Almost everyone with an email address has received spam. Spam is junk mail that is sent for a variety of reasons: to spread viruses, to do business, or just to annoy. Whatever the reason spam is sent, it is irritating and often dangerous to the person receiving it. How can you avoid getting spam, and once it’s there, how can you get rid of it and avoid a repeat?

The first step is to protect yourself. Make sure you’re using spam blockers, either offered by your email provider or you have to find one yourself. Also, make sure your computer has basic protection. If you receive an email virus, you want your computer to quickly take notice and deal with the situation. There is an uncountable amount of great free software available, or you can choose to purchase commercial protection. Just find a reliable system and don’t download the first thing you find or you’ll probably have another problem.

Now that you’re protected, check your email and look for a pattern in your spam. Is there a common theme (often there is) or does it all come from one place? One subject you may see in your spam includes a stranger offering you friendly greetings or needing your immediate attention. Spammers often use very generic names, like Mary Smith, who sends you her best wishes, or big names that grab your attention, like Ban Ki Moon, who requires your signature on a very large check. If you don’t know the name of a personal email or the subject line sounds too good to be true, don’t open it. It’s probably spam, and opening it will probably lead to more.

If you find that a website you’ve signed up for is spamming you too much, scroll to the bottom of the email and look for an unsubscribe link and let them know you’re not interested. Whether you find one or not, block the sender.

Most emails will allow users to create custom filters for incoming mail. These vary by provider, but generally allow users to set specific guidelines for how they want their mail to be classified. For example, someone who works at a law firm might send all messages with their firm’s name to a file. This can be used to triage potential spam if your account doesn’t already have a good spam filter. If you have an automatic spam filter or have set one up yourself, be sure to use it. When you receive a spam email, be sure to alert your email account that it is spam instead of just deleting it. This will help automatically classify future emails.

Sometimes it is useful to have an additional email account. Dangerous spam can take over your email and automatically send messages to your contacts without your consent or knowledge. Signing up for a free account and adding yourself as a contact will quickly alert you by sending you automated emails that your contacts may be seeing, some more embarrassing than others. This way, quick action can be taken to prevent future instances.

Probably the most important rule about spam that everyone should follow is simply don’t open it and certainly don’t reply. Opening a suspicious message can lead to an account takeover, virus, and of course, more spam. So unless you know that Nigerian prince personally, just block him, send him to the spam folder, and walk away.