What is spam email?
Spam email is any unwanted email you did not ask to receive. Most spam is advertising — companies sending you promotional messages in bulk. This type is annoying but harmless. A smaller portion of spam is dangerous — these are called phishing emails, and they are designed to steal your personal information, passwords, or money by tricking you. Your email program automatically sorts most spam into a Junk or Spam folder. Check this folder occasionally — sometimes real emails end up there by mistake. You can reduce spam by unsubscribing from mailing lists you no longer want (scroll to the bottom of any newsletter to find an "Unsubscribe" link). Never click "Unsubscribe" in an email that looks suspicious — for dangerous emails this can confirm that your address is active and leads to more spam. Simply delete those without interacting.
How to manage spam in your inbox
- Open your email app and find the Junk or Spam folder.
- Look for any real emails that landed there by mistake and move them to your inbox.
- For legitimate newsletters you no longer want, open them and scroll to the bottom to click "Unsubscribe".
- For suspicious emails, do not click anything — just delete them.
- If the same sender keeps spamming you, mark them as Junk to block future messages.
The 3-Second Rule
Before clicking "Unsubscribe" on any email, ask: "Is this a real newsletter I signed up for?" If you do not recognise it — delete without clicking.
Important Warning
Never click links in emails that claim you won something, have a package waiting, or that your account needs urgent attention. These are almost always phishing scams.