Block and report spam leads

When spam reaches your Leads list, you can block it so it stops cluttering your pipeline. Homebase gives you three ways to do this: block a single lead, block every lead that matches a value, or set up Spam Filtering so future spam never arrives.

What you can do here

• Block and report a single lead from the Leads list or the lead's detail page
• Block every existing lead that shares the same email, phone number, IP address, or name, and stop future leads that match
• Manage your blocked emails, email domains, phone numbers, and IP addresses in Leads Settings > Spam Filtering

About blocking leads

Blocking a lead changes its status to Blocked. Blocked leads stay in Homebase, but their status is locked and can't be changed back.

The three blocking options work differently:

• Block & Report blocks the lead you're looking at, plus any past leads that match the value you choose. It does not stop future leads.
• Spam Block creates a block rule. It blocks matching past leads and stops matching future leads.
• Spam Filtering is where you manage block rules for emails, email domains, phone numbers, and IP addresses. Saving new values blocks matching past leads and stops matching future leads.

When a block rule stops a future lead, the lead is rejected when it's submitted. It never appears in your Leads list.

What can be blocked

Sample order leads can't be blocked with Block & Report.

Block a single lead

Use this when one lead is spam and you want it and its matching past leads marked as blocked.

1. Go to Leads.
2. Find the lead and open its actions menu (⋮). You can also open the lead and use the ⋮ menu at the top of the page.
3. Select Block & Report.
4. Choose how to block the lead: By Email, By Phone, By Domain, or By IP Address. Options show Not Available when the lead doesn't have that value.
5. Check the count next to your choice, for example 3 leads will be blocked. This includes the current lead and any past leads with the same value.
6. Select Block & Report.
7. Review the Confirm Bulk Block message, then select Block All. To change your choice, select Back.

The lead's status changes to Blocked. New leads with the same value will still come through. To stop those, use Spam Block or Spam Filtering.

Block multiple leads

Use Spam Block when you're getting repeat spam from the same source. It blocks every existing lead that matches the value you enter and stops matching leads in the future.

1. Go to Leads.
2. Select the checkbox next to one or more leads. The bulk actions bar appears above the list.
3. Select Spam Block.
4. In Block by, choose Email, Phone, IP Address, or Name.
5. In Value to block, enter the exact value to block.
6. Select Next. Homebase checks how many existing leads match.
7. Review the Confirm Bulk Block message, then select Create Rule & Block. To change the value, select Back.

The leads you select only open the Spam Block window. What gets blocked is decided by the value you enter, not by your selection. Every lead that matches is blocked, including leads you didn't select.

The bulk actions bar is available on desktop-sized screens.

Manage Spam Filtering

Use Spam Filtering to see and manage the emails, email domains, phone numbers, and IP addresses that are blocked for your account.

1. Go to Leads Settings and select the Spam Filtering tab.
2. Add values to any of these fields. Type a value and press Enter to add it.
   • Blocked IP Address: Enter an IPv4 address, for example 192.168.1.100.
   • Blocked Email: Enter a full email address, or block a whole domain with a wildcard, for example *@example.com.
   • Blocked Phone Numbers: Enter a phone number with 10 to 15 digits. International formats are supported.
3. To remove a value, remove it from the field.
4. Select Save Settings.
5. If any existing leads match the new values, review the Confirm Bulk Block message and select Save & Block All.

About Spam Filtering values

• Email values aren't case sensitive.
• Phone values match on digits only. A 10-digit number also matches the same number with a +1 country code.
• IP address blocks only apply to leads submitted through website forms.
• Removing a value stops it from blocking future leads. Leads that were already blocked stay blocked.

Things to watch out for

• Blocking can't be undone. Once a lead is blocked, its status can't be changed. Double check the count on the confirmation message before you continue.
• Be careful with domains. Blocking a domain blocks every lead from that domain. Never block common email providers like gmail.com, yahoo.com, or outlook.com. This would block real customers.
• Be careful with names. Blocking by name blocks every lead with that exact name. Common names can match real customers. Block by email or phone number when you can.
• Be careful with IP addresses. Several real customers can share an IP address, for example on the same office or public network.
• Future blocked leads aren't saved. When a rule stops a new lead, the lead never reaches Homebase, so you can't look it up later. Make sure the value is truly spam before you create a rule.
• Block & Report doesn't stop future spam. If the same spammer keeps coming back, use Spam Block or Spam Filtering instead.
• Spam Block needs exact values. Enter the value exactly as it appears on the lead. For example, +15551234567 and 555-123-4567 are treated as different phone numbers. Wildcards like *@example.com only work in Spam Filtering.
• Name rules don't appear in Spam Filtering. If you need to remove a name rule created with Spam Block, reach out to support.

What if I see an error?

Here are the messages you might see and what to do about them.

• Could not get block preview. Please try again.
  Homebase couldn't count the matching leads. Choose the option again.
• Error during block and report. Please try again.
  The lead wasn't blocked. Try again.
• Value is required
  Enter a value in Value to block.
• Unable to fetch preview count.
  Homebase couldn't count the matching leads. Select Next again.
• Failed to create spam block rule
  The rule wasn't created. Try again.
• "[value]" is not a valid IP address
  Enter an IPv4 address, for example 192.168.1.100.
• "[value]" is not a valid email address or wildcard domain
  Enter a full email address, or a domain in the format *@example.com.
• "[value]" is not a valid phone number
  Enter a phone number with 10 to 15 digits.
• Could not calculate affected leads. Please try again.
  Your changes weren't saved. Select Save Settings again.
• Failed to save spam filtering settings
  Your changes weren't saved. Try again.
• You have view-only access to Leads settings. Contact an administrator to make changes.
  Ask an Admin to make the change for you.

If an error keeps happening, reach out to support.