When you press "Report Spam" in Outlook, it performs several actions to help protect you and other users from unwanted and potentially harmful emails. Here's what happens when you report an email as spam in Outlook:
Moves the Email to Junk Folder: The email you reported as spam is immediately moved to your Junk Email folder. This action helps keep your inbox clean by segregating suspicious or unwanted emails from legitimate ones.
Trains the Junk Mail Filter: Reporting an email as spam helps train Outlook's spam filter to identify similar spam messages in the future. The filter analyzes various aspects of the reported email, such as sender, subject, content, and other factors, to improve its ability to identify and block spam emails for all users.
Helps Protect Other Users: When you report an email as spam, you contribute to the collective effort in protecting other Outlook users. The reported email's characteristics are analyzed by Microsoft's systems to identify patterns and signatures commonly associated with spam, phishing attempts, or other malicious activities. This information is used to enhance the spam filters and provide better protection to all users.
Assists in Identifying Emerging Threats: By reporting spam, you play a role in identifying and combating emerging threats, such as new types of phishing attacks or spam campaigns. The reported emails help security teams and systems analyze the latest tactics used by spammers and scammers, allowing for proactive measures to be taken to prevent such threats.
It's important to note that while reporting an email as spam helps improve the spam filter's accuracy, it doesn't guarantee immediate blocking of similar emails. The effectiveness of spam filtering may vary, and some spam messages may still occasionally reach your inbox.