The best way to avoid unwanted e-mail (also known as spam) is to protect the privacy of your e-mail address. This article offers a tactic for filtering unwanted messages using header information once your address has become known to those who send mass mailings. For more information about techniques for handling unwanted messages, see the Unwanted E-mail at Virginia Tech page.(http://www.computing.vt.edu/email_and_calendaring/vt_mail/unwantedemail.html)

The Virginia Tech mail servers tag all incoming e-mail that they suspect to be unsolicited messages (also known as spam) with a special header string beginning with "X-Junkmail" or "X-JunkMail".

To filter messages with this header:

• Create a new folder.
• Using the Rules and Alerts tool, create a rule that puts messages with that header into the new folder.

To create a rule that will filter unwanted e-mail messages, do the following:

1. From the File menu, select New.
2. Select the Folder... option.
3. In the Name text box, type a name for the folder.
4. From the Folder contains: drop-down list, select Mail and Post Items.
5. Select where you would like to place the folder.
6. Click OK.
7. From the Tools menu, select Rules and Alerts....
8. Click on the New Rule... button.
9. Select the Start from a blank rule radio button.
10. Select Check messages when they arrive.
11. Click Next.
12. In the Which condition(s) do you want to check? list, place a check in the with specific words in the message header check box.
13. In the Edit the rule description (click an underlined value) box, click on the specific words link.
14. In the Specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header: text box, type: X-Junkmail:
15. Click on the Add button.
16. In the Specify a word or phrase to search for in the message header:text box, type: X-JunkMail:
    Note: Be sure to capitalize the letter "M". This distinguishes this rule from the first rule you created.

17. Click on the Add button.
18. Click OK.
19. Click Next.
20. In the What do you want to do with this message? list, place a check in the move it to the specified folder check box.
21. In the Edit the rule description (click an underlined value) box, click the specified link.
22. From the Choose a folder: list, select the folder you created.
23. Click OK.
24. Click Finish.
25. From the Rule list, select the rule you just created.
26. Click on the Move Down arrow until the rule is at the bottom of the list.
27. Click OK.
    Important: Be sure to check the contents of your junk mail folder before deleting the e-mail messages. The mail system's spam filters may sometimes mark messages that you wish to receive as junk mail.