Tips for email safety

Follow these tips to keep yourself and your devices safe from malware and criminal attempts.

How to mark a message as spam on your CenturyLink webmail

Confidential or sensitive information such as passwords, bank account numbers, and social security numbers should NEVER be sent by email. CenturyLink, PayPal, and your bank are examples of companies that will never ask for personal information in an email. If you get a request like this, it is a scam. Mark the message a spam and delete it.

Never open an attachment within an email from a company or person you don't know or that you were not expecting. Attachments can contain viruses, which can seriously damage your computer. Move these emails to your spam folder.

Replying to, clicking on links within, or even attempting to unsubscribe from spam emails typically only informs the sender that they have found an active email address to which they'll send more spam emails. Instead, report the message as spam using your email provider's instructions. See the first tip for CenturyLink.net email.

Spam filters help you keep spam emails from your inbox or flag spam emails so that you are aware of them. Depending on the software and configuration, some spam filters can automatically eliminate junk emails and block web bugs that track your activity and system information. CenturyLink email accounts come with built-in spam filtering.

Unsolicited bulk email messages can fill up your mailbox and become extremely frustrating. To avoid this:

We highly recommended that you install and maintain good and well-respected anti-virus software on your computer to prevent infection. Scan all email attachments with an anti-virus program before downloading, even if they come from someone you know.

It's recommended to change your passwords at least every 60 days, particularly if you currently view and manage your email on a public computer. Use a mix of letters and numbers, as those passwords are harder to break. The password should not be easy to guess. Never share your password with anyone.

When you're connected to a public and open WiFi network, there is increased potential for hackers to access your accounts. It's best to avoid connecting to these networks entirely. If you do connect, don't sign into any accounts with sensitive information stored.