diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index de3de7f1..6f83bdea 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -133,6 +133,12 @@ ver. 0.9.2 (2015/04/29) - better-quick-now-than-later
    * Absorbed DNSUtils.cidr into addr2bin in filter.py, added unittests
    * Added syslogsocket configuration to fail2ban.conf
    * Note in the jail.conf for the recidive jail to increase dbpurgeage (gh-964)
+   * Character detection heuristics for whois output via optional setting in mail-whois*.conf. Thanks Thomas Mayer
+     When set by user,
+     - detects character set of whois output (which is undefined by RFC 3912) via heuristics of the file command
+     - converts whois data to UTF-8 character set with iconv
+     - sends the whois output in UTF-8 character set to mail program
+     - avoids that heirloom mailx creates binary attachment for input with unknown character set
 
 
 ver. 0.9.1 (2014/10/29) - better, faster, stronger
diff --git a/THANKS b/THANKS
index 5ae86a3c..7bf723c5 100644
--- a/THANKS
+++ b/THANKS
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ Stefan Tatschner
 Stephen Gildea
 Steven Hiscocks
 TESTOVIK
+Thomas Mayer
 Tom Pike
 Tomas Pihl
 Tony Lawrence
diff --git a/config/action.d/mail-whois-common.conf b/config/action.d/mail-whois-common.conf
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b0d27afc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/action.d/mail-whois-common.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# Fail2Ban configuration file
+#
+# Common settings for mail actions
+#
+# Users can override the defaults in mail-whois-common.local
+
+[INCLUDES]
+
+# Load customizations if any available
+after = mail-whois-common.local
+
+[DEFAULT]
+#original character set of whois output will be sent to mail program
+_whois = whois <ip> || echo "missing whois program"
+
+# use heuristics to convert charset of whois output to a target
+# character set before sending it to a mail program
+# make sure you have 'file' and 'iconv' commands installed when opting for that
+_whois_target_charset = UTF-8
+_whois_convert_charset = whois <ip> |
+                         { WHOIS_OUTPUT=$(cat) ; WHOIS_CHARSET=$(printf %%b "$WHOIS_OUTPUT" | file -b --mime-encoding -) ; printf %%b "$WHOIS_OUTPUT" | iconv -f $WHOIS_CHARSET -t %(_whois_target_charset)s//TRANSLIT - ; }
+
+# choose between _whois and _whois_convert_charset in mail-whois-common.local
+# or other *.local which include mail-whois-common.conf.
+_whois_command = %(_whois)s
+#_whois_command = %(_whois_convert_charset)s
+
+[Init]
diff --git a/config/action.d/mail-whois-lines.conf b/config/action.d/mail-whois-lines.conf
index 5f760ac8..35abeea1 100644
--- a/config/action.d/mail-whois-lines.conf
+++ b/config/action.d/mail-whois-lines.conf
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 # Modified-By: Yaroslav Halchenko to include grepping on IP over log files
 #
 
+[INCLUDES]
+
+before = mail-whois-common.conf
+
 [Definition]
 
 # Option:  actionstart
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ actionban = printf %%b "Hi,\n
             The IP <ip> has just been banned by Fail2Ban after
             <failures> attempts against <name>.\n\n
             Here is more information about <ip>:\n
-            `whois <ip> || echo missing whois program`\n\n
+            `%(_whois_command)s`\n\n
             Lines containing IP:<ip> in <logpath>\n
             `grep -E '(^|[^0-9])<ip>([^0-9]|$)' <logpath>`\n\n
             Regards,\n
diff --git a/config/action.d/mail-whois.conf b/config/action.d/mail-whois.conf
index e4c8450e..fe81f499 100644
--- a/config/action.d/mail-whois.conf
+++ b/config/action.d/mail-whois.conf
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 #
 #
 
+[INCLUDES]
+
+before = mail-whois-common.conf
+
 [Definition]
 
 # Option:  actionstart
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ actionban = printf %%b "Hi,\n
             The IP <ip> has just been banned by Fail2Ban after
             <failures> attempts against <name>.\n\n
             Here is more information about <ip>:\n
-            `whois <ip> || echo missing whois program`\n
+            `%(_whois_command)s`\n
             Regards,\n
             Fail2Ban"|mail -s "[Fail2Ban] <name>: banned <ip> from `uname -n`" <dest>