Zoom was a huge winner during the COVID era. Zoom meeting attendance increased 2900% in a single year. As 42% of adults started working from home, Zoom went from a niche tool to an essential part of the US and European business environment.
They aren’t smart. Just lucky.
Zoom ships useless new products monthly. Most of us spend 2-3 hours a month trying to figure out how to turn off all their new garbage. For most people, the original Zoom Meeting with 15 settings is just fine – forever. Not the 50-product, 200-setting monster Zoom has become.
No one asked for Zoom Clips. It sounds stupid. Send a “Vine” to someone by email. First – if you know the person, then a simple email works fine, no video needed. Second – if you don’t know the person – what you are sending is spam, right?
Spam is an email the receiver doesn’t want.
Zoom Clips lets anyone record a short video and email it to any email address. The recipient doesn’t need a Zoom account. The email arrives from no-reply@zoom.us. It passes every spam check because Zoom itself sends it. There is no unsubscribe link. You cannot block the sender because the sender is Zoom.
Cold-outreach salespeople now use Clips as free delivery into inboxes that would otherwise reject them. Zoom’s own forums carry the complaints, including one thread where a company reports 80 of these a day. I got mine on September 21. A stranger, a 90-second video, and a link to book a sales call.
First – I looked for the email abuse@zoom.com – doesn’t exist. It says to report to Zoom Trust & Safety. Zoom T&S normally handles important things like Zoom bombers and harassment complaints. They didn’t care about my ticket. They closed it in 20 hours—no action taken. I have a $200/month Zoom account, and they didn’t spend more than 10 seconds on my report – even though I posted the entire email as an attachment. They told me my report was missing information. The attachment had the information. They did not look.
What Is a Zoom Clip?
Zoom sells Clips as a meeting killer. Record a short video of your screen. Send it to your team. They watch it later. No calendar invite needed. Zoom calls this async video and charges $6.99 a month for the unlimited version.
That is a legitimate purpose. On paper.
But stop and think about it. If you work with someone, you already have a way to reach them. You send an email. You drop a message in Slack. You call. None of that requires a video.
So when would you record a Clip for someone you know? Almost never. A written note is faster to send and faster to read.
Which leaves the other case. You do not know the person at all.
That is the Clip that lands in your inbox. A stranger sends you a video. You have never met them. The video is a sales pitch. Below it sits a link to book a call. This is cold outreach with a play button.
The real problem is not the video. It is who sends the email. You do not send it. Zoom does. A Clip does not travel as a normal attachment from your address. It travels through Zoom’s own mail system, wearing Zoom’s name.
Now look at the cost. The free plan allows 5 clips at 3 minutes each. Clips Plus removes both limits for $6.99 a month. Buy one month, send, cancel. Zoom also publishes a Clips API that lets you add recipients by email address.
Zoom has never published a recipient limit at any price.
Is Every Zoom Clip Spam?
Not technically. Some teams do use it internally. But almost nobody adopted it, because Loom already owned that job.
So think about what reaches you from outside your own company. If you know the person, a plain email works fine. If you do not know the person, it is spam. That covers every outside Clip you will ever get.
Why It Passes Your Spam Filter – and Why You Cannot Block It
Zoom sends Clips mail through SendGrid. The message leaves Zoom’s own servers. SPF passes. DKIM passes. DMARC passes on Zoom’s strictest setting.
Your spam filter sees that and recognizes a verified Zoom email. It is right. It is a verified Zoom email.
The spammer never had to build a sending reputation. He borrowed Zoom’s. Nothing in the message looks wrong, because nothing about it is technically wrong. The only wrong part is the human intent, and no filter reads intent.
So the mail lands in your inbox. Now try to get rid of it.
There is no reply address. You cannot write back and ask to be removed.
There is no unsubscribe link. Zoom calls the message a notification. Notifications do not carry one.
