Spam Filtering System

E-mail Spam has become a significant problem in terms of staff productivity loss and propagation of offensive material, with statistical data suggesting that more than 50% of all e-mails received are Spam.

The Spam filter will not delete any e-mails, Spam or otherwise.  It will simply add the text string "***SPAM***" to the beginning of the subject line of any e-mail determined to be Spam.  This is to ensure that no genuine e-mail is lost due to being incorrectly identified as Spam.

To fully implement this system, you are requested to implement a Microsoft Outlook rule that will cause all identified Spam e-mails to be automatically deposited into a folder named "Junk E-mail".  Please contact the ICT Service Desk to request a copy of the rule.The files in the next paragraph contain instructions on the steps that you should follow to implement these rules. 

If you are using Outlook XP (2002), please read the attached PDF document* Outlook XP Spam Filtering Instructions for instructions.  Conversely, if you are using Outlook 2003, please read the PDF document* Outlook 2003 Spam Filtering Instructions.  If you are not sure which version of Microsoft Outlook you are using, choose Help>About Microsoft Office Outlook from the Outlook menu bar and note the version displayed at the top of the About Microsoft Outlook dialog box.  For those who do not use Microsoft Outlook as their e-mail reader or who use Linux or Mac OS, please contact your ICT Service Desk for assistance in setting up the required filters.

Please be aware that no spam filter is 100% accurate at detecting Spam e-mails.  Just as it is possible for genuine e-mails to occasionally be identified as Spam, there will be instances of Spam getting through the filter.  Also, e-mails in the "Junk E-mail" folder should be regularly cleared to avoid exceeding mail storage quotas.  Please report any problems to the ICT Service Desk.