Taming the Inbox

Email threats get a little smarter every year, and the average inbox sees far more junk than anyone realizes. At ITC, our spam filter blocks about 26 million unwanted or malicious messages annually. This is compared to roughly 16 million legitimate emails that go through without issue. In other words, nearly two-thirds of the emails trying to reach you are junk, and the filter is working nonstop behind the scenes to keep it out of your way.

The Filtering System

The filtering system scans every incoming message the moment it arrives. It looks for bad links, odd sender behavior, and patterns common in phishing attempts. Once it has checked everything, it assigns a spam score and makes a decision. Safe messages are delivered, and suspicious ones are quietly held for your review.

Because scammers love to imitate trusted brands like your bank, online retailers, and even ITC, our filter sometimes takes a cautious approach when something looks a little off. The message may look legitimate to you, but the scanner is reacting to details most people would never notice. When that happens, it holds the email rather than taking a chance.

Spam Quarantine Report

To stay in control, you will receive a daily Spam Quarantine Report, which is a snapshot of anything the filter has pulled aside. From this report, you can approve a message, block a sender, or ignore something that was clearly junk. Also, you can always see everything that’s been held, including brand-new items not in the daily snapshot. To access the filtering portal, you can wait for a Spam Quarantine Report or log in anytime via webmail.itctel.com or itc-web.com.

If an email you were expecting gets flagged, fixing it is simple. Just open your report or log in directly to the spam filter, then choose Deliver or Release. If it’s from someone you trust, choose Allow to add them to your safe-sender list and ensure future messages arrive without delay.

Spam Threshold

Behind the scenes, each message’s spam score is based on a combination of content, sender reputation, and behavior. Our default settings strike a good balance for most people, but inbox habits aren’t the same for everyone. If you feel the filter is sweeping too much into quarantine, or not enough, we can fine-tune your personal spam threshold. Some customers prefer a stricter filter; others want to see more messages, even if some are questionable. In very specific cases, we can even turn filtering off entirely, though we don’t recommend it for most users.

If you ever want adjustments or have questions about ITC’s Spam Filter, contact us at 1.800.417.8667 or the 24/7 Helpdesk at 1.888.217.5718. We’ll help make sure your inbox feels like your inbox, not a battleground.