There is no List-Unsubscribe header either. Your mail app reads that header. It is how you get a one-click unsubscribe button. The header is missing. So your app has nothing to show you.
The sender shows as no-reply@zoom.us. That same address sends your real meeting invites. It sends your recording links. It sends your account notices. Block it and you lose all of them.
You never learn who sent it. The email shows a display name only. The sender types that name in himself. Nobody at Zoom checks it.
Zoom’s own forums are full of this. One company reports 80 clip emails a day. They found no clean way to filter them.
So add it up. You cannot reply. You cannot unsubscribe. You cannot verify the sender. You cannot block the address without breaking Zoom.
That is not an accident. Zoom built every piece of it.
How Zoom Blocks You From Reporting Zoom Spam
Start with the obvious step. Look for an abuse address.
There isn’t one. Zoom publishes no abuse email. Not abuse@zoom.us. Not abuse@zoom.com. Nothing.
Everything goes to one web form, run by Zoom Trust & Safety. That team handles serious harm. Zoom bombing. Harassment. Threats. Child safety.
Now they also handle your spam ticket. Think about what that means. Your complaint sits in the same queue as real abuse cases. It will lose every time.
That is Zoom’s way of saying they do not care. Report it anyway. Here is how.
Step 1: Get the Clip Link Without Clicking
The form will demand the clip URL. Zoom does not tell you this anywhere.
If you do not send them the clip URL, they will close your ticket without action.
Do not click the “Watch now” button. Clicking confirms your address is live. It also registers a view for the spammer. That is a reward, not a report.
Right-click the button instead.
Choose Copy link address. You want a URL that looks like this:
https://zoom.us/clips/share/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXIf what you copied does not contain zoom.us, open the message source. In Gmail, that is Show original. Search the source for zoom.us/clips and take the link from there.
Step 2: Open the Form
Go to https://zoom.us/trust-form. You do not need a Zoom account to file.
Fill it in this way:
- What can we help you with? — Report Abusive Behavior or Content
- Where did the abuse happen? — Somewhere else (other Zoom Product)
- Tell us where it happened? — paste the clip URL here
- Who would you like to report? — the display name from the email
There is no category for Clips. You have to use the catch-all.
Step 3: Write the Description
Keep it plain. Give them the facts and the evidence. Something like this:
Unsolicited commercial email sent through Zoom Clips.
Clip URL: https://zoom.us/clips/share/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sender display name: [name from the email]
Date received: [date]
I have no prior relationship with this person. I never gave
consent to be contacted. The clip description was used to
carry a sales pitch and a link to book a call.
The message had no unsubscribe link and no List-Unsubscribe
header. This is unsolicited bulk commercial messaging defined
under Zoom's Acceptable Use Guidelines.That last line matters. Zoom’s Acceptable Use Guidelines ban spam outright.
Step 4: Send It and Expect Nothing
A CAPTCHA appears at the end. Then you wait.
Here is what happened to mine. I filed it. Zoom closed the ticket in 20 hours. No action taken. Then they sent a note explaining that reports need a clip URL.
I pay Zoom $250 every month. My report included the full spam email as an attachment. They did not even look at it. They stated I provided insufficient information – because they did not open the attachment that I sent to Zoom.
Report 2: Send Zoom.Com Email Abuse To Their Mail Agent – SendGrid
Zoom pays SendGrid to send the email. SendGrid is owned by Twilio. They sell delivery, and delivery depends on reputation.
Here is the part that matters. SendGrid’s customer is not the spammer. SendGrid’s customer is Zoom.
So an abuse report does not go to the spammer. It becomes a compliance case against Zoom’s sending account. That is a very different conversation. Zoom’s Trust & Safety team can close your ticket in 20 hours. Zoom’s deliverability team cannot ignore their email provider.
SendGrid already gets plenty of complaints about Zoom. Add yours. Pressure is cumulative.
Step 1: Turn On Full Headers
Every email carries hidden routing information. You need it.
