Block porn and adult spam before you see it

One day it just starts. Explicit subject lines, fake dating requests, and "someone nearby wants to meet" from a different address every time. It's embarrassing when it pops up on a shared screen, and it's worse when the kids use the same iPad.

The Spam Blocker catches adult spam and moves it out of your inbox before you see it. It can clear out what's already sitting in your spam folder too, and the sender is never told your address is real.

Block adult spam

Why you're getting it, and why it won't stop

You didn't do anything to cause this. Adult spam starts when your address ends up on a list, usually from a data breach, a scraped website, or a shady form you filled in years ago. Once it's on one list it gets sold to the next, and the volume climbs. We've written more about why it starts and why a partner might suddenly get it.

Unsubscribing makes it worse. Spammers put fake unsubscribe links in their emails to confirm your address is real and someone reads it. Click one and you've just proved you're worth emailing again.

Your mail provider's filter misses it because the spammers are built to beat it. They rotate through fresh domains every few days, put the words in an image so there's nothing to scan, and copy the layout of real dating and delivery emails. Blocking the sender only works until tomorrow's address.

How to stop it with Leave Me Alone

The Spam Blocker catches adult spam the moment it arrives and keeps it out of your inbox, even when it comes from a new address every time. It takes about a minute to set up.

1. Connect your email account to Leave Me Alone. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, and most other providers work.
2. Turn on the Spam Blocker. From then on, adult spam is moved to a blocked folder the moment it lands, before you or anyone else sees it.
3. Switch on Block adult content. It's a separate toggle, and you can turn on Also clear adult content out of my spam folder to tidy up what's already there.
4. Add a custom filter if you want belt and braces. Block any words, domains, or patterns you never want to see, and we'll catch them too.

Blocked email goes to a folder we own, not your provider's Spam or Junk folder. The sender never gets a report, never gets a bounce, and never learns that your address is live. That's the one thing that makes the volume go down over time.

Adult spam works a little differently from the rest. When you clear it out of your spam folder we move it to your Trash, so if you ever need one back, grab it there in your own mail app.

Block it now

What about the emails already in your inbox?

The Spam Blocker handles new mail from the moment you turn it on, and it can clear out the adult spam already sitting in your spam and junk folders. For anything else that's already there, don't click inside the emails, just delete them or leave them for the Spam Blocker's next pass.

If the flood came with a lot of other junk, run the Unsubscriber too. It lists every mailing list in your inbox and unsubscribes you from the real ones, so you can tell the difference between a shop you forgot about and a spammer pretending to be one. Our guide to stopping porn spam emails covers the manual route.

Your provider's filter vs the Spam Blocker

They work together. Your provider keeps catching the obvious stuff, and the Spam Blocker catches what's built to slip past it.

	Built-in filter	Spam Blocker
Spots spam by	Words and known senders	How the sender behaves
Same spammer, new domain	Gets through again	Blocked
Image-only emails	Nothing to scan	Still caught
Reports or bounces to the sender	Yes	Never, so your address looks dead
Custom block words and patterns	Sometimes, one rule at a time	Yes

FAQ

Why am I suddenly getting porn spam emails?

Your address was leaked or scraped and sold on. It's not a sign of anything you visited or signed up for. Data breaches are the most common cause, and once an address is on one list it gets passed around. We've written a longer answer on why it starts.

Should I unsubscribe from adult spam emails?

No. The unsubscribe link is usually fake and only confirms that a real person reads that address. The same goes for replying, clicking images, or opening links. The safest thing to do is block it before you see it.

Will this stop it appearing on my kids' devices?

If they read mail from the same account, yes. The Spam Blocker works on the mailbox itself, so blocked emails are moved out of the inbox before any device shows them. Kids with their own address can be protected the same way by connecting that account.

Does it report the sender?

No. Blocked email is moved to a separate blocked folder in your account. Your provider never gets a report, and the sender gets no bounce or confirmation. To them your address looks dead, which is what you want.

Does it delete anything?

Most blocked mail stays in your blocked folder until you clear it, and you can rescue anything that shouldn't be there. Adult spam is the exception: when you clear it out of your spam folder we move it to your Trash, so grab it from there in your own mail app if you ever need it back.

How does it catch spam from a brand new domain?

Spammers switch to a fresh address every few days to dodge your provider's filter. The Spam Blocker still catches adult spam from an address it's never seen before, so a new domain doesn't buy them anything.

Can I block specific words?

Yes. Custom filters let you block by sender, domain, subject, or pattern. Add the words you never want to see and we'll catch them even if the classifier misses one.

How much does it cost?

The Spam Blocker is included in every Leave Me Alone plan.