How to Stop Junk Email

No matter how many times you unsubscribe, it seems like you’ll never stop junk email from coming through. Although providers like Gmail and Outlook use suspicious email detection systems that are getting better every year, they can’t catch it all.

Junk email senders are getting smarter, so junk emails often appear more “real” than they have in the past. These folks are trying really hard to capture your private information or get you to sign up for something you don’t want. So they work hard to trick you.   Sometimes, it can be really hard to decipher between genuine marketing outreach and junk.

Although you may not be able to stop junk email entirely, we hope the following tips will help in significantly reducing the volume.

When to flag junk email

If an email doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. One of the first things you can check is to see if the sender's email address/domain matches the company that it says to be representing. A legitimate sender should have an email address that matches the company domain. 

Next, you can try doing a quick Google search to verify if a sender is legitimate. Just type the email address into the search box, and see what comes up. You might see that the sender is a known scammer.  If you verify that it’s junk, immediately flag the email. 

Platforms like Gmail even put a warning at the top if their system thinks a message is suspicious. In fact, they’ve put together easy to follow steps for flagging junk: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1366858?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=iOS

Here’s a quick resource for how to do so on Outlook as well.  It is unfortunate that you have to take steps like this, since you’ve got more important things to focus on. But taking this step will help your provider “learn” and help protect you - and others. 

Time wasted on unsolicited email

While there are ways to counteract unsolicited email, dealing with the problem can be time consuming. In addition, it can really add to anxiety or stress levels if you have a packed inbox and you’re worried about fraudulent emails sneaking in. 

When your inbox is full of emails (many of which you didn’t want), there’s also the risk of missing out on the messages that are actually important!  Unsolicited emails can clutter up your inbox, blending right in or sneaking by your email’s native filters.  It’s hard to see 

Stop being distracted by junk email 

Sticking with the current approach to email means that the junk email problem will never fully go away.  Individuals and companies will continue to use new technology to outsmart filters built into providers. The clutter will keep piling up. 

The only true way to stop junk email is buy giving control back to each person with an inbox.  

That’s where Gated comes in. Our approach to email means senders will have to pay to reach your inbox.  Often, even just the marginal cost of 1 or 2 dollars will be a barrier to any automated bots or ill-intentioned senders who are sending fraudulent emails.  

By creating a small barrier to entry, Gated creates an inbox experience where you’re receiving only the messages you truly want.  Where you finally have control over your own inbox again.  

Plus, those payments to reach you go to benefit the nonprofit of your choice.  Gated helps make your inbox - and the world - a better place.

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