Here is my end user anti spam strategy: get yourself at least two email addresses- one preferably from a free service such as hotmail (public) and the other from your isp (private). Use only the public address when registering for accounts/ products etc. and use your private address for friends, family and business (do not publish your private email address on any websites, use the public address or create a sub account with your isp for that). This way you can disregard 99% of the email going to your public address, pick out the emails you wish to keep and dump the rest.
Use outlook, not outlook express (MS users). Outlook 2003 has some very good spam filters built in. Make sure to update outlook regularly through microsoft updates (windows update site, top bar, office family button). Set up message filtering rules in outlook for any spam that still gets through (tools drop down, rules and alerts...if subject has "viagra, money, XXX" etc. send to deleted items).
If you do not have outlook get yourself a spam filter add in, Qurb is a good example, and let it help you.
A million thanks for the info!
It just sorta creeps up on you. When I was getting less than a hundred a day I figured it was more work to get filtering set up than it was to just delete the obvious spam. Then it kept creeping up and I kept adjusting to it, like the frog in the boiling water experiment from grade school.
It's gone from the ridiculous to the sublime and it's time to take some action!
Thanks for waking me up.