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Stop SPAM Permanently

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How to Stop Spam Permanently for Your Whole Company

Written by Adam Petras, Founder & CEO, TreeLab OÜ · Published · Updated

One move, one rule, every account, every device — forever

You mark an email as junk. Tomorrow the same sender is back — on your phone, in a colleague’s inbox, in the shared sales mailbox. This guide explains why “Mark as Spam” never stops spam permanently, and how a spam filter that learns server-side blocks a sender once, across all your email accounts, devices and providers at the same time.

💸 What Spam Really Costs a Team

Spam is rarely treated as a business problem, yet every person in your company pays for it several times a day. Each junk email costs a glance, a decision and a delete. Multiply that by dozens of messages, by every mailbox in the company, by every working day — and spam quietly becomes hours of lost attention per week.

The direct time loss is only half the damage. The other half is worse:

  • Lost customer emails. Aggressive built-in filters occasionally swallow a real order, an RFQ or an invoice. Nobody notices until the customer calls, annoyed.
  • Security exposure. Phishing, fake-sender messages that imitate your own domain, and attachments carrying executables or macro-enabled Office files land in inboxes where one tired click is enough.
  • Repeated work. Every employee trains their own filter, on every device, and loses that training the moment they switch email clients or providers.
  • No visibility. When someone asks “why was this email blocked?”, built-in filters have no answer. They are a black box.

Stopping spam permanently means solving all four problems at once — not just hiding today’s junk.

🔧 What Companies Try First — and Why It Doesn’t Last

Clicking “Unsubscribe”

Legitimate newsletters honor it. Actual spammers use your click as proof that the address is alive — and sell it on. Unsubscribing from real spam typically increases the volume.

“Mark as Spam” in Gmail, Outlook or Apple Mail

Built-in filters are genuinely useful, but they have hard structural limits no setting can remove. The training is per account and per provider: teach Gmail about a sender and your Office 365 account knows nothing. It usually blocks one address, not the whole domain. Switch providers and years of training are gone. And there is no way to share what one colleague learned with the rest of the team.

Manual rules and IT blocklists

Server-side rules work — until they don’t scale. Someone in IT has to add every sender by hand, per mailbox or per mail server, and spammers rotate domains faster than anyone can type. Rules also can’t judge content, frequency or sender reputation; they only match strings.

⚠️ The core problem

All of these approaches store the learning in the wrong place — inside one email client, one account or one admin’s rule list. To block spam across all email accounts permanently, the learning has to live server-side, above all providers, and follow you everywhere.

🤖 The Permanent Way: Teach Once, Blocked Everywhere

AutoSPAM is an AI-powered email defense system by BOTS4.me. Instead of settings screens, you teach it the way you already work: by moving an email into a folder. One move creates a permanent server-side rule that applies to all your connected accounts — Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, Exchange, any IMAP provider — on every device.

📧

Spam arrives in any inbox

→
📂

You move it to _AutoSPAM/SPAM

→
🤖

Rule saved server-side, forever

→
✅

Blocked on ALL accounts & devices

Setup in about 5 minutes

  • Step 1 — Start your free Discovery month: Sign in at bots4.me/bots, click Start free Discovery month on the AutoSPAM card and accept the Terms once — no credit card needed.
  • Step 2 — Know what the month includes: the usage allowance of the Personal plan with Pre-processing, Custom folders, Frequency-Based Filter, Smart Text Analysis, SPAM by Email and two extra attachment filters unlocked to try, and no credit card needed. When the month ends, AutoSPAM continues on the free plan by itself unless you choose a plan.
  • Step 3 — Connect your accounts: Open Settings (gear) → AutoSPAM → Access Manager → Add Source. Secure Quick Connect signs you in at Gmail, Outlook / Microsoft 365 or Zoho Mail — your password never reaches us. Yahoo and other providers connect over IMAP, usually with an app password, and the credentials are encrypted at input. Connect up to 25 accounts (50 on Business and Enterprise).
  • Step 4 — Let the folders appear: AutoSPAM creates _AutoSPAM/ALLOW and _AutoSPAM/SPAM in each mailbox. Switch on VIP List and REFUSED Folder on the Control tab to add _AutoSPAM/VIP and the _AutoSPAM/REFUSED quarantine (both stay off until you switch them on); _AutoSPAM/SUPPLIER appears when you use Mail2ERP, Supplier2ERP or Separate Suppliers. Folder names follow your app language — 31 languages, set under Settings → Billing Information → App Language.
  • Step 5 — Teach by moving: Drag junk to SPAM, important senders to VIP, vendors to SUPPLIER. Each move is learned permanently.
  • Step 6 — Read your DEMO report, then go LIVE: New AutoSPAM accounts start in Demo Mode — AutoSPAM judges your new emails and emails you a report of where it would sort each one, but moves nothing (your drags into its folders already teach it). When the DEMO reports look right, set Mode to LIVE on the Control tab — it unlocks after the first DEMO report email. From then on every decision is visible in the dashboard’s Logs tab and in the _AutoSPAM/LOGS folder in your mailbox.

