Most people treat spam as an inevitable part of online life; something to be cleaned up after it arrives, rather than something to prevent entirely. But a simple shift in approach can keep your inbox almost spotless from day one. One of the most effective tools for this is masked email.

What Is Masked Email?

A masked email address is an alias that forwards messages to your real inbox. The sender never sees your actual email address, and you can deactivate the alias at any time.

Think of it like having a decoy phone number for situations where you want to stay reachable without revealing your personal contact information.

Why It Works for Spam Prevention

Spam usually starts with your address being shared, sold, or leaked. If you use the same address for everything, one breach can open the floodgates. With masked email:

• Every site or service gets a unique address
• You know exactly where spam is coming from
• You can shut down the alias instantly, cutting off all unwanted messages

Instead of filtering spam after it reaches you, masked email stops it at the source.

Setting Up a Masked Email

1. Choose a trusted service – Look for providers with strong privacy policies and instant alias deletion.
2. Generate a new alias – Some services let you create one with a single click in your browser or email app.
3. Assign it to one use case – For example, one alias for online shopping, another for newsletters.
4. Forward to your main inbox – Messages still reach you, but the sender never sees your true address.

Strategic Uses for Masked Emails

Newsletters and Subscriptions - Sign up with a dedicated alias. If the newsletter's list gets shared or sold, you can delete the alias without affecting other emails.

One-Time Downloads or Trials - Avoid tying short-term activities to your main address. If spam starts arriving, the alias can be dropped in seconds.

E-commerce Accounts - Use a unique alias for each store. This makes it easy to trace where marketing emails originate.

Online Communities and Forums - Forums can be prime targets for email harvesting. Masked addresses keep your real one safe if the site's database is compromised.

Monitoring for Leaks

Because each alias is unique, masked emails give you a built-in tracking system. If an alias created only for a single store suddenly starts receiving unrelated offers, you know exactly who leaked your address.

This kind of transparency isn't possible when you reuse the same inbox everywhere.

How to Kill a Mask

One of the best parts about masked emails is the control. You can:

• Delete the alias completely – Stops all messages instantly
• Pause the alias – Blocks incoming mail temporarily
• Redirect to a spam folder – Keep the alias but avoid inbox clutter

This flexibility means spam doesn't have to be a long-term problem.

Tools to Try

Several services make masked email simple and fast. Popular options include SimpleLogin, Firefox Relay, and Proton Mail's alias feature. Newer services like GetBurnerEmail are focused on speed and minimal setup, making them ideal for quick sign-ups with temporary emails.

Bringing Burner Emails Into the Mix

While masked email is great for long-term inbox hygiene, burner emails shine when you need short-term protection with no strings attached. They work perfectly for single-use registrations, public Wi-Fi logins, or testing new services where you might not return.

By combining masked email for ongoing accounts with burner emails for one-off interactions, you create a two-tier system that shuts spam out before it starts — and keeps it out for good.

This layered approach means your primary inbox stays safe, your online footprint remains minimal, and you're always in control of who gets to reach you.