Using GMail as a SPAM filter

We all get too much spam. Here's one way to stop almost all of it. We are going to use Gmail's spam filtering without being stuck with the gmail interface. All it requires is a gmail account (who doesn't have one of these?) and an unused email address (that doesn't already get spam). Who knows how long this will work for seeing that gmail is beta, but it works so well I am willing to chance it.

Step 1 Setup your gmail account

We'll assume that you have a GMail account and you know how to log into it. So, log in and go to "Settings". Click on the tab "Forwarding and POP". Select the radio button next to "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and enter your unused email address. Then choose "Trash Gmail's Copy" so this account's inbox doesn't fill up.

Note: Never use the email address that you entered for anything else. It should remain secret and away from direct spamming.

Comments

[robert.a.scheffler]

Not bad idea, but do you realize you could use thunderbird to read your gmail account(s) ?? You don't need to have a "secret" email account - just another way to get more spam when that account starts getting flooded without any spam protection. I have been using gmail for about 3 years now and have had only a couple (literally one or two) spam messages appear in my inbox.

[iman]

yea Ive been doing this 4 over a year I have two different emails one for friends and one for signing up for newsletters and stuff.

[Prometheus]

I got an easier way to do this. Try getting the right mail in the first place: www.hushmail.com free as long as you check in every 3 weeks. Gmail filters spam about as well as a screen door filters air. Try using the right provider in the first place. Used it 4 years, not one unsolicited mail ever, to this day. Enjoy

[ipontific8]

Nice hack for people that do not have a good spam filtering ISP. I have been doing this recently without even realizing the spam filter benefit was there!

[dchadwick]

It costs money (not much) but the mail provider I use actually has *better* filtering than gmail: fastmail.fm I think it's of the "spam assassin" variety, and I almost never ever have a spam message get through.

[rhett]

This is brilliant. It is really hard to set up a "spam assassin" type filter