Use your email provider's spam controls and the preferences of senders you recognize to reduce unwanted email. Treat a supposed government “do not spam” signup as a claim to verify before giving it an address, payment or personal information.
In the United States, the National Do Not Call Registry concerns telephone calls. The FTC examined a proposed national email registry in its June 2004 report to Congress and recommended against creating one at that time. A universal email-blocking registry is not the route offered in its current spam guidance.
Choose the action that matches the message
| What arrived | Useful action | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A newsletter from a company you recognize | Use the provider’s unsubscribe control or change preferences through the company’s website. | Confirm the sender and subscription. Avoid signing in through a surprising message. |
| Unwanted mail from an unknown sender | Report spam using the mailbox controls, then remove it from the inbox. | A display name can be impersonated; a familiar logo proves little. |
| An urgent account, payment or password request | Open the known app or website independently and verify the request there. Report phishing if appropriate. | Check real account activity before deciding the message is authentic. |
Private marketing preference services have a narrower scope than a government registry or a universal block. The FTC's junk-mail guidance mentions an email preference service. Participation and coverage matter: such a service cannot make every sender stop.
Improve the inbox without hiding important mail
- Report representative spam. Use the provider's built-in control rather than forwarding it to your contacts. Gmail's reporting instructions explain that reporting sends Google a copy for analysis.
- Review the spam folder periodically. Mark a legitimate message as wanted when it was misclassified. Check sender details before trusting a message merely because it concerns an expected delivery.
- Unsubscribe from recognized lists. Give legitimate preference changes time to take effect. If you doubt an email link, visit the company's site using a known address and manage preferences there.
- Use narrow filters. A rule for an established newsletter is easier to evaluate than one that deletes every message containing “invoice.” Test a new rule by moving messages to a review folder before enabling deletion.
- Separate future signups. A provider-supported alias or separate address can make shopping mail easier to manage. Keep banking, recovery and essential correspondence reachable.
Blocking one address has limited value when senders continually change addresses. Review whether the actions reduce disruption over time; counting messages for a few days gives you a baseline without promising a spam-free inbox.
Check requests independently
A message can impersonate a real business and still include plausible details. An unexpected request to reset a password, open a document or confirm a payment deserves a separate check. Use a saved bookmark, the official app or a phone number from an existing statement. The FTC's phishing guide explains this independent verification approach.
Keep genuine security alerts visible. A sudden flood of subscriptions can bury another message, so broad automatic deletion can make the situation harder to investigate.
If you already interacted
Only shared an email address: watch for follow-up messages and avoid supplying more information. An address by itself does not give someone your mailbox password.
Entered a password or verification code: use a trusted device and the real service to secure the account. Change an exposed password, review sessions and recovery methods, and inspect mailbox forwarding rules. Replace reused passwords on other accounts. Use the authentication guide to strengthen future sign-ins.
Opened a downloaded program or suspicious attachment: follow the malware response guide. For a work device, contact the designated responder before attempting cleanup.
Disclosed financial or identity information: contact the institution through a known channel. In the United States, IdentityTheft.gov provides a recovery plan tailored to what was exposed. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.