You’ll still get spam even after changing addresses. It’s not just junk—it’s forged senders, compromised accounts, and thin filters. You can cut most of it with DNS authentication, tuned filters, automation, and better user habits. Keep going and I’ll show the concrete steps to stop it.
Why You Still Get Spam
Even if you’ve tightened your settings, you’ll still get spam because your address can be harvested, bought, leaked, or faked. You’ll encounter scraped addresses from websites, forums, and social profiles; bots crawl and collect them automatically.
Companies and data brokers sell lists, and breaches expose stored emails, so you’ll receive messages from sources you never contacted. Spammers also spoof sender names and reply-to fields, making mails look legitimate even when they’re not.
Automated services can generate valid-looking addresses by guessing common formats. Finally, forwarding, shared accounts, and public posts increase exposure.
You can’t stop every unsolicited message, but understanding these routes helps you prioritize filters, report abuses, and minimize future leaks. Use unique emails for sites, unsubscribe when legitimate, and review app permissions regularly.
Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Because spammers can spoof senders and exploit leaked lists, you’ll want to put email authentication in place: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to prove messages really come from you.
Start by publishing an SPF record listing authorized sending IPs in your DNS so receivers can reject forged sources.
Next, enable DKIM signing in your mail server to add a cryptographic signature that recipients verify with your public key.
Finally, create a DMARC policy that instructs receivers how to handle unauthenticated messages and where to send reports. Set DMARC to monitoring first, review reports to fix issues, then enforce quarantine or reject.
Keep keys secure, rotate them periodically, and update DNS when changing providers. Document settings and test after every change to ensure delivery.
Configure and Train Spam Filters
Tuning your spam filters starts with choosing the right mix of techniques—rule-based checks, reputation services, and machine-learning classifiers—and setting clear actions for quarantine, tagging, or rejection.
Configure thresholds so you’re balancing false positives and missed spam, and create separate policies for inbound, internal, and high-risk accounts.
Use whitelists, blacklists, and domain rules sparingly; prefer reputation scores and content analysis.
Train classifiers with labeled samples, feedback loops from users, and periodic retraining to adapt to new campaigns.
Monitor filter logs and quarantine regularly, adjust rules when you see patterns, and document changes.
Automate safe handling for bulk mail and suspend dangerous attachments.
Keep updates current and test changes in staging before wide rollout.
Review metrics weekly and train users to report missed spam promptly too.
Spot and Avoid Phishing Attempts
How do you spot a phishing email? Check the sender’s address—if it’s slightly off or uses a public domain, don’t trust it.
Watch for urgent language, threats, or promises that push you to click. Hover over links to reveal real URLs; don’t click if the domain is unfamiliar or mismatched.
Inspect attachments and don’t open unexpected files, especially .exe, .zip, or macros-enabled documents. Look for poor grammar, generic greetings, and inconsistent branding.
Verify requests for credentials or payments by contacting the organization through official channels, not via the email’s contact details. Use multifactor authentication so stolen passwords aren’t enough.
When in doubt, delete the message or report it to your email provider—better safe than sorry. Keep security tools updated and review suspicious emails regularly.
Policies, Automation, and Employee Training
When you align clear email policies with automated defenses and ongoing employee training, you’ll create a practical, repeatable way to reduce spam and phishing risk.
Define acceptable use, attachment rules, and reporting steps so everyone knows what to do.
Deploy spam filters, DKIM, SPF, and DMARC to block forged mail and automate quarantines; keep rules updated and monitor logs.
Train staff regularly with short, scenario-based sessions and phishing simulations, then share results and corrective guidance.
Assign an incident responder and a simple reporting channel so suspicious messages get fast attention.
Review policies quarterly, update automation settings based on threats, and measure outcomes with metrics like false positives, incident counts, and time-to-detect to keep defenses effective.
Make improvement a habit and communicate changes organization-wide regularly.
Conclusion
You can cut most spam by combining DNS authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), well-trained spam filters, and clear automation rules that quarantine or delete suspicious messages. Train users to spot phishing, use aliases, and enable multifactor authentication, and you’ll reduce account compromise. Regularly monitor quarantines, update rules, and enforce policies so your inbox and team stay protected. Stay proactive, and you’ll keep spam—and its risks—far lower. Review metrics monthly to improve and act on trends promptly.