AutoSPAM runs in short processing cycles within the operating hours you set, so a rule you teach at your desk protects your phone minutes later. You control the run schedule, operating hours and every individual feature toggle from the dashboard. The platform is EU-hosted, built for GDPR and offers 2FA.

🧭 Try It in Your Free Discovery Month

The Discovery month is enough to see AutoSPAM working on your real mailboxes. Follow these steps in order — each one names the exact switch or folder.

Day 1 — Start and connect

  • Sign in at bots4.me/bots, click Start free Discovery month on the AutoSPAM card and accept the Terms once — no credit card needed.
  • Open Settings (gear) → AutoSPAM → Access Manager → Add Source and connect each mailbox — Secure Quick Connect where offered, otherwise IMAP. Details: Getting Connected guide.
  • Folder names follow your app language: set it under Settings → Billing Information → App Language.

Day 1 — Switch on what you want to try

Open the Control tab and choose AutoSPAM. The switches below start off — tick the ones you want. Those with a Discovery tag are included in your free month; after it, they come with the plan named in their tooltip.

  • VIP List and REFUSED Folder — add _AutoSPAM/VIP (priority senders go to _VIP) and the _AutoSPAM/REFUSED quarantine for unknown senders.
  • Frequency-Based Filter — blocks senders who suddenly flood you.
  • Smart Text Analysis — content analysis in 31 languages.
  • Pre-processing — new mail waits in _AutoSPAM/QUEUED and only clean mail reaches your inbox.
  • SPAM by Email — adds _AutoSPAM/SPAM_EMAIL to block one address instead of a whole domain.
  • Custom folders (up to three, for example FAMILY,CUSTOMERS) and Monthly LISTS Export with a Lists password — for your own sorting and for sharing your training.
  • Block Uncommon Archives and Block Web Content — two extra attachment filters.

Fake-Sender Protection, Learn from Junk Folder, Learn from Sent and Logs in your mailbox are already on. Automatic Clean-up and Clean Sent Folder delete emails, so they are not part of the Discovery month.

Days 1–3 — Teach it while it runs in Demo Mode

  • AutoSPAM starts in Demo Mode: it judges every new email but moves nothing, and emails you a report of where each one would go and why.
  • Teach it meanwhile — this already works in Demo Mode: drag junk into _AutoSPAM/SPAM, people you always want into _AutoSPAM/ALLOW, key contacts into _AutoSPAM/VIP. For a company address a SPAM move blocks the whole domain; for a Gmail-type address only that address.
  • When the DEMO reports look right, set Mode to LIVE on the Control tab — it unlocks after the first DEMO report email. AutoSPAM then sorts for real, every few minutes and around the clock by default.

Week 1 — Check that it works

  • The Logs tab (category AutoSPAM) and the _AutoSPAM/LOGS folder show every decision; rows that need you arrive unread, with one-click buttons such as ALLOW and SPAM.
  • Once a day, sort _AutoSPAM/REFUSED if you switched it on. Once a week, look through _TRASH/SPAM, where everything AutoSPAM blocks lands (the Logs tab says why each email was moved), and move any real email to _AutoSPAM/ALLOW — that also resets the sender.
  • The statistics on the dashboard (for example SPAM Regular, SPAM Automatic, Refused emails, VIP emails) show how much AutoSPAM handled for you.

When the month ends

When the month ends, AutoSPAM continues on the free plan by itself with a small monthly allowance: when it is used, new items wait until next month or until you choose a plan, and an item already started always finishes. Choose a plan to keep all features — see the plan table on the AutoSPAM product page.

On the free plan your manual lists keep working and executables, disk images and scripts stay blocked; the AI-learned list and the Discovery features pause and come back the moment you choose a plan.

🛡️ What Protection Looks Like Day to Day

  • _AutoSPAM/REFUSED quarantine (optional): Switch on REFUSED Folder on the Control tab and unknown senders wait in _AutoSPAM/REFUSED until you approve them once, so your inbox contains only people you know. It stays off until you switch it on — by default all mail keeps arriving in your inbox.
  • AI checks and content analysis in 31 languages: From the Personal plan, the AI auto-learner judges unknown senders and moves suspicious mail to _TRASH/SPAM automatically. From the Business plan, Smart Text Analysis adds content analysis in 31 languages — urgency tricks, scam phrases and phishing patterns, not just English ones. Both are part of your free Discovery month.
  • Attachment security: Seven categorical filters block executables (.exe, .msi), scripts (.ps1, .vbs, .js), macro-enabled Office files, disk images and more — executables, scripts and disk images are always blocked, and archives, macro files and web content can each be switched on or off.
  • Mass-attack protection: The Frequency-Based Filter (Family plan, included in your Discovery month) blocks senders who suddenly flood you. In a real incident, a client was hit with 1.5 million spam emails in 15 minutes — AutoSPAM filtered the attack automatically and normal business email kept flowing.
  • Fake-Sender Protection: Blocks messages pretending to come from your own domain.
  • Team learning: Switch on Monthly LISTS Export (Family plan and higher). Once a month you receive your learned lists in a password-protected ZIP; colleagues or family import them by mailing them to autospam@bots4.me from their own connected address, inside the password-protected ZIP. One person’s training protects everyone.
  • Full decision logs: Every accept, block and quarantine decision is visible and reversible in the dashboard — no black box.

