Email Blacklist Checker

When an email arrives, the receiving mail server looks up the sender's domain and every domain linked in the message on a set of spam blacklists. These domain blacklists, also called URI blacklists or RHSBLs, are run by anti-spam organisations that track domains seen in spam, phishing and malware. If one of your domains is listed, your messages are rejected, delayed or delivered straight to the spam folder, and you rarely get a warning.

This checker looks up your domain on 20 domain-based spam blacklists in one go and shows, for each list, whether the domain is clean, flagged or unknown. It checks domains, not sending IP addresses. If your mail server's IP address is listed, your email provider or hosting company usually has to handle that.

Each list below links to a step-by-step removal guide:

• Spamhaus DBL
• URIBL multi
• Abusix Mail Intelligence Domain Blocklist
• Invaluement RBL URI
• PhishTank URLs
• Abuse.ch URLhaus
• 0spam DBL
• Abuse.ro URIBL
• bl.fmb.la URIBL
• NordSpam Domain BL
• Pofon URIBL
• SARBL Smart Adaptative Realtime URIBL
• Scientific Spam domains
• Spam Eating Monkey SEM-FRESH
• Spam Eating Monkey SEM-URIRED
• SPFBL URIBL
• Suomispam Reputation Database DBL
• Swinog URIBL
• Woody's SMTP Blacklist
• ZapBL RHSBL

Not every listing has the same impact. What counts is how many mail servers and filters use the list.

• Spamhaus DBL has the widest reach. It is built into a large share of corporate mail gateways, hosting providers and spam filters, so a listing hurts deliverability almost everywhere.
• URIBL is a standard part of SpamAssassin and many hosting control panels. A listing adds a heavy spam score to every message that links to your domain.
• Abusix and Invaluement are commercial feeds sold to email security companies and internet providers. Their listings often explain sudden bounces at business recipients.
• PhishTank and Abuse.ch URLhaus track phishing and malware links. They are read by security tools as well as mail filters, so a listing often means part of the website was compromised.
• The smaller lists, such as 0spam, Spam Eating Monkey, Woody's and Suomispam, have less reach on their own. They still matter when a specific provider or region relies on them, and they often list a domain shortly before larger lists do.

For browser warnings and antivirus blocks, use the Domain Blacklist Checker, which checks VirusTotal and Google Safe Browsing as well.

• Sending to old, scraped or purchased lists that contain spam trap addresses.
• A hacked mailbox, contact form or website that sends spam in your name.
• Missing or broken SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, which let others impersonate your domain.
• Links to your domain appearing in someone else's spam, for example through affiliate or link-building schemes.
• A brand-new domain that suddenly sends a lot of email.
• Using a link shortener or tracking domain that spammers also use.

• Find the cause first. Check recent campaigns, contact forms, compromised accounts and authentication records. Most lists will reject or re-list a domain if the problem is still active.
• Fix it and clean your lists. Remove addresses that bounce or never engage, add confirmed opt-in to sign-up forms, and set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
• Request removal per list. Each list has its own form, rules and response time. Some remove listings automatically after a quiet period, others need a written explanation. Use the removal guide linked to each list above.
• Check again and keep monitoring. Run this checker after each request, and watch the domain afterwards so a new listing does not go unnoticed for weeks.

BrandsDefender can do all of this for you. We file every removal request and follow up with each list on a no cure, no pay basis, so you only pay when the listing is gone. If your domain is clean, you can monitor it daily for free for 14 days.