topic Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com in Email

how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

bladerunnerplus — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 14:35:57 GMT

Hello, I couldn't find anything in the help to anwser this...

I make wide use of email aliases (if i have the terminology correct?) , i.e. me@myusername.plus.com, or thedog@myusername.plus.com, completegobbledegook@myusername.plus.com e.t.c.

I am getting spam emails sent to one of them - shop@myusername.plus.com.

The company "shop" itself is no longer in business

They are being sent from lots of different email addresses

some are getting antivirus warnings if I just delete them which is concerning!

I can do a "block sender" for these individually which is doable but very tedious

Q) Is there any way for Plusnet to block emails sent to a specific email alias?

or something I can do in settings in outlook? I'm using Outlook 2019

Thanks for taking a look

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

Dan_the_Van — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 16:15:13 GMT

@bladerunnerplus

With Outlook you should be able to setup up a rule to move defined 'To' emails to a defined folder, right click an email in the inbox. In the past I have defined Trash/Bin

There is this guide https://www.plus.net/help/email-guides/spam-protection-guide/ in the help section.

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

mwwagain — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 22:30:35 GMT

How about just deleting the alias, do you need it at all ?

You could edit the forwarder to a webmail only box and just ignore it and clean out once a year

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

DerekW — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:10:55 GMT

@mwwagain wrote:

How about just deleting the alias, do you need it at all ?

@bladerunnerplus This

If you only used this alias for that one shop which has now gone out of business then just delete the alias.

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 06:54:19 GMT

My think is @bladerunnerplus has setup 'Catch All' in 'Manage My Mail' control panel.

This makes any email addressed to @accountname.plus.com to be move to a specific Mail Inbox.

This is handy to collect email for many addresses, without needing to add each address individually.

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

MisterW — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 07:07:58 GMT

@bladerunnerplus

If you only used this alias for that one shop which has now gone out of business then just delete the alias.

To follow on from that and address the problem of a catch all as @Dan_the_Van says

You can stop all mail to that alias as follows:

Delete the alias

Create a redirect for that address and set the destination to blackhole

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

mwwagain — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 11:47:32 GMT

I vaguely recall an option to set an address as :blackhole: and that 'forwarder' took precedence over a catch-all which is last in the queue of actions.

Not sure if it still works, or given Greenby is imminent would still work then

I think the order goes:

Is it for a mailbox address ? Y - send it there

Is it for a forwarder address ? Y - send it there

Is it for :blackhole: ? - Y - delete

Is there a catch-all ? - Y - Send it there

Delete anyway (or bounce ??)

Feel free to correct if that is not right

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

Townman — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:32:16 GMT

It works like this...

Is the mailbox-name@ specified explicitly in the email configuration?
1. If a mailbox - deliver to mail box
2. If an alias - deliver to alias target
3. If a redirect - redirect to redirection address - that can be blackhole@abuse.plus.com
Is CATCHALL enabled?
1. Yes - deliver to the CATCH ALL mailbox
2. No - reject delivery with address does not exist NDR

You have wisely used distinct email addresses for each <shop> you have done business with (I do the same), therefore...

If you have an explicit mailbox or alias for mailbox-name@ - delete it
Create a redirect for mailbox-name@ to blackhole@abuse.plus.com

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

bladerunnerplus — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:11:57 GMT

Sorry not to get back to this sooner, bad dose of life-itis I'm afraid.

Thanks to all who have taken time to look and assist, much appreciated.

I managed to find the settings eventually,

"manage account details" in the purple banner or 'manage account' tab, and then an innocuous hyperlink "manage your plusnet mailboxes" at the bottom of the manage account - could be clearer!

Yes I do indeed have 'Catch All' ON in 'Manage My Mail' control panel.

Mailbox tab : has myname@myname.plus.com (Catch all) (default)

Aliases tab : has nothing set up

Redirects tab : has nothing set up

Spam tab : should spam filtering be enabled = NO

[ we had problems receiving any emails from an essential source and had to turn it off - they just weren't arriving at all ]

'Catch All' tab : Catch all status = ON

Apologies my terminology looks to be wrong / misleading etc. as I feared in OP

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

bladerunnerplus — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:19:51 GMT

Sorry I goofed and pressed the wrong button here,

mwwagain suggestion is not the fix.

ah, worked out how to change fix to not fixed !

Ignore this post !!!

Re: how to stop spam arriving for one email alias address - e.g. alias@myusername.plus.com

Townman — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 07:39:46 GMT

The fix is either post #6 or #8…

If you do not want to receive ANY email sent to shop@youraccount.plus.com then configure the address shop@ as a redirect to the Plusnet black hole.