Periodically I check my spam folder to see if something might have accidentally been caught by Google’s spam filters for G Suite. Today I stumbled upon this great example of why DNS records are important, and why setting them up correctly should be a priority for every business!

Highlighted in the from field is “Lemacks Media Business”, however the sending email address is “seema@timesmarketing.com”, and they sent it to me directly. Typically we use business@lemacksmedia.com for general business inquiries, so seeing that in the from field was an immediate red flag to me. I wouldn’t email myself from a group, and the sender can’t spoof that group because they aren’t an authorized sender.

Google recognized that it’s an outside source attempting to bill me, from me, not from the Email DNS Records, but due to it being caught/marked as spam by others. However, it reminded me why this is serious, especially if this were to slip past a spam filter and end up in a client inbox.

Now, why do Email DNS Records matter?

If, for example, I didn’t have my SPF and DKIM Email DNS Records setup properly on my DNS server this person could impersonate me to my employees and to clients/customers. The SPF record lists where authentic emails are allowed to originate from; for Lemacks Media they are allowed to come from our servers, our website, and from Google (G Suite).

The added layer of DKIM authentication from our Email DNS Records ensures that if an unauthorized sender pretends to be me, my company, or otherwise it will be sent to spam or depending on the email host/ISP it might not ever make it to the end user. This is the intended outcome.

Lemacks Media Hosting

Looking for Hosting Services for your website or email? Lemacks Media leverages Google Cloud Platform for both! We can host most and manage your DNS Records for you, including Email DNS Records, so you never have to worry about issues like this!

Want to see if your host has your records setup correctly? Check out the tools available on MX Toolbox.