Stop Junk Mail's raison d'être is to help you stamp out paper junk mail. However, many people ask me how to stop junk e-mails, and so I've listed some basic tips and links to other websites with more detailed information about spoof e-mails and other spam.

Junk e-mails can be divided into two categories. On the one hand there are unsolicited e-mails advertising everything from viagra to eternal life. They are more or less the digital equivalent of traditional junk mail. And then there are so-called 'spoof' or 'phishing' e-mails aimed at draining your bank account. These are the equivalent of postal scams, and - as is the case with old-fashioned scam mail - suprisingly little action is being taken against the criminals sending out these e-mails in their millions. Here is what you can do to reduce spam and to fight back against dodgy marketeers and scammers.

Never reply to spam e-mails

If you reply to a junk e-mail you are basically telling the sender that your e-mail address exists and that you read unsolicited mail. Your address will be added to numerous e-mail lists, resulting in more unsolicited e-mails.

Sometimes a junk e-mail will say that you can unsubscribe from receiving further e-mails by replying to it. Never do this if you have not subscribed to receiving the e-mails in the first place; your e-mail will only be used to send you more spam.

Don't post your e-mail address on the internet

Posting your e-mail address on a blog, forum, or any other web page that can be viewed by the general public, is asking for junk mail. 'Address harvesters' will pick up your e-mail address in no time and in no time junk e-mails will come flooding in.

If you do really want to make your e-mail address public, write it in such a way that 'robots' can't understand it. For instance, instead of me@example.com write me [at] example [dot] com. Most humans will understand this, most robots won't. Don't underestimate robots though - if at all possible do not share your e-mail address with the rest of the world.

Open a separate e-mail account for junk e-mails

Keep one e-mail address for friends and relatives and another for registering with online services and buying things online. Never assume a website will not use your e-mail address to send you junk mail and/or share your e-mail address with others. Even if the website is trustworthy, if its database gets hacked your personal details will be in the hands of scammers.

Opening a second e-mail account is straightford, free, and saves you time dealing with junk messages. You will have to check your second e-mail account only once in a while, for instance to confirm that you do want to register with yet another social networking website.

Don't forward chain e-mails

It is good 'netiquette' never to forward chain e-mails. To some people it will come as a surprise, but many people hate getting junk e-mails. No matter how 'funny', 'cute' or 'inspiring' chain e-mail might be for you, there are millions of people out there who don't like having their inbox littered with the latest jokes and hoaxes. Apart from being annoying (which they are) chain e-mails can expose your e-mail addresses to spammers and other cyber criminals.

For the superstitious, chain e-mails cannot bring you fortune or cause bad luck, they will not make you rich and you will never get that luxury holiday you are being promised. They are lies; at best mischievous and at worst a virus hoax.

Finally, almost all virus alerts sent by e-mail are hoaxes. Unless the security warning comes from a legitimate anti-virus organisation to which you have signed up, you can be 99.9 per cent sure that the information is fraudulent. There is no point in forwarding the e-mail to anyone. If a virus alert does worry you, just check a reputable website.

Use anti-virus software

If your computer runs on Microsoft Windows you have to protect your computer by installing a solid anti-virus program. There are some good free anti-virus packages available, such as Avast and AVG.

A more drastic solution is to wipe Windows off your computer and install Linux instead. Linux operating systems such as Ubuntu are a lot more powerful than Windows and completely free. Read up at ubuntu.com.

Report spoof e-mails

Spoof e-mails are fraudulent e-mails appearing to come from a reliable source, such as a bank or building society. A spoof e-mail usually asks you to click on a link to confirm your bank account details or other sensitive information. This information will of course be used to drain your bank account.

Spoof or 'phishing' e-mails can look very legitimate. It is therefore good to remember that no bank will ever ask you to provide such details online.

If you receive a spoof e-mail, always report it. Most banks and building society's have a 'phishing' e-mail address to which you can forward the spoof e-mail; check the bank's website to find the address to forward the e-mail to.

In addition, you can help the fight against spoof e-mails by reporting it to millersmiles.co.uk. Miller Smiles is the internet's biggest archive of spoof e-mails and phishing scams. On their website you can also do a search to see if an e-mail you have received is indeed dodgy.

Further reading

The above list with tips for stopping – or rather preventing – junk e-mails is by no means exhaustive. There is a lot of information about spam available online. The following websites may be particularly useful:

• Card Watch raises awareness about all types of plastic card fraud in the UK and provides information to prevent fraudulent use of credit cards and debit cards.
• Get Safe Online is a website sponsored by government and leading businesses providing expert advice to protect you against internet threats.
• identitytheft.org.uk is a collaboration between government, financial bodies and the police to combat identity theft.
• Miller Smiles aims to raise awareness of scams and to be a weapon in the fight against criminals sending junk e-mails by making public detailed information about hundreds of thousands of spoof and phishing e-mails.
• Spamfo provides spam, fraud and phishing news and reviews.