How do I know when spam is found?

WordPress by default doesn’t alert you when you get new spam, so you’d have to use a plugin to add that type of notification. I’ve never used it, but this plugin: https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/notification/ claims that it can do that.

Thanks. But, if Akismet puts things into the spam folder, why can’t IT provide a notification? The only place on my website where it’s possible for visitors to input text is my contact page, and I would hate to think that legitimate messages may be erroneously discarded before I see them.

Can Akismet be made to do something as simple as display a red flag when there is something in the spam folder?

Generating a notification for each spam message would lead to spam getting more visibility, which is what Akismet is trying to prevent. If you absolutely need to review every contact form submission, you should consider disabling Akismet and manually approving each one.

You could also review the contents of the spam queue once a day or once a week; spam messages are only auto-deleted every 15 days.

OK. Thanks, Christopher.