Spam Filtering

All FastVirtual hosting plans include advanced spam filters, easily activated from the account control panel. Filtering options can also be managed individually on a per-mailbox basis by end users.

Spam filtering options include SBL, ORDB, DSBL, NJABL and SpamCop black list filtering, common pattern matching and bcc, defined address and IP rejection. All options are user-configurable and filtered messages can either be delivered labeled as spam, returned to the sender or deleted.

Blacklist Filtering

FastVirtual provides message filtering based on not one, but five blacklists (SBL, ORDB, DBSL, NJABL and SpamCop). You can choose to filter mail using any, or all of these blacklists. Once enabled, any mail server or email address that is included in your selected blacklist is then automatically rejected.

Intelligent Spam Detection

FastVirtual also provides message filtering based on common pattern matching. Once enabled, this option will look for common patterns in message headers and body text. The system can filter out messages identified as being sent sent to excessive numbers of recipients, and can also identify common You also have the option to block BCC mail, which is a factor that often identifies spam.

User-Specified Filters

You can also set your own customized filters, based upon rules that you specify. You can enter domains and email addresses that you always want to reject. You can search the message header, subject, body, and other areas for words that you specify, then choose to reject (or accept) messages if these words are found. And to ensure that mail gets through from the people you want to hear from, you can enter domains and email addresses that always get delivered, regardless of your other filter settings.

Sender Confirmation Request

FastVirtual's Confirminator is also provided with all hosting plans. When enabled, senders are required to confirm themselves before their message is delivered -- once they have done this, subsequent messages are then delivered normally. This unique tool effectively removes all automated spam messages. And because message filtering is handled on your domain, email is not subject to delivery delays, such as those experienced by third-party filtering services. You may set up this service to run on as many FastVirtual email accounts as you wish without charge.

Spam Handling Options

Once you have set your filtering options, you can choose to have filtered mail delivered, but labeled as spam, permanently deleted, or bounced back to the sender. To ensure you don't miss a vital message, you can also select to have filtered messages delivered to a special "Filtered mail" mailbox, where they are retained for ten days before being permanently deleted.