Popping A Spam Box

[Don]

Each of my user mail accounts has a 'spam' folder which can periodically cleaned by the 'Clear Spam Box' option. If, say, a user would like to see what's going into that folder, is there a way they can view the contents via a mail client (like Thunderbird), or is their only option to view it via on-line access?

[TCH-Alex]

You can easily use Horde mail to check messages that are routed to the spam box. Horde mail can be accessed through http://yourdomain/webmail. If you wish to use pop3 to check the spam box, just add "/spam" (without the quotes) to the end of your pop3 login. (Example: user@yourdomain/spam)

[TCH-Tim]

Spam boxes are fun for awhile, but after monitoring it for some time to make sure only spam is going there, why not just set SpamAssassin to dump spam automatically?

[TCH-Bruce]

I agree with Tim. Why waste the disk space or bandwidth if it is all spam.

[Don]

Thanks, Alex, I'll give that a whirl. I didn't realize that that would work for the individual spam boxes as well.

 

As for the rest of you... way to avoid the question. Are you guys politicians perchance?

[TCH-Tim]

Since you mentioned you're popping the mail anyway, here's the method I use for my accounts.

 

Anytime I change my required_score I like to download the spam to my mail client for a week or so just to make sure it's not marking false positives. To do this, I go in to Configure SpamAssassin and set rewrite_header subject to:

 

*SPAM* _HITS_ _REQD_

 

This is added to the subject line of the email, and a filter in my mail client moves any messages with *SPAM* in the subject line to a spam folder. _HITS_ is rewritten with the spam score that SpamAssassin gave the mail, and _REQD_ is the score I set.

 

I leave SpamBox disabled because I don't want to save them on the server. Once I'm ready to just start deleting them automatically, I click the link just above the Enable SpamAssassin button.

 

Works like a charm.

[TCH-Tim]

As for the rest of you... way to avoid the question. Are you guys politicians perchance?

Alex had already answered it, I was just weighing in with my two cents on a better way to handle spam. Filtering to another folder and then popping that folder anyway, or going in every now and then to clear spam box, is more effort than should be given spam.

[Don]

If you wish to use pop3 to check the spam box, just add "/spam" (without the quotes) to the end of your pop3 login. (Example: user@yourdomain/spam)

 

This implies setting up a separate account in my client software (Thunderbird) which points to user@yourdomain/spam. However, when I do that, it sees it as duplicating my "normal" (user@yourdomain) account and won't allow it.

[TCH-Bruce]

Better solution is to use what Tim suggested and do away with the spam box and set up spam assassin to modify the subject and filter it in your email client.