diff --git a/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/imap/imap_lib/IMAPStorage.cpp b/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/imap/imap_lib/IMAPStorage.cpp
index 2b5f29f750..6ae12fb741 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/imap/imap_lib/IMAPStorage.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/imap/imap_lib/IMAPStorage.cpp
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include <NodeInfo.h>
 #include <OS.h>
 
-#include <E-mail.h>
+#include <mail_util.h>
 
 #include "IMAPMailbox.h"
 
@@ -463,6 +463,11 @@ IMAPStorage::_ReadFilesThread()
 status_t
 IMAPStorage::_WriteFlags(int32 flags, BNode& node)
 {
+	if ((flags & kSeen) != 0)
+		write_read_attr(node, B_READ);
+	else
+		write_read_attr(node, B_UNREAD);
+
 	ssize_t writen = node.WriteAttr("MAIL:server_flags", B_INT32_TYPE, 0,
 		&flags, sizeof(int32));
 	if (writen != sizeof(int32))
diff --git a/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/pop3/pop3.cpp b/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/pop3/pop3.cpp
index 3c0aba613f..c4940b48fc 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/pop3/pop3.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/mail_daemon/inbound_protocols/pop3/pop3.cpp
@@ -185,6 +185,10 @@ POP3Protocol::SyncMessages()
 		entry_ref ref;
 		entry.GetRef(&ref);
 
+		// the ref becomes invalid after renaming the file thus we already
+		// write the status here
+		MarkMessageAsRead(ref, B_UNREAD);
+
 		int32 size = MessageSize(toRetrieve);
 		if (fFetchBodyLimit < 0 || size <= fFetchBodyLimit) {
 			error = mailIO.Seek(0, SEEK_END);
diff --git a/src/kits/mail/HaikuMailFormatFilter.cpp b/src/kits/mail/HaikuMailFormatFilter.cpp
index 88efba3d45..99418e7850 100644
--- a/src/kits/mail/HaikuMailFormatFilter.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/mail/HaikuMailFormatFilter.cpp
@@ -64,8 +64,6 @@ HaikuMailFormatFilter::HaikuMailFormatFilter(MailProtocol& protocol,
 void
 HaikuMailFormatFilter::HeaderFetched(const entry_ref& ref, BFile* file)
 {
-	write_read_attr(*file, B_UNREAD);
-
 	file->Seek(0, SEEK_SET);
 
 	BMessage attributes;