Electronic mail blocking system

An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for blocking electronic message, said computer readable program code in the article of manufacture comprising:

• computer readable program code for causing a computer to scan an electronic message from a sender for a sender address;
• computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine whether said sender address matches an address within an authorized sender list;
• computer readable program code for causing a computer to quarantine said electronic message when said sender address does not match with an address within said authorized sender list and to automatically transmit an authentication request containing an authentication question to said sender address;
• computer readable program code for causing a computer to read a response from said sender containing an authentication answer in response to said authentication question;
• and
• computer readable program code for causing a computer to transmit said electronic message to an intended receiver and add said sender address to said authorized sender list upon determining that said authentication answer is correct.

A method of filtering an electronic message transmitted by a sender having a sender identity to a recipient mail server addressed to a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:

• (a) comparing said sender identity to an authorized sender list and transmitting said electronic message if said sender identity matches a record within said authorized sender list;
• (b) automatically transmitting an authentication request containing a question to said sender when said sender identity does not match a record within said authorized sender list;
• (c) comparing a response containing an answer from said sender in response to said authentication request;
• and p1 (d) determining if said answer is a correct response to said question, transmitting said electronic message to said recipient if said answer is a correct response and automatically adding said sender to said authorized sender list.