When you go to your mailbox and find pieces of junk mail mixed in with important correspondence, you throw it out. It is a mild nuisance and you most likely dont even give it a second thought. Unfortunately, most everybody do the same when spam arrives in their inbox. They just delete it.

While that does get rid of an individual e-mail, more needs to be done to control what may become an overwhelming problem. Liken spam to cockroaches; see one in your cabinet and you know that you likely have an infestation that needs to be dealt with swiftly.

To start with, do not respond to the spam ever. There are usually two ways that spam recipients build this bad choice . First is the opt-out clause that appears at the bottom of the electronic mail . It appears to be a legal statement giving you the right to remove yourself from this mailing list. Unless you legitimately authorized the business to send you mail, in which case this is not spam, do not follow this hyperlink. Most generally this link is simply a way for the spammers to identify your e-mail address as valid. Now they might sell your address to other spammers and thank you for creating their work easier by continuing to send you the spam you didnt want in the first place.

The second manner in which this error occurs is when, out of total frustration, you reply to the sender with a firm statement of your disgust. This usually happens when the spam is pornographic material and despite your best efforts, keeps appearing in your inbox. Sometimes the reply will not work because the senders email address is a fake one and it will just bounce back to you as undeliverable. Count yourself lucky because the alternative means that they now have a confirmation of your address.

Next, read the email header. The header contains the full roadway of computers through which the e mail passed to get to you. Most pieces of email pass through at least four computers the spammers, their ISP, your ISP, and finally yours. Since the stated from address is usually a fake one, this is the most reliable way to track down the spammers ISP, at the very least.

Each computer that the spam travels through will add lines to the header stating who they are, who the mail came from, and where they are sending it. Headers can seem complicated, but in most cases you will be able to at least recognize other ISPs. If your mail is through Yahoo and you see juno.com in the mix, then you know that you might report the spam to Juno.

When reporting spam, you will absolutely need to cut and paste the full header roadway into the electronic mail to give the experts the opportunity to track down the offender. To read an email header, you typically just right click on the e mail and then choose properties, options, or header depending on which e mail code you are using.

Finally, forward the spam to a number of authorities. The first would be the spammers ISP. If you cannot tell who that might be, send the spam to your ISP. Additionally, several websites are available to help you report spam, like spamcop.net.

Second, forward the spam to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov. While they will not take action on your behalf, they will add the spam to a database compiled on known UCE (unsolicited commercial e-mail).

If the spam is a 419 Scam, or Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud, fax a copy of the e-mail and its headers to the United States Secret Service. You will understand this spam when you read it an exiled African leader of some sort needs your help and bank account knowledge. These scams have defrauded many and positive need to be taken seriously.

Now you can delete the spam.