Issue Why are whitelisted email addresses ending up in spam?

[Graham Jones]

I have whitelisted some email addresses in spam settings.

However, emails from those addresses are still going into spam?

Why?

The DKIM settings and DMARC settings are correct and pass all tests for those email addresses. The same is true for the server.

 

[Bitpalast]

Please check the size of the emails. Normally the symptom appears when an email exceeds the size threshold for SpamAssassin scans as described in

Messages with large files in attachment are not checked by SpamAssassin on a Plesk server: skipped message, greater than max message size (256000 bytes)

Applicable to: Plesk for Linux Symptoms Emails with large file in attachment (more than 256 KB) are not checked by SpamAssassin. When such an email is received, the following message appear...

support.plesk.com

 

[Bitpalast]

On a second thought, I think my post did not make so much sense, because you're not complaining about the black listing that does not work, but the white listing. Interesting, maybe it sill has something to do with the size, so that a second spam filter level grabs the mail and processes it?

 

[Graham Jones]

I've checked the psa.conf. That's set to the default of 256kb.

The most recent email that went to spam, even though it was from a whitelisted address, was 102kb, so well within the SpamAssassin setting.

Also, curiously, things are going into the spam folder when the server setting and the receiving email address setting is to mark as ***SPAM*** and not to use the spam folder.

 

[Bitpalast]

Could it be caused by a rule in the mail software? For example a rule that reacts on certain keywords?

 

[Graham Jones]

No - there are no rules/filters set at all.

 

[Bitpalast]

I took the "DMARC" settings in your first post for verified, but have you actually checked what the log file entry is for incoming mail that is going to the spam box? Normally, the mail log will explain what is done to a mail. Have you checked what DMARC thinks about it?

Here is another article I found on that: Emails from certain domain moved to SPAM folder when DMARC is enabled

 

[Graham Jones]

I have checked the log for an email that ends up in the Spam folder. That email address and domain is whitelisted. The log shows the email as passing DKIM and DMARC. Then it just says "stored mail into mailbox 'INBOX.Spam'. There is no obvious reason in the log why that is happening. The email passes DKIM and DMARC and the address is whitelisted yet it still goes into Spam. Plus the setting is for spam to be marked as spam and not go into a Spam folder...!

Everything checked via MXToolBox is coming back as "passed" OK for the sending and receiving email addresses.

I checked the article you found and have created a dmarc.conf file and added the domain to that and I shall see if that solves the issue...!

 

[Graham Jones]

Just to update this - the problem appears to have been solved by creating the dmarc.conf file. Thanks for the help.