Hi fuddle-duddle,
Good day.
Hope you are doing well you for posting in Microsoft Community.
We understand your frustration with spam and phishing emails. They are indeed a serious problem that affects millions of people every day. However, there is no easy or definitive solution to stop them completely.
Here are some of the reasons why:
Spammers use various techniques to hide or spoof their email addresses and IP addresses, making it difficult to trace them back to their source. For example, they may use compromised computers or servers as proxies, or they may use disposable or fake email accounts that are hard to link to their real identity.
Spammers constantly change their tactics and methods to evade detection and filtering by email providers and security software. For example, they may use different subject lines, body text, attachments, or links to avoid being flagged as spam they may also use social engineering techniques to trick recipients into opening or responding to their messages.
Spammers operate across different jurisdictions and countries, making it challenging to enforce legal actions or sanctions against them.For example, some countries may have lax or nonexistent laws or regulations against spamming, or they may not cooperate with other countries in investigating or prosecuting spammers.
Spammers have financial incentives to continue their activities, as they can make money from selling products or services, stealing personal or financial information, or infecting computers with malware Even if a small percentage of recipients fall for their scams, they can still profit from their large-scale operations.
These are some of the reasons why spam and phishing emails are still prevalent, despite the efforts of email providers and security companies to combat them. However, this does not mean that you are helpless against them. There are some steps that you can take to protect yourself and reduce the amount of spam and phishing emails that you receive. For example, you can:
Use the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Outlook, which automatically evaluates incoming messages and sends those identified as spam to the Junk E-mail folder. You can also adjust the level of protection and customize the filter settings according to your preferences.
Block spam email addresses or domains that you do not want to receive messages from. You can also use an email alias or a secondary email address for signing up for online services or newsletters, and keep your main email address private.
Report suspicious messages as spam or phishing to your email provider or security software. This can help them improve their detection and filtering capabilities, and also alert other users of potential threats.
Remove your email address from data broker lists, which are databases that collect and sell personal information to third parties, including spammers. You can use online tools or services that can help you find and delete your email address from these lists.
Spot the signs of a phishing email, such as unfamiliar or mismatched sender names, email addresses, or links, grammar and spelling errors, sense of urgency, requests for personal or financial information, or attachments that you are not expecting. Do not open, click, or reply to these messages, and delete them immediately.
Unsubscribe from unwanted mailing lists or newsletters that you no longer want to receive. However, be careful not to click on any links or buttons that may actually be phishing attempts. Instead, look for a legitimate unsubscribe option in the email header or footer, or use a third-party service that can help you manage your subscriptions.
Turn off “auto-load” for images in your email settings, which can prevent spammers from tracking whether you have opened their messages or not. You can also block or disable other external content, such as scripts or web beacons, that may be used for tracking or malicious purposes.
Scan the Dark Web for your email address, which can help you find out if your email address or other personal information has been compromised or leaked in a data breach. You can use online tools or services that can help you monitor and protect your online identity.
In addition, here's the official instructions for reporting the spam - How do I report a suspicious email or file to Microsoft?
Thanks for your precious time and your understanding would be highly appreciated.
Best Regards
Microsoft Community
