Filtering Out Junk E-Mail

Protection Level

The new Junk E-mail Filter replaces rules used in previous versions of Outlook to filter e-mail messages. The Junk E-Mail filter is on by default with the protection level set to Low to catch the most obvious junk e-mail. Messages identified as junk e-mail are moved to a special Junk E-Mail folder for review. To change the protection level, go to Tools>Options. On the Preferences tab, click on the Junk E-Mail button as shown.

This opens the following window where you can choose a higher level of protection on the Options tab .

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Notice that there is the option you can check to “Permanently delete suspected junk e-mail instead of moving it to the Junk E-mail folder.”

Filter Lists

The Junk E-Mail filter consists of lists and automatic analysis of message content and structure. There are five Junk E-Mail Filter Lists accessed under Tools>Options>Junk E-mail Options or by right-clicking on a message and choosing Junk E-mail to access the submenu options to add senders to different lists:

The Safe Senders List, those you want to receive e-mail from, includes by default e-mail addresses in the Global Address Book and your Contacts list as well as people you correspond with regularly through the “Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List” check box (this option is only available if you have Office 2003 Service Pack 1).

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If the filter mistakenly marks a message as junk, you can add the sender to the Safe Senders List by clicking on the Add button (as shown above). It brings up the following dialog box in which you enter the address not to be treated as junk e-mail.

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Also, you can mark a message as not junk by right-clicking on any messages in the Junk E-mail folder, pointing to Junk E-mail on the shortcut menu, and then clicking Mark as Not Junk (as shown below).

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Messages marked as not junk are moved to your Inbox or to the folder they were previously in. If you have more than one e-mail account, the message will be moved to the Inbox or folder of the active e-mail account. When you mark a single message as not junk, you are prompted to add the sender or mailing list name to your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients List.

The Safe Recipients List is for mailing lists or distribution lists you belong to. You should add these names to this list so messages sent to these addresses will never be treated as junk e-mail, regardless of the content.
The Blocked Senders List contains e-mail addresses to be treated as junk and moved to the Junk E-mail folder (just click on the “Blocked Senders” tab and select “Add” as shown below or by right-clicking on the message and on the shortcut menu pointing to Junk E-mail and clicking Add Sender to Blocked Senders List).

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The Blocked Top-Level Domains List enables you to block e-mail addresses from specific countries using country codes since e-mail addresses often end with these codes such as bsmith@barnes.us.

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Blocked Encodings List enables you to block all e-mail addresses in a specific language encoding or character set. Use this to filter out unwanted international e-mail in languages you don’t understand.

Block Images

You might want to block images in HTML messages that spammers use as Web Beacons--graphic images linked to external Web servers placed in HTML-formatted messages. Such images are used to verify that your e-mail address is valid. This happens when the message is opened and images downloaded. By default, Outlook is set to block automatic picture downloads. To check automatic download settings, go to Tools>Options and click the Security tab. Then click “Change Automatic Download Settings.”

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Make sure the “Don’t download pictures or other content automatically in HTML e-mail” checkbox is selected.

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Automatic Processing

In addition, you might want to turn off automatic processing of meeting requests and read and delivery receipts since spammers sometimes use these to verify valid e-mail addresses. To turn off automatic processing of read and delivery receipts, go to Tools>Options and select the Preferences tab. Click on E-Mail Options. Then select the Tracking Options button to open the Tracking Options dialog box shown below. Deselect the option to "Always send a response" in responding to read receipt requests.

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To turn off automatic processing of meeting requests, go to Tools>Options and on the Preferences tab, select Calendar Options. Under Advanced Options, click Resource Scheduling and deselect the "Automatically accept meeting requests and process cancellations" checkbox.

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Return to Course Topics or go on to the next section on Using Rules to Filter E-Mail.

