Safely stop unwanted and unsolicited emails and texts

APPLE MACS. In the Mail app on a Mac, open the program and choose MAIL | SETTINGS | JUNK MAIL, then verify that ENABLE JUNK MAIL FILTERING is selected. OTHER PLATFORMS. Spam-filter tweaks

may appear in Settings or Options. Sometimes this is a slider for you to move from MEDIUM to STRONG. The more aggressive the spam filter, the better chance legitimate emails will get flagged

as junk. You should scan your spam folder regularly for anything you want to save. Some programs allow you to move legitimate mail to your inbox for safekeeping, and it learns which

bulk-email senders are valuable to you. To block an unknown texter on an iPhone, you must navigate through three screens to Block this Caller and then confirm that you wish to Block Contact.

AARP SOME EMAIL APPLICATIONS DO THE WORK FOR YOU Your email program may detect spam correspondence or text messages on its own.   APPLE MAIL. A small tab should pop up at the top of an

email when you’ve opened it, asking if you want to UNSUBSCRIBE. GMAIL. Use the UNSUBSCRIBE link next to the subject line in your email inbox. If it’s not there, click the THREE VERTICAL DOTS

⋮ | UNSUBSCRIBE. MICROSOFT OUTLOOK. Outlook gives an option to UNSUBSCRIBE at the top of an opened email that’s detected to be sent to multiple people. Or you can mark it to REPORT messages

as junk or phishing. YAHOO! MAIL. On the website, look for VIEWS on the left-hand side | SUBSCRIPTIONS | UNSUBSCRIBE. On the Yahoo! Mail app, tap SUBSCRIPTIONS at the bottom of the screen

to unsubscribe. HOW TO AVOID SPAM ALTOGETHER 1. Create a free email address separate from your personal or professional one to sign up for loyalty points, newsletters or promotions. This

segregates marketing messages from your other inboxes. 2. Install anti-malware software, which you should have anyway, as an extra line of defense from unwanted messages. 3. Investigate

services that help you stop subscriptions, which give you more control and options, such as batch unsubscribing. Popular ones include Clean Email, Leave Me Alone and Unroll.Me. 4. Stop

receiving unwanted texts from a legitimate business, such as a retailer, by texting back Stop or Unsubscribe. This usually does the trick. 5. Find out if your wireless carrier has free apps 

to detect robocalls, spam calls and spam texts. Examples are AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile’s Scam Shield and Verizon’s Call Filter. Other options include Nomorobo, Robokiller and

Truecaller. _This story, published May 2, 2022, was updated to reflect new instructions for email software programs and smartphone models._