Spam Control

We process SPAM in three phases based on source, content and structure of each message:

• Incoming messages to the post office [POP3 Server] which are clearly SPAM are logged and immediately deleted


• If a message is likely SPAM a 'SPAM Header' is inserted in the message header noting the type of SPAM indicator found: X-IMAIL-SPAM-....


• Each message is sorted into a user's incoming email boxes based on rules [filters] set up via the web interface described on the eMail page.

You can process your SPAM email in two ways:

• In your incoming email box [see above] you can set filters based on the 'SPAM Header' and delete or redirect SPAM; this can be done using our 'web mail' interface. This keeps the email from reaching your personal computer, but no virus checking is done at this level.


• On your personal computer you can also set filters based on the 'SPAM Header' and delete or redirect SPAM and check for virus laden attachments

The very small down-side of this process is that valid email from companies who use email servers [SMTP Server] which are not properly configured may be lost. In the past two months we have found some common mistakes made and do not delete those messages from our personal email. For example, email from SENATE.GOV does not provide a valid response when asked if the email is from them and we insert a header called X-IMAIL-SPAM-VALHELO.

Our personal filter is set to accept such messages, but places them in a 'SPAM' folder instead of our INBOX on our personal computer. That way we do not lose them.

If this all sounds complicated, it can be. Some customers have the time to learn how to set up filters and rules. Others simply do not have the time. For this latter group we offer the following service levels beyond the three phases noted above:

• Level 1 - Set up rules to delete messages which are highly likely to be SPAM [~85%]; messages which have more than one 'SPAM Header' inserted - $75


• Level 2 - Includes Level 1 and set up a rule to redirect messages to a SPAM mailbox for messages with only two 'SPAM Headers' inserted [~10%]; this mailbox can be checked by the user via our 'web mail' interface and the user can create additional processing rules to accept messages from know reliable sources [we provide setup training via phone] - $75


• Level 3 - Includes Level 2 and we do the processing and rule setup based on identifying likely valid messages which we verify with the user and set the rules accordingly - $150

This sounds like a lot of work, but the 'SPAMMERS' are working just as hard to stay ahead. For our personal email we have reduced the incoming SPAM messages from 400/day to less than 20/day and we have not mistakenly deleted a valid message in nearly four months.

This extra handling takes time, but it is worth it and we can help. Let us know with which approach you would like to proceed.