Get a spam filter. Many Internet Service Providers (ISP's) now come with a spam filter. You can also purchase one or download one for free. Be aware, however, that the best filters still let some spam through.

Never reply directly to spam. Any reply, even requesting to deleted or removed from a mailing list, verifies to the spammer that your E-mail address is active. You may end up getting even more spam.

Do not open your spam. Some spam messages are programmed to notify the sender when the E-mail has been opened. Delete spam without opening it.

Do not post your E-mail address on a website or in a newsgroup. Spammers use E-mail robots called mailbots to collect addresses from newsgroups and the Web.

Confuse spammers by using two E-mail accounts. Give your primary account to friends, family, and colleagues. Use the other account (such as Hotmail or Yahoo which are free) for mailing lists, shopping, newsgroups, or Web forms.

Check a Website's privacy policy before giving your E-mail address. Most often you can find a link to the company's privacy policy, which is usually located at the bottom of their web page. Be sure you can access the information to change or delete it from the company's database.

Screen spam. You can program your E-mail to filter out messages that have subject lines in all caps, or certain words like "unsubscribe, authenticated sender, or money fast" in subject lines.

Be skeptical of commercial E-mail. Don't believe promises from strangers. Most of the time, these are just old scams delivered through new technology.

Check out the following websites:

To file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection call: