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SpamCop Email Service Changes


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I received today the following message, which appears to be authentic, but there's nothing about it in this forum (that I can see) nor on the Spamcop web site. Is this for real? It's not surprising if it is.

First of all, thank you for using SpamCop Email! We want to announce some important changes that will affect how you use your SpamCop Email account.

For over 12 years, Corporate Email Services has been partnering with SpamCop to provide webmail service with spam filtering via the SpamCop Email System for our users. Back then, spam filtering was rare. We heard story after story about how our service rescued people from unfiltered email. Nowadays, webmail service with spam filtering has become the norm in the general public. As such, the need for the webmail service with SpamCop filtered email has decreased.

Due to these reasons, we have decided to retire the SpamCop Email System and its webmail service; while SpamCop will continue to focus on providing the World's best spam reporting platform and blacklist for the community.

As of September 30, 2014 (Tuesday) 6pm ET, the current SpamCop Email service will be converted to email forwarding-only with spam filtered by SpamCop for all existing SpamCop Email users. Namely, all email received at a spamcop.net, cesmail.net, or cqmail.net address will be forwarded to your specified email address after spam filtering by SpamCop. You will be able to continue to use your email addresses like before, but you will need to read the email on your designated email account, instead of the SpamCop Email System webmail interface (https://webmail.spamcop.net). If you are already forwarding your email elsewhere, it will continue to work just like before. If your email program is set to download your email from the SpamCop system, after you start forwarding your email elsewhere, you will need to update your email program to download from there. SpamCop will no longer provide IMAP or POP service.

Please be informed that you will continue to be able to submit spam to SpamCop via the "Report spam" feature on spamcop.net, or forward your spam using your dedicated spam submission address shown on your SpamCop reporting account. Indeed, you are highly encouraged to do so as your spam report will not only help improve spam filtering for your email; it also helps SpamCop to fight spam for the World!

In the meantime, it is important for you to set up a forwarding address on your SpamCop Email account by September 30, 2014 (Tuesday) 6pm ET. Otherwise, any email sent to your spamcop.net, cesmail.net, or cqmail.net address will be dropped and not be delivered. To register a forwarding address, please login via https://webmail.spamcop.net; click "Options" > "SpamCop Tools".

If you have any further questions or concerns, please send them to questions[at]spamcop.net

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Regarding announcement of end of SpamCopy Email...

The benefit of using SpamCop email was it was really easy to move undetected spam into the reporting system, without any problems with the web form (which truncates) or forwarding (which changes the email). And the SpamCop email system gave fine control over which blacklists were used, the sensitivity of SpamAssassin, and provided a whitelist. None of my other email accounts have these features; they just have let you turn their spam filter on or off.

We need to start a topic to discuss alternative systems that provide the most value, especially for users who valued the features SpamCop provided. I presume this is no longer a taboo topic.

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I rather doubt that any of the complaining had any effect whatsoever, and believe me, compared to the HORRIBLE level of service and DREADFUL communications and customer service, there should have been MUCH MORE complaining.

But your other points need to be addressed, including pro-rated refunds. I'm paid up into 2015, but seriously doubt I'll see any refund, and I have two accounts. Like many here, I forward to my spamcop.net address from a number of other places, and depend on the webmail to access my messages, as I don't use a POP or IMAP client on my computer to pull down my mail. So the new forward-only arrangement will not be satisfactory for my situation.

I'm assuming that the embargo on discussing alternatives to CESMail is now over, so I'd say let's have at it and woe unto the moderator that tries to stop us! :-)

DT

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Oh yes, it does indeed appear to be quite real, and there are questions not addressed in the announcement, such as whether those of us who are paid months past the shutoff date will receive any sort of pro-rated refund (or a complete refund for this year's fees, considering how HORRIBLE the service has been recently).

I'm sure that they've lost a LOT of customers in the last few years, due to the deteriorating reliability and inadequate communications.

Time to open up discussion on alternatives.

DT

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Maybe a moderator could combine the two threads. Or we could just stick to this one.

My account expires 8/18 so I'm certainly wondering how to proceed.

It sounds as if the webpage will still exist but the "inbox" tab goes away. Will all the other "spamcop options" still be there like filter lists, white lists, black lists? Lots of unanswered questions.

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Maybe a moderator could combine the two threads. Or we could just stick to this one.

My account expires 8/18 so I'm certainly wondering how to proceed.

It sounds as if the webpage will still exist but the "inbox" tab goes away. Will all the other "spamcop options" still be there like filter lists, white lists, black lists? Lots of unanswered questions.

SpamCop will forward filtered email to an email account of your choice

I suggest one open a Gmail Account and use a super secret email Addy like "dodadumdumdewidiwidi84"

Your held folder will still work as will "Very Easy Reporting" (VER) using SpamCop

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Regarding announcement of end of SpamCopy Email...

The benefit of using SpamCop email was it was really easy to move undetected spam into the reporting system, without any problems with the web form (which truncates) or forwarding (which changes the email). And the SpamCop email system gave fine control over which blacklists were used, the sensitivity of SpamAssassin, and provided a whitelist. None of my other email accounts have these features; they just have let you turn their spam filter on or off.

We need to start a topic to discuss alternative systems that provide the most value, especially for users who valued the features SpamCop provided. I presume this is no longer a taboo topic.

I am requesting my full $30 back since the service was terrible

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This news sucks. I doubt I'll report spam anymore. It is so nice to have the email account and the reporting all together. Also I have no idea where I'll want my email delivered to (definitely not gmail or hotmail/outlook). I am not a fan of free email providers (you get what you pay for IMO). I may use my webhosting provider, but I really liked having it separate (in case of a security breach).

... whether those of us who are paid months past the shutoff date will receive any sort of pro-rated refund ...

I just renewed two accounts this week. It would suck to be out all that money.

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This news sucks. I doubt I'll report spam anymore. It is so nice to have the email account and the reporting all together. Also I have no idea where I'll want my email delivered to (definitely not gmail or hotmail/outlook). I am not a fan of free email providers (you get what you pay for IMO). I may use my webhosting provider, but I really liked having it separate (in case of a security breach).

I just renewed two accounts this week. It would suck to be out all that money.

Not keen about this myself.

Just means you need a email account to send email

Received email will still go through your SpamCop filters

This can also be done by using a freeware program called MailWasher this allows you to use the same blocklists SpamCop Email does, except they WORK, unlike SpamCop Email

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My emphasis...(ex the SC e-mail advice) Assume folk are using this channel?

Well, not yet, but that's because the last support ticket I filed was never graced with a response, so why should I expect any better outcome? I'll give it a try, but I'll also insist they show up here and answer the questions publicly--they owe us that.

DT

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Well it was a good run. I'd like to be able to say it's going to end as well as it started, but admittedly that's not the case. Still, I'm genuinely pleased that there's going to be an orderly wind down rather than CESmail suddenly vanishing from the Internet one day.

My account expires 8/18 so I'm certainly wondering how to proceed.

Ditto to this. I'm due for renewal towards the end of this month, so I'd like to know how CESmail is going to proceed in both the near term and long term. Are paid subscriptions coming to an end? Or will CESmail be a $30/year forwarding-only service? And in the case of the latter, how long would CESmail be continuing it, since I have to assume they're looking at winding all of this down?

Well, not yet, but that's because the last support ticket I filed was never graced with a response, so why should I expect any better outcome? I'll give it a try, but I'll also insist they show up here and answer the questions publicly--they owe us that.

Public responses would be nice. Though not necessarily out of owing us anything, but because it will cut down on the amount of email back and forth between users and CESmail. It's easier to answer it once for everyone than to answer it a hundred times individually. :) Edited by ViRGE
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I'm assuming that the embargo on discussing alternatives to CESMail is now over, so I'd say let's have at it and woe unto the moderator that tries to stop us! :-)

I've put in a formal request for permission to discuss it. Let's not rock the boat quite yet, as they have previously made it clear that they need to be sure we don't jeopardize the forums.
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ViRGE, haven't heard back from you yet, hope it is OK with you to share the exchange ...

From: Farelf

Re:Discussing Spamcop Alternatives, Aug 10 2014, 01:53 PM

echo "CC: list should be here." .

Hi ViRGE,

I should think that comprehensive discussion of the situation, including alternatives to establish the functionality that will be lost (as far as that can be achieved), would be appropriate. There will a divergence of views and (no doubt) much misinformation which can only be tempered by the more informed views and solid information coming from a wide-ranging airing.

