Why do I get warnings about spoofing and fraud detection?

With Spam filters and security software, Mailing List emails are often flagged as potentially dangerous.

How do Mailing Lists work?

Traditionally, Mailing Lists show the Sender's email address in the From: header even though it's sent from the Mailing List server. Doing this helps Subscribers to know who each message is from without having to open it.

What has changed?

Internet Service Providers (ISP) now expect a person's email will only be sent from their ISP. Mailing Lists are an exception to this.

For example, John Doe sends an email to the Mailing List using the group email address. We show John Doe in the From: header but then send the email from a Mail-List.com IP address.

Since John's email was not sent from his ISP's IP address, spam filters think his email is being spoofed. Someone else is using John's email but trying to trick you into thinking it's really from John.

When will I get this warning?

You will often see this warning when sending an email to your Mailing List. Some ISPs will include a spoofing or fraud warning, but not all.

In the example below, John Doe sent an email to the Mailing List. The ISP sees the message is from John but being sent from a different ISP (from Mail-List.com instead of msoffice.com). They will typically insert a warning in this email.

Example - Microsoft 365 Warning

Office 365 typically includes a link to this web page:  Protect yourself from phishing

Is it OK to ignore this warning?

If you recognize the email as a Mailing List message, then it's OK to ignore this warning.

You may even see the warning on messages that YOU sent to the Mailing List. Again, as long as you recognize the email, it's OK to ignore the warning.

What can I do to prevent this warning?

  • To limit or prevent this warning in the future, mark the email as "Not Spam".
  • Some software programs will also allow you to mark the sender as "safe".
  • Adding the sender to your Contacts list will typically prevent these warnings, as well.

For more help and tips, please see How to "train" your spam filter to like your Mailing List email.