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	Filtering Out Junk E-Mail Protection Level The new Junk E-mail Filter replaces rules used in previous versions of Outlook to filter e-mail messages. The Junk E-Mail filter is on by default with the protection level set to Low to catch the most obvious junk e-mail. Messages identified as junk e-mail are moved to a special Junk E-Mail folder for review. To change the protection level, go to Tools>Options. On the Preferences tab, click on the Junk E-Mail button as shown. This opens the following window where you can choose a higher level of protection on the Options tab . Notice that there is the option you can check to “Permanently delete suspected junk e-mail instead of moving it to the Junk E-mail folder.” Filter Lists The Junk E-Mail filter consists of lists and automatic analysis of message content and structure. There are five Junk E-Mail Filter Lists accessed under Tools>Options>Junk E-mail Options or by right-clicking on a message and choosing Junk E-mail to access the submenu options to add senders to different lists: The Safe Senders List, those you want to receive e-mail from, includes by default e-mail addresses in the Global Address Book and your Contacts list as well as people you correspond with regularly through the “Automatically add people I e-mail to the Safe Senders List” check box (this option is only available if you have Office 2003 Service Pack 1). If the filter mistakenly marks a message as junk, you can add the sender to the Safe Senders List by clicking on the Add button (as shown above). It brings up the following dialog box in which you enter the address not to be treated as junk e-mail. Also, you can mark a message as not junk by right-clicking on any messages in the Junk E-mail folder, pointing to Junk E-mail on the shortcut menu, and then clicking Mark as Not Junk (as shown below). Messages marked as not junk are moved to your Inbox or to the folder they were previously in. If you have more than one e-mail account, the message will be moved to the Inbox or folder of the active e-mail account. When you mark a single message as not junk, you are prompted to add the sender or mailing list name to your Safe Senders or Safe Recipients List. To quickly mark a message as not junk, select it and then press CTRL+ALT+J, or click on the Standard toolbar. The Safe Recipients List is for mailing lists or distribution lists you belong to. You should add these names to this list so messages sent to these addresses will never be treated as junk e-mail, regardless of the content. The Blocked Senders List contains e-mail addresses to be treated as junk and moved to the Junk E-mail folder (just click on the “Blocked Senders” tab and select “Add” as shown below or by right-clicking on the message and on the shortcut menu pointing to Junk E-mail and clicking Add Sender to Blocked Senders List). To import existing lists of addresses to block, save the list as a text (.txt) file and then import the list by selecting the “Import from File” button (shown above). Specific address entries take precedence over domain name entries. You can block an entire domain but still receive mail from specific safe addresses on that domain by adding specific entries to the Safe Senders List. The Blocked Top-Level Domains List enables you to block e-mail addresses from specific countries using country codes since e-mail addresses often end with these codes such as bsmith@barnes.us. Blocked Encodings List enables you to block all e-mail addresses in a specific language encoding or character set. Use this to filter out unwanted international e-mail in languages you don’t understand. Block Images You might want to block images in HTML messages that spammers use as Web Beacons--graphic images linked to external Web servers placed in HTML-formatted messages. Such images are used to verify that your e-mail address is valid. This happens when the message is opened and images downloaded. By default, Outlook is set to block automatic picture downloads. To check automatic download settings, go to Tools>Options and click the Security tab. Then click “Change Automatic Download Settings.” Make sure the “Don’t download pictures or other content automatically in HTML e-mail” checkbox is selected. Automatic Processing In addition, you might want to turn off automatic processing of meeting requests and read and delivery receipts since spammers sometimes use these to verify valid e-mail addresses. To turn off automatic processing of read and delivery receipts, go to Tools>Options and select the Preferences tab. Click on E-Mail Options. Then select the Tracking Options button to open the Tracking Options dialog box shown below. Deselect the option to "Always send a response" in responding to read receipt requests. To turn off automatic processing of meeting requests, go to Tools>Options and on the Preferences tab, select Calendar Options. Under Advanced Options, click Resource Scheduling and deselect the "Automatically accept meeting requests and process cancellations" checkbox. Return to Course Topics or go on to the next section on Using Rules to Filter E-Mail.
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