For most users two simple rules in Outlook or Outlook Express that deletes any email that comes from an address not in your address book or does not contain a password in the body of the email message will deal with SPAM. These rules are simple to set.
Outlook Express - this program comes with all Windows computers. This program will not allow you to set a rule that will check the email's "from address" against your Address book but it does allow you to set a rule that will delete any email that does not contain a password that you set in the main rule. For this to work, you must make sure everyone who emails you uses the password. You can even put it in your signature so every email you send out makes the receiver aware that the only way they can email you back is to use the password.
In Outlook Express go to the menu and select Tools, Message Rules, Mail to open the New Mail Rules builder.
1. In the Select Conditions for your Rule, scroll down and put a check in the rule, "Where the message body contains specific words".
2. In the Select the Actions for your Rule, scroll down and put a check in the rule, "Stop processing more rules".
3. In the Rule Description, click on the word "Contains Specific Words" and add the word, password, words, or passwords that the incoming email must contact to match this rule.
4. In the Name of the Rule enter "Main".
5. Click on Ok to save the rule.
The next rule we will create will delete any email that doesn't contain the words or passwords you set in the
main rule. Click on New to create a new rule then:
1. In the Select Conditions for your Rule, scroll down and put a check in the rule, "For all messages".
2. In the Select the Actions for your Rule, scroll down and put a check in the rule, "Delete it".
3. In the Rule Description, no action is needed.
4. In the Name of the Rule enter "delete".
5. Click on Ok to save the rule.
You will now have two rules, main and delete and the importance of this is main must appear before delete because rules process in order and you want the main rule to process before the delete rule. If you have accomplished the above then you can close out the Message Rules by clicking on OK.
Your next task is to create a message signature so when you send an email the password information will also be at the bottom of the message.
1. In Outlook Express from the menu go to Tools, Options, Signature.
2. Click on New to allow you to type in the text box the signature that will appear at the bottom of the emails. I set, "The NET Connection, Inc." as my pass phrase in my main rule so I created a signature to appear at the bottom of each of my emails stating the following:
Your emails will automatically be deleted unless in contains the phrase, The Net Connection, Inc. in the email. Please include that phrase in all emails to me.
3. After creating your signature, place a check mark in the Signature settings to "add the signature to all outgoing emails" and remove the check from "don't added to replies and outgoing emails". Click on Ok to return to Outlook Express.
So we have created two rules, a main rule that sets your password, words, or phrases, a delete rule that deletes
any email that doesn't contain your password, words, or phrases, and a signature that contains your password, words or phrases informing those who you email that they must use the password, words, or phrases or their email to you will be deleted. The beauty of this system is because you have included the phrase in your signature, any email that you send out, if the receiver replies and includes the original email you sent in the reply, their reply will arrive because you have included the password in your signature. If you have newsletters that you like to also receive you can look closely at those newsletters to
identify words or phases that are always included in each newsletter and you can add that to your main rule to allow the newsletters to pass otherwise because they don't contain your password, words, or phrases newsletters will be deleted.
Outlook 2003 - Outlook it Outlook's big brother and it must be purchased or comes with some versions of Microsoft Office. If you have Outlook but use Outlook Express you are missing out on several improvements. Most of the newer versions of Outlook will allow you to set a rule that will delete any email that comes from an email address that isn't in your address book.
Outlook users can use the same Rules method as Outlook Express users except in Outlook you don't have to set a specific word in the main rule as it provides the option of doing a lookup against your address book. If the senders email address is in your address book it will not be deleted but if it is not in your address book you can delete it.
In both programs you can move emails to a folder for later review if you do not want to delete it. In the delete rule select "Move to Folder" in place of "Delete it" and in the
Rule Description select the folder you want to move the emails to. Be aware that over time this rule can fill up that folder and slow your mail program down so if you choose this option you need to make sure you review the contents of the folder and delete the SPAM from it manually.
Anti-SPAM Programs are a good method for dealing with SPAM but remember there are no such
thing as a set and forget anti-spam software. Over time all programs require tuning and will snag valid emails so if you use one of the two programs I have listed below, take to the time to learn how to use them. Please do not call our office for assistance in setting these programs up as they take considerable time and knowledge. We will install and make default setups of these programs for you for a
fee, but you still must make adjustments to these rograms. We will installed and do a basic configuration of xTerminator or Spam Eater Pro for $30. This fee does not include the price of the program, it only covers our labor for setting up the programs on your computer. You must bring you computer to our office for us to setup the programs for you.
xTerminator