help with email spam

user_vmjj8n Hello and thank you for reaching out via our Xfinity Community Forums. I can certainly understand how frustrating it is to feel like you’re playing a game of "whack-a-mole" with spam. It’s exhausting to set up filters only to have them bypassed by a single character change in a sender's name. I would be happy to help you find a more permanent way to reclaim your inbox! Since these spammers are constantly changing the part of the address before the "@" symbol, blocking individual addresses won't be effective. Instead, we want to look for patterns that stay the same.

Here are a few more effective strategies to help you block these:

1. Use "Domain" Filtering
Instead of filtering for a specific person (e.g., randomname123@hotmail.com), you can set a filter for the entire domain. However, because you likely receive legitimate emails from Hotmail users, you shouldn't block all of @hotmail.com. Instead, look for common keywords in the subject line or body of these specific spam emails.

2. Filter by "Header" or Keywords
In your filter settings, instead of using "From Sender," try using these conditions:

* Subject contains: If they all use a specific word (like "Winner," "Invoice," or "Urgent"), add those to a discard rule.

* Body contains: If the text inside the email always mentions a specific link or phrase, you can set the action to "Discard" whenever that phrase appears.

3. Change your Filter Action
Sometimes "Discard" allows the system to think the email was successfully delivered, which encourages the spammer to send more. If your email provider allows it, try setting the action to "Mark as Spam" or "Move to Junk." This helps the "intelligent" spam filters learn the patterns of these emails so it can eventually block them automatically for everyone.

4. Use "Exclusive" or "Safe Senders" Mode (The Nuclear Option)
If the spam becomes truly unbearable, most email providers have an "Exclusive" setting.

* This only allows emails from people in your Contacts or Safe Senders list to reach your inbox.

* Everything else goes straight to Junk. This is very effective, but you’ll need to check your Junk folder occasionally to make sure you didn't miss a legitimate new contact.

 

Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.