Spam-proof your inbox and cellphone

— -- Spam is the bane of computer users everywhere, accounting for more than 90% of e-mail. And now, cellphones are getting spam.

There is no foolproof solution to spam, but you can banish most of it. You'll find links to software and sites mentioned on my site at www.komando.com/news.

Use a good e-mail filter

Your first line of defense is a spam filter. Filters screen incoming messages; spam is killed before it hits your inbox.

Good spam filters don't rely on sender information. Rather, they use Bayesian filters. These filters improve as you use them. I recommend a free filter like MailWasher, POPFile, Spamato, or SpamBayes.

Webmail providers usually have built-in spam filters. Make sure yours is activated. Tag spam that reaches your inbox to improve accuracy.

Choose e-mail addresses carefully

How do spammers get e-mail addresses? They buy mailing lists and harvest addresses from the Web.

You'll be surprised to learn that they also often just guess e-mail addresses. They use programs that combine simple words.

This means your e-mail address affects how much spam you get. Don't use a simple e-mail address like mary@emailprovider.com. This is easily guessed.

Instead, add numbers, underscores and other characters. Include a hobby to make the address more meaningful. For example, choose surfin.mary_63@emailprovider.com.

Watch the first letter of the e-mail address. Choose a letter that comes later in the alphabet. Addresses starting with letters at the beginning of the alphabet get more spam.

Use disposable addresses

Some providers offer disposable addresses. Create an address for a specific purpose. When a disposable address starts receiving spam, kill it.

You can also create multiple accounts. Use one for friends and family. Create a second account to use for online banking and the like. Don't use them for anything else.