I confess, I'm not a lot of help here, not being a mail user, but would trust that the usership can find their way through to some useful outcomes.

Regards,

Steve

P.S. I might post this in public, OK?

S

From: ViRGE

Discussing Spamcop Alternatives, Aug 10 2014, 01:40 PM

echo "CC: list should be here."

Hi Farelf;

In light of this evening's announcement about CESmail ceasing the email hosting portion of their business, I am wondering if we may have formal permission to discuss Spamcop alternatives on this forum? I realize that was an issue before when CESmail was still a hosting operation, but seeing as they are now getting out of that business, I am hoping this is no long a conflict of interest. :) smile.gif

-Thanks

ViRGE

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I could rant and rail about any number of things related to this, but topping the list is what has already been mentioned; what is the deal now?

Is it $30 a year just for the forwarding? (rip off)

...or is the forwarding going to be less?

...will there be pro-rated refunds for those of us who will have no more use for the spamcop.net address?

It's inexcusable that these things were not addressed in the notice. For peat's sake, the existing, doomed email service is still offered on the spamcop site. - What the hell?

Your held folder will still work as will "Very Easy Reporting" (VER) using SpamCop

I don't see any reference to that. The notice I got says "...you will continue to be able to submit spam to SpamCop via the "Report spam" feature [i.e. the "Report spam" tab] on spamcop.net, or forward your spam...", and neither of those things is VER [the "Held Email" tab].

Keep in mind that the contents of the VER page is loaded (I believe) via IMAP from the mailbox held mail folder. To me, this suggests that VER will disappear along with the mailbox.

[*]I hope the people compaining about the outages didn't ruin it for the rest of us.

Oh yes, by all means; blame the victims!

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I'm afraid I don't understand what I have to do. I wrote to questions[at]spamcop.net & I got an acknowledgement. I'm really teed off as I just renewed for another year.

My letter said:

I am a paid subscriber to your services and do not understand your email "Important Announcement about SpamCop Email Service Changes - Action Required", except it appears that I'm losing something I have paid for.

Q1: All my mail is forwarded from webmail to your servers for filtering, no IMAP or POP involved there so will that be the same?

Q2: My computer then POPs the filtered mail from your servers into my email client here, is that now changed? If so - how?

You need to publish step by step instructions on how to change settings.

You also need to recommend an equivalent service elsewhere that does the same as SC Mail does right now, that at least would be a courtesy to us all.

I am very upset by this news as I know from recent experiences with breakdowns of your servers which I go along with because I love the service anyway, obviously someone at Cisco or wherever has decided that it simply isn't worth bothering with us Mail subscribers. A crying shame.

:wub:

Edited by Ex_Brit
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:( I find it Odd that there is no official announcement via the website & forum in addition the timing of the message a Saturday night all very odd.

If genuine I am VERY annoyed I just renewed my Spamcop last week, fortunately via paypal so I can dispute the payment in needs be.

Hopefully Some clarification will surface, but as a precaution I have opened an alternative premium account with another provider just in case.

I have also set up the mail forwarding which does not seem to work, I do not relish the work involved telling all the sites & people I am changing my e-mail address.

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SpamCop/Cisco does not own or operate the email service.

We're attached at the wrists and ankles for spam reporting purposes, but we don't have any control.

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -

- Service[at]Admin.SpamCop.net -

So you are Saying the Spamcop Webmail is not provided by Spamco/Cisco but another entity, well surely then you can find another provider partnership & our accounts can be migrated?

D

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I do not relish the work involved telling all the sites & people I am changing my e-mail address.

I always use an unique email from one of my own domains for registering with sites - means this type of change is less painful. I have one or two are registered with spamcop.net address where there were issues so I will have to keep it alive for a while, my renewal is due 1 Sep so I hope we know what happens before then.

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SpamCop/Cisco does not own or operate the email service.

We're attached at the wrists and ankles for spam reporting purposes, but we don't have any control.

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -

- Service[at]Admin.SpamCop.net -

Not blaming you Don, you guys have always been great to us. I just renewed the service too, what a ballsup this is. I did a quick look on the web for equivalent services and boy, are they expensive!

I can start using my A/V software spam filtering but the whole point of using a filtering service in the Cloud was to get possibly malicious stuff off my machine and let it go into oblivion remotely.

.

Edited by Ex_Brit
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