How should I deal with pornographic spam emails and harmful or illegal web content?

Unfortunately a large percentage of spam emails contain pornographic or disturbing images. While this is distasteful, it may not be illegal, and, therefore, there is often nothing the UK police can do.

If you receive spam of this nature, never open the email or use any offered 'unsubscribe' facility. This simply tells the sender that they have a valid email address, which they will use again.

If you believe that the spam (or the URLs that it refers to) contains illegal material, e.g. child pornography, then this should be reported to the Internet Watch Foundation (of which BT is a member). They will take the matter up and deal with their counterparts all round the world.

You will find details of how to make a report on the Internet Watch Foundation website. If you feel unhappy giving your personal details, you may report the matter anonymously.

More information can be found on our Abuse Guidance website.

If you believe you are receiving spam from a BT Openworld or BT Yahoo! customer, or from our network, you may report them

BT Yahoo! Anti-Spam Resource Centre

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