and most dangerous. Examples include fake purchase receipts, antivirus subscriptions, or alerts from banks you don’t even use. These messages often come from throwaway or stolen email addresses. Never click “unsubscribe” on these. Doing so could add malware to your computer and tell scammers your email is active, which will only get you more junk. Instead, delete them or mark them as spam.
This list isn’t exhaustive, but it covers the majority of junk mail you’ll run into. If you’re ever unsure, you can forward a suspicious email to me, and I’ll verify whether it’s real.For small businesses, I also offer tools that automatically block scams and spoofed emails before they ever hit your employees’ inboxes. In the past year alone, my system has stopped nearly 1,000 scam emails for my customers. It’s affordable protection that could save your business thousands in lost time and money.
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