Blocklisting/Allow listing Isn't Working! A Troubleshooting Guide

If you're receiving emails from sources you have previously Blocklisted, or not receiving emails from sources you've put in your Allow list, there may be some factors to look into.

Here are some ways to troubleshoot Block/Allow list issues:

1.  Check the headers of the sent email and review the x-spam scoring for block list/allow listing details. If you see this information, it can indicate the reason the email came through/didn't come through MailRoute.

This is important for revealing who the sender is so you can edit your Allow/Block listings. If you think your newsletter is coming from XYZ@domain and you've put in an Allow/Block listings, the header may show it's being sent by a third party mailing service like amazonses or send grid and that could potentially be why it's not allowed or blocked.

2. Allow lists usually over-ride Block lists.  So if you've blocklisted the domain aol.com but you've got mom@aol.com in your domain-wide Allow list settings, the email will come through to your inbox.

3. Review all Block & Allow listings for your domain.  Allow listing 'freemail' domains such as yahoo.com, aol.com, gmail.com is not recommended as they can be a major source of spammy emails. That goes for major and popular domains like banks, Intuit, Pay Pal, Docusign, also

4. Remember more specific entries override more general entries.  You can blacklist aol.com but still have mom@aol.com whitelisted in your individual settings.

5. Use Allow Listings very sparingly. They allow all future mail from that sender no matter how spammy they are. We recommend using a more secure Allow List by IP/Server.

5. If you're still unsure, send the original, unforwarded email as a .eml attachment to support@mailroute.net and we will review the details.