Spammers have become more and more clever over the years. Sometimes just opening a spam e-mail will alert the spammer that you have responded. This of course results in getting even more spam. You can set your e-mail to block images and even links. This will thwart some of the alerts the spammer receives.
However, the best response is no response. Simply delete the spam without even a backward glance. If you never open the spam e-mail, then they can’t be certain that your e-mail address is even valid. Set your email to dump out your bulk folder every so often. Move spam e-mail that reaches your in-box to the bulk folder. As long as you don’t open the e-mail, your address remains unconfirmed and the spam will eventually slow down or stop altogether.
Do not be fooled by the small link at the bottom that says “click here to opt out” this is another method spammers use to confirm your address is valid.