Outlook Rules To Eliminate SPAM

[imported_Tek Weasel]

This is a very simple how to that I am asked to accomplish on a daliy basis, and for those of you that use outlook at work (or home) and would like to eliminate all that SPAM you receive daily all you have to do is apply some rules, and you'll notice it slowly dissapears. This does take updating and monitoring, but can be effective over all.

Step 1. "assuming outlook is already open" Click the Tools menu and click Rules Wizard from the menu that appears.

Step 2. The Rules Wizard dialog box will appear.

Step 3. Click the New... button.

What type of rule do you want to create?
"I will try to expand this tutorial to go over the majority of this information, However, for now we are going to set up a simple body search."

Step 4. Click the type of rule you would like to create. It will then be highlighted.

-----> "Check messages when they arrive"

What conditions do you want to check. Again, take the time to read over the rules, you can fine tune these options to eliminate specific companies, or words in the e-mail itself.

Step 5. Check "with specific words in the subject"

Step 6. Click an underlined option in the Rule description to edit the value of the underlined option..

-----> "The one word that will end all your worries is unsubscribe. However, you may end up deleting you prized mailing lists (CNN, SecurityFocus, etc..) I usually add Porn, XXX, etc, and type next. The reason I do this is every time I get a spam mail, I add their names BargainMail, Free4You, DealsRewards, etc..."

Step 7. Click the Next button.

Step 8. Next, you will need to select a condition (or conditions) that you would like to check for. To select one, click the small white box to the left of the text. A check mark will appear. To remove the condition, click the white box again.

-----> "Now here's the tricky part. If you would like to set your rules so you never get the SPAM again, check perminately delete. However, if you feel your plan is not full proof. I would select send to delete box, so you can monitor what is being deleted, and full proof it from there. Once you have ensured it is doing exactly what you want. I would switch to perminately delete."

Step 9. If there is an underlined option in the "Rule description" box that you have not edited, click it to change the option.

Step 10. Click the Next button.

Step 11. You now need to select what you want to do with the message. Simply check the option of what you want to do to the message. If there is an unedited underlined line of text, click it to change it's value.

Step 12. Click Next.

Step 13. Check any exceptions (if any) to your rule. Again, if there is an unedited underlined value, click it to edit the value.

-----> "read through, and add any execptions to your delete rule. Such as do not delete any message with the mail w/ unsubscribe if it's from CNN ect... Do not delete the mail saying ass from your college roomate that always calls you an ass."

Step 14. Click Next.

Step 15. Your rule will now be set and will filter your mail according to your rules.


This will not save you alot of time at first, but once you play with it. You can have some full proof rules and exceptions that runs outllok exactly like you want it to.. SPAM FREE.

Guide To Setting Up Rules Wizard

[jdenny]

I have the following words in "specific words in the subject" rules for my web mail account.
- free -- FREE Inventors Kit from Inventors Helpline
- win -- Enter to win a free Hooked on Phonics program!
- money -- Start Making Money Tomorrow
- cash -- Earn cash at home!
- you -- Regarding your application
- $ -- FACTORY-DIRECT Video Surveillance, UNDER $80
- % -- Calphalon Semi-Annual 20% Off Sale!

You may wonder why I include the word "you" in my list. Reason is personally I never send any emails that contain "you" in the subject, and some spam writers tend to use subjects like "Your NFL mug is ready" or even "Only you jdenny, only you!". Trust me, those rules have proven to block 95% of the spam. (I was tempted to include "!", but... I guess not).

Don't permanently delete them tho, just move them to a special folder for further inspection, in case they are legitimate email.

Peace always,
<jdenny>

[imported_Tek Weasel]

Originally posted here by jdenny
Don't permanently delete them tho, just move them to a special folder for further inspection, in case they are legitimate email.

Jdenny, this is almost the same as having nothing in place at all. You would rather go step by step, and make daily changes, and have the junk permanitely deleted. You are already forced to search through your mail, why split and search, when you can work your way to no SPAM at all. I suggest you read up on the rules and filters, and slowly start implementing them in. I swear, it is so much easier, once you get the niche of it.

[allenb1963]

If you are worried about losing valued mail or your favorite newsletter, add the sources of your newsletters to your contacts list. You can then create an exception to the rule that will overlook mail that comes from any address on your contact list. As for the 'to instantly delete or not instantly delete' debate, that is a personal choice....what works for one person may not work for another. Different strokes for different folks, ie no one should be so presumptuous as to assume they know what is best for everyone.

[jdenny]

... You can then create an exception to the rule that will overlook mail that comes from any address on your contact list. As for the 'to instantly delete or not instantly delete' debate, that is a personal choice...

I've been thinking...
- Any spammers can easily fake the sender address (thanks to SMTP -> S = Simple)
- I sometimes receive spam from president[at]whitehouse.gov, or even my own address
- Viruses and worms spread by grabbing email addresses from our contact list
- What if your boss send you email with the subject "Anti Porn software for review" ?
(assuming you're evaluating such software from different vendors)
- What if your friend send you email with the subject "Meet me at 8 in front of the DealsRewards store" ?
(assuming they have a physical store nearby)

Al is right on. What works for one person may not work for another.

Peace always,
<jdenny>

[imported_Tek Weasel]

Yes, that is true and that is why you would customize your own rules. If my boss asked me why I did not respond to his message on anti-porn software. I would be more than willing to explain that I have my mail box sent to automatically delete mail with the word porn in the subject matter. I don't believe he would frown on that manuever. However, I think all rules would exempt anyone in your company "as my is set to". I just used our global address book for that exemption.

[shkuey]

I delete all mail with the words subscribe and unsubscribe.

I do not lose any mail I wanted to receive, because I have rules that process my known subscriptions before the junk rule.

That and I don't give out my real e-mail address when I sign up for things, spam the hell out of the aol e-mail I gave to sign up for AO, I really don't care.

[problemchild]

spam the hell out of the aol e-mail I gave to sign up for AO, I really don't care.

That's really (IMO) one of the best ways to control spam. I also use similar filtering rules to all of you, but I take the view the the best way to deal with spam is to not get any. I have a public Yahoo address that I set up specifically to give out online, while I keep my real address provided by my ISP a closely guarded secret. I only give it to my trusted friends and business associates, and I have as close to zero problems with spam as you will ever find.

And I don't even give my real address to all of my friends..... the ones who aren't clever enough to figure out that when they see some cutesey web page that says "Send this page to a friend!" that they are in fact signing their friend up for junk mail, will get my Yahoo adress.

[allenb1963]

I failed to mention earlier that filtering is a stopgap measure that relieves the symptoms, but doeasn't offer a cure to the problem. I found a handy little free app called "mailwasher" that looks at my mail on the server, compares it to a blacklist, and gives me the ability to pick and choose what I actually download from the mail server and what I want to BOUNCE as undeliverable as if my email address doesn't exist. While it only works with POP/IMAP mail at present, the new version (due out any day now) will also be able to be used with online http mail services like yahoo and hotmail. Check it out at www.mailwasher.net ....I love this thing!

[shkuey]

The best way to not get spam in the first place, I've found, is to have the mail server do a reverse dns lookup of the domain the mail claims it's from and compare to see if the IP the mail originated from matches the mail exchange from that domain.

Anyone faking an e-mail address get's a bounce back.