In Gmail, open the message. Click the three dots. Choose Show original.
In Outlook, open the message. Go to File, then Properties. The headers are in the internet headers box.
In Thunderbird, press Ctrl+U.
Step 2: Confirm SendGrid Sent It
Read the headers. Look for sendgrid in the routing.
Mine showed this:
Received-SPF: pass (domain of bounce-sg.zoom.us designates
159.183.198.7 as permitted sender)
envelope-from=bounces+15570388-9754-you=example.com@bounce-sg.zoom.us
X-SG-EID: …
X-SG-ID: …
The bounce-sg.zoom.us return path is SendGrid. So are the X-SG headers. That is your proof.
If you do not see those, stop. Do not file. A false report wastes an administrator’s time and weakens every real report that follows.
Step 3: Forward It With Headers Intact
Send it to abuse@sendgrid.com. There is also a web form if you prefer.
SendGrid asks for the full headers. That is the whole point of steps 1 and 2. Forward the message so the headers survive. In most mail apps, forwarding as an attachment is safest.
Say why it is spam. Keep it short:
This is spam.
Unsolicited commercial email sent through Zoom Clips by a
Zoom customer. No prior relationship. No consent. No
unsubscribe link and no List-Unsubscribe header.
Full headers and original message attached.That is enough. Zoom’s email format violates SendGrid’s TOS – Let the headers do the work.
Report 3: The Booking Calendar Provider
The spam exists for one reason. It wants you to book a call. So the email always carries a booking link. That link is the only thing in the whole message that identifies a real person.
Remember what you do not have. No sender address. No reply path. A display name nobody verified.
What you do have is a URL with a username in it. Mine looked like this:
https://cal.com/some-spammer/intro-call
https://calendly.com/some_spammer/intro-call-30minThat username is an account. Someone signed up for it. Someone agreed to the terms of service when they did.
Which Provider Is It?
It will almost always be one of two.
- Cal.com is the open-source scheduler. support@cal.com.
- Calendly is the larger one. trust@calendly.com.
Both ban this. Cal.com’s terms of service prohibit using the service to transmit “junk mail,” “spam,” or any similar solicitation. Calendly’s terms say the same thing in different words. Sending cold outreach to drive bookings breaks both.
What to Send Them
Do not send headers. They do not route mail, and they do not care how it arrived. Send them the content instead. They need to see their own customer in the message.
Include four things:
- The full booking link, with the username visible
- The date you received it
- The pitch text, copied word for word
- A plain statement that you have no relationship with this person
Something like this:
This is spam.
Booking page: https://cal.com/username/intro-call
I received the message through Zoom Clips. I have never
met or contacted this person.
I did not consent to this contact. This appears to violate
your terms of service on unsolicited solicitation.This report has the best odds of the three. You are handing them a username, a rule, and evidence.
How to Block Every Zoom Clip Forever
Zoom gives you no switch for this. There is no setting that says “do not send me clips.” So you have to stop them at your inbox.
Every one of these emails uses the same subject line. Mine read:
Clips - M*** S**** shared a clip with youOnly the name changes. The rest never does. That gives you a clean string to filter on:
shared a clip with youGmail
Gmail cannot filter on hidden headers. Only the subject line is available to you. That is fine. The subject is enough.
Open Gmail. Click the filter icon at the right end of the search box. That opens the search options panel.
- In the Subject field, type this exactly:
shared a clip with you - Leave every other field blank. Click Create filter.
- Now pick what happens. Tick Skip the Inbox (Archive it). Then tick Apply the label and make a new label called Zoom Clips.
- Do not tick Delete it. Quarantine beats deletion. You want to be able to look, not wonder.
- Click Create filter again. Done.
Outlook
- Go to Settings, then Mail, then Rules. Click Add new rule.
- Set the condition to Subject includes. Enter the same string. Set the action to Move to and pick a folder.
