Protecting Yourself From Spam

Avoiding Spam Blocking Images Blocking Specific Addresses

Blocking Images

Most of the images sent in emails are HTML graphics, which are files that are downloaded from a remote computer. BT Yahoo! Mail allows you to prevent these images from loading when you open a message containing them.

This is a good idea for several reasons:

  • The images in a message may be offensive.
  • Spam with HTML images can contain web beacons, invisible tags that notify the spammer when you open the message and indicate that your email address is active.

If you’re sure that the images in a particular message are safe, you can always choose to see them.

Note that even with HTML image blocking turned on, some images can still appear in your email. These include:

  • Images outside of the email messages, such as navigational, informational, and advertising images.
  • Images that are sent as attachments, which appear in the attachments area.

    Example of a message with an image attachment


Tip: Other types of images, such as photos sent by your friends will not be blocked. The above options apply to HTML graphics only.

 

Here’s How

  1. In a browser, go to your BT Yahoo! Mail page.

  2. In the upper-right corner of the page, click the Options link.

    Click the Options link.

    The Mail Options page appears.

  3. Under the Spam topic on the Mail Options page, click the Spam Protection link.

    Tip: The first time you access Spam Protection, BT Yahoo! Mail takes you through the Spam Setup wizard. When you access Spam Protection after your initial setup, you see one page titled Spam Protection. The following steps describe this page.

  4. In the Image Blocking section of the Spam Protection page, select one of the options:

    Select one of the image blocking options.

    • Don’t block any images—When you open a message, all images that it contains are downloaded. (We don’t recommend this option.)

    • Block images in messages that SpamGuard thinks are spam—When you open a message that SpamGuard has routed to the Bulk folder, none of the images that the message contains are downloaded. Images in messages routed to other folders are downloaded when you open the messages.

    • Block all images until I’ve had a chance to look it over—When you open a message, none of the images that it contains are downloaded. If you believe the message is safe, you can unblock the images in the message to view them.

  5. Click the Save Changes button to save your image blocking setting.

 

What’s Next

When image blocking is turned on, each HTML image in email messages that you receive is replaced with a gray box. The footer at the bottom of the message indicates that the images are blocked and includes a Show HTML Graphics link. Click this link to see the original graphics.

Example of a blocked image displayed as a grey box within a messageEnlarge

Each grey box is replaced with the corresponding image and the message footer changes.

Example of an unblocked image displayed within a messageEnlarge

You can turn image blocking off at any time by repeating the steps above and selecting the Don’t block any images option.

Help Topics


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Words to Know

  • Attachment: a separate file included as part of an email message; for example, a multimedia or document file.
  • Bulk folder: a permanent folder that SpamGuard Plus uses to hold messages it identifies as spam.
  • Download: to transfer a file from a remote computer to your computer.
  • Spam: unsolicited email on the Internet; also called "junk mail".
  • Spammer: someone who sends spam.