How to Safely Unsubscribe From Unwanted Emails (Without Getting Scammed)

Many people are afraid to click the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of emails. They worry it will confirm their email address to scammers or open a virus. That instinct is smart — but it only applies to a small category of emails. Knowing when it's safe to unsubscribe, versus when you should delete and report the email, is a useful skill that keeps your inbox cleaner.

It's safe to click "Unsubscribe" when the email is from a company you recognize and have done business with — a store you shop at, a newsletter you signed up for, a bank or insurance company, or a website you use. Legitimate companies are required by law (the CAN-SPAM Act) to include a working unsubscribe link, and clicking it really does remove you from their list within 10 business days. Gmail also has its own unsubscribe button at the top of many promotional emails. Clicking the "Unsubscribe" link right next to the sender's name in Gmail is very safe. It works through Google's own systems.

Do NOT click unsubscribe if the email claims to be from a government agency (the IRS, Social Security, or Medicare don't send mass promotional emails), comes from a sender you don't recognize at all, has spelling errors or asks you to "confirm your email to unsubscribe," or was already sitting in your Spam folder. For those emails, mark them as spam and delete them instead.