- Save it.
Google Workspace Admins
You have a better tool. Go to Admin console, then Apps, then Google Workspace, then Gmail, then Compliance.
Use Content compliance. That rule can match full headers, not just the subject. You can catch these for your whole domain in one place.
Some companies already do this. It is the only defense that scales.
Zoom Webinar and Calendar Spam
Clips is not the only Zoom channel being abused. Two others show up in the same inboxes.
The first is webinar spam. Someone adds your email as an attendee to a public Zoom webinar. You never signed up. Now you get reminder emails for an event you will not attend.
This one has a fix Clips does not. Webinar invitations carry an unsubscribe link. Scroll to the bottom of the email and use it. That removes you from all webinar mail from that host.
If they add you again, report the host. Use the same Trust & Safety form. Include the meeting ID and the host email. Webinar reports work better than Clips reports, because the form has a category for them.
The second is calendar spam. A fake invite appears on your calendar without you accepting anything. That is not Zoom. That is your calendar app auto-accepting invitations.
Turn it off in Outlook. Go to File, then Options, then Calendar. Find the auto-accept setting and disable it.
Turn it off in Apple Calendar. Go to Preferences, then Accounts. Disable auto-add or auto-accept for the account.
Both take under a minute. Do them once.
Summary
None of this should be your job.
Zoom built a product that you did not want. Then they wired it straight into email. They put their own name on the envelope. They left out the unsubscribe link. They gave you no way to refuse it.
Then they closed my complaint in 20 hours without even opening the attachment, which clearly gave the information that Zoom said I had not sent them.
So the work falls to you. Here is the whole job, and it takes about ten minutes.
- File the Zoom report at https://zoom.us/trust-form. Include the clip URL.
- Forward the email with full headers to abuse@sendgrid.com.
- Report the booking page to cal.com or Calendly.
- Filter “shared a clip with you” into a folder and forget it.
The filter protects you. The three reports do something else. They push the cost back onto the companies making money from this.
Zoom sells the delivery. SendGrid carries it. The calendar service collects the booking. All three profit. Only you pay.
Ten minutes of your time makes that mutual.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zoom’s abuse email address?
Zoom does not publish one. There is no abuse@zoom.us and no abuse@zoom.com. Every abuse report goes through a single web form at https://zoom.us/trust-form. You do not need a Zoom account to file one.
How do I stop spam Zoom Clip invites?
Zoom offers no setting to refuse clips. You have to filter them yourself. Every clip email carries the subject line “shared a clip with you.” Create a mail rule on that phrase and send it to a folder. That blocks all of them.
Are all Zoom Clips spam?
Not in theory. Teams can use Clips internally. In practice, almost no one does. If a clip arrives from outside your company, from someone you have never met, it is cold sales outreach.
How do I report abuse to Zoom?
Use the Trust & Safety form at https://zoom.us/trust-form. Choose “Report Abusive Behavior or Content.” Choose “Somewhere else” for the location. Paste the clip URL in the field asking where it happened. The URL is required, and nothing on the form tells you that.
How do I get the clip URL without opening the spam?
Right-click the “Watch now” button and choose Copy link address. Do not click it. Clicking confirms your address is real and gives the sender a view.
How do I stop Zoom webinar spam?
Webinar invitations do include an unsubscribe link. Scroll to the bottom of the email and use it. If the same host adds you again, report them through the Trust & Safety form with the meeting ID.
How do I stop Zoom calendar spam?
That is your calendar app, not Zoom. Turn off automatic acceptance of meeting invitations. In Outlook, go to File, then Options, then Calendar. In Apple Calendar, go to Preferences, then Accounts.
Does reporting to SendGrid actually work?
It applies more pressure than reporting to Zoom. SendGrid’s customer is Zoom, not the spammer. Your complaint becomes a compliance issue against Zoom’s sending account. Send it to abuse@sendgrid.com with full headers attached.