🆓 Free forever, upgrade when ready

AutoSPAM has a permanent free plan — manual ALLOW / SPAM / VIP lists, blocking of executables, disk images and scripts, no time limit, any provider, with a small monthly allowance and smaller active lists (see the plan table on the AutoSPAM product page). Paid plans add the AI auto-learner, the crowd-sourced GLOBAL spam list and much larger lists, and scale by monthly volume. Your first month is a free Discovery month with no credit card needed; when it ends, AutoSPAM continues on the free plan by itself, and once the monthly allowance is used, new emails wait until next month or until you choose a plan. If you downgrade, your manual rules keep working.

🌍 Works With Every Mailbox You Have

Because the rules live at BOTS4.me rather than inside any single provider, AutoSPAM protects a mixed fleet with one shared rule set: Gmail and Google Workspace, Office 365 and Outlook.com, Yahoo, iCloud, AOL, Zoho, Yandex, GMX, on-premise Exchange, and any IMAP-compatible mailbox. Mixing a Gmail sales address with an Office 365 support mailbox and a legacy IMAP account is exactly the scenario it was built for — and if you ever change providers, your training moves with you instead of dying with the old account.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I stop spam permanently instead of deleting it every day?

Move the learning server-side. With AutoSPAM you move one email into the _AutoSPAM/SPAM folder and the sender is blocked permanently across every connected account and device. The rule is stored at BOTS4.me, not in your email client, so it survives new devices, new clients and even a change of email provider.

Can one spam filter really work across all my email accounts and providers?

Yes. AutoSPAM connects Gmail, Office 365, Yahoo, Exchange and any IMAP provider to one shared rule set — up to 25 accounts (50 on Business and Enterprise). Teach a rule in one mailbox and it applies to all of them, which built-in per-account filters fundamentally cannot do.

Will I miss important emails from new senders?

No. The _AutoSPAM/REFUSED quarantine for unknown senders is optional and stays off until you switch on REFUSED Folder — nothing is deleted, new senders simply wait for your one-time decision. Without it, all mail arrives in your inbox as usual. With VIP List switched on, VIP senders get their own _VIP folder, and every automated decision is logged and reversible from the dashboard. Look through _TRASH/SPAM now and then and move any real email to _AutoSPAM/ALLOW.

Is there a free spam filter tier with no time limit?

Yes. AutoSPAM’s free plan is permanent: manual ALLOW / SPAM / VIP lists, blocking of executables, disk images and scripts, dashboard access, logs, 31 languages and any email provider, with a small monthly allowance and smaller active lists (see the plan table on the product page). Paid plans add the AI auto-learner and much larger lists, and your first month is a free Discovery month.

What happens during a mass spam attack or mail bomb?

Frequency-based protection blocks senders that suddenly flood your mailbox, automatically. AutoSPAM survived a real attack of 1.5 million spam emails delivered in 15 minutes to one client — the flood was filtered while legitimate business mail continued to be processed, and auto-cleanup removed the debris afterwards.

Can I share my spam training with my team?

Yes. Switch on Monthly LISTS Export (Family plan and higher). You receive your learned lists once a month in a password-protected ZIP; colleagues or family import them by mailing them to autospam@bots4.me from their own connected address, inside the password-protected ZIP. One person maintains the training; everyone benefits from it.

Can AutoSPAM block dangerous attachments like .exe files and macros?

Yes. Seven categorical attachment filters cover executables (.exe, .dll, .msi), scripts (.ps1, .vbs, .js), macro-enabled Office files (.xlsm, .docm), disk images, archives and web content. Executables, scripts and disk images are always blocked; the other categories can be switched on or off individually at bots4.me/bots → Control → AutoSPAM.

Does this help if we import orders from email into our ERP?

Very much. If you use Mail2ERP to import email orders into Odoo or another ERP, AutoSPAM filters spam and phishing before it can become a false entry in your ERP. See our guide on importing email orders into Odoo.

📚 Related Guides

🔗 Sources and Further Reading

Official documentation and standards referenced in this guide. External links open in a new tab.

Ready for a Permanently Clean Inbox?

Set up AutoSPAM in about 5 minutes. A free Discovery month to start, no credit card needed, and a free plan afterwards.

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