How Detection Works
A general overview of how FormSentry detects and blocks spam on your forms.
FormSentry checks every form submission from multiple angles to determine whether it’s legitimate or spam. The goal is to block as much spam as possible while making sure real customer messages always get through.
How It Works
Rather than relying on a single method, FormSentry combines several detection techniques. Each submission is checked against multiple signals, and the results are combined into an overall spam score.
At a high level, FormSentry looks at:
- Who is submitting: Is this a known bad actor, or someone on your allowlist?
- How they’re submitting: Does the submission look like it came from a real person interacting with your site, or from an automated script?
- What they’re submitting: Does the message content look like a genuine inquiry, or does it match common spam patterns?
For borderline cases, content analysis evaluates whether the message reads like something a real customer would write. This catches sophisticated spam (like fake partnership offers or SEO pitches) that simpler tools miss.
Spam Scoring
Every submission receives a spam score from 0 to 100. A score of 0 means the message is almost certainly legitimate; a score of 100 means it’s almost certainly spam.
The score is compared against your sensitivity threshold:
- Relaxed: Only blocks submissions with very high spam scores
- Balanced: Catches most spam while keeping false positives near zero (recommended)
- Aggressive: Blocks anything that looks suspicious
Your Lists Take Priority
If a submitter’s email or IP matches your blocklist or allowlist, that takes effect immediately, before any other analysis runs. This gives you direct control over who gets through and who doesn’t.
Reviewing Decisions
Every submission (blocked or allowed) is logged in your dashboard with its score and the reason it was flagged. You can review any decision and adjust your settings if needed.
If a legitimate message was blocked, add the sender to your email allowlist. If spam is getting through, consider switching to a more aggressive sensitivity level.