Now that I have had spamcop email for several months (and was a paid reporting subscriber for a while before that), I have tried several different options for reporting spam, but I don't understand the distinctions between them.

Can someone clarify the differences between the different spam reporting procedures:

1) Spam in held mail folder then queued for reporting

2) Spam source copied into the spam reporting form

3) Spam forwarded for reporting using special email address

4) Spam in held mail folder then queued for QUICK reporting

5) Spam in the inbox identified as spam using the webmail interface

6) Other reporting options I have not yet discovered ?


My guess is that options 1, 2, and 3 are practically identical because you get a similar processing report. (Sadly I've recently slipped a notch on my average reporting time -- from 2 to 3 hours.)

The quick reporting (4) mystifies me. Sometimes a quick-reported spam seems to produce about as many reports as a "regular" spam, but most of the time it appears to only report the source of the spam (not the embedded links or whatever). So I suspect it doesn't do the same level of analysis and maybe does not affect the "average reporting time" score.

The spam report feature from the webmail interface (5) is completely inscrutable -- you just select the message and click the button and the message disappears and the interface says the message has been reported as spam. I saw no indication of what that means -- I did not notice the message moved to held mail or queued for reporting (but maybe I missed it).

When you get all the answers, how about writing them all up and I'll use this as a FAQ entry for everyone else to be able to come to and sort it all out?

The button in Webmail submits it for Quick Reporting, if I recall correctly.

If I am reading this correctly, this is also known as the VER (Very Easy Reporting) page located at: http://mailsc.spamcop.net/reportheld?action=heldlog



1, 2, and 3 are all ways to submit you messages for full reporting including finding any links in the messages submitted.

Modify 5) to include messages in ANY folder inside of webmail, not just the inbox.

Add 6) Spam forwarded for quick reporting using special email address if your account is approved to do so (Email deputies<at>spamcop.net for this approval.

4, 5, and 6 are all ways to submit your messages for quick reporting which will report to the source of the message but not locate or report any of the links inside the message.



THe average reporting time is still a mystery to most of us as it sometimes rises beyond a reasonable amount, ignore it. My paid account has finally gotten worked DOWN to 13.1 days, which is way above the time spamcop will even accept messages.



First, there should have been a confirmation message that you wanted to submit the messages as spam.

Second, you should have received a confirmation report that listed all of the messages you quick reported and where those reports went to. This is the purpose of quick reporting so that you don't have to confirm every report before they are sent out. The trade off is that any spamvertized websites are not reported.

In a perfect wold, you should be checking all of those reports to confirm the reports went to the correct locations. The subject is similiar but slightly different from the message when you have reports waiting to complete.

Thank you for the detailed response!

I just did a little test...I had a spam in my inbox, so I went to the webmail interface.

1) I clicked the checkbox on the left
2) I clicked the "Report as Spam" link at the top of the message list
3) I got a java scri_pt dialog asking if I was sure, so I clicked OK to dismiss the dialog.
4) I got two result messages saying the message had been reported as spam and the message had been deleted.
5) After about a seven-minute delay, I received the quick-report message.

SO yes, the "Report as Spam" link generates a Quick Report, which means the message source gets the reports, not the hosts of any embedded links.


BTW I just noticed when you switch to the Held Email folder using the webmail interface you get TWO MORE links for processing spam -- "Release" and "Release and Whitelist" in addition to the "Report as Spam" link. SO I will need to think about if those options fit in my list (it seems pretty obvious they don't but I don't want to presume too much).


Wazoo, YES, once I discover all the options I will be happy to compile this in the form of a FAQ...however I'm about to be away from the computer for a few days then I'll have overdue work so look for an update AFTER the middle of next week.

Stephen, thank you for the detailed response!

P.S.: I agree about reviewing the spam reports -- though when you're submitting dozens per day it's easy to succumb to MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) and click the report link or button too quickly. Fortunately, the Quick Report automatically caught and withheld a Joe-Job bounce I accidentally reported a couple of weeks ago. What a relief! I know it could happen again, especially if I get massively Joe-Jobbed like I was last February...

These 2 options will send the message where ever it would normally have gone if not held. In other words, if you have all your messages forwarded to another account, they will go there, otherwise, they end up in the Inbox of the spamcop message server. In addition, the whitelist will add the address to the whitelist so messages from that email address will not be held in the future.

They are not really reporting options, just ways to deal with the false positives that can occur. There are similiar options from the VER page.

P.S. Wazoo...I am slowly writing that FAQ you asked about a long time ago, it just is not organized (sort of the way my brain works). I can answer questions but when describing something "free form" I tend to get into tangents and never finish a point.

As one often accused of being a master at just that kind of 'art' ... I have no idea what you're talking about <g> If I could figure out how to gesticulate while typing this stuff, I'm sure some of my answers could get down to just a couple of words <g> Then again, some of those motions might be mis-understood, if taken out of context <g>

I have split the Reply above from Multiple ways to report spam to a new Topic Call for "FAQ under construction" Forum.

I'm a bit confused ... think I got bit by the "everything is read" bug, as I didn't see at least four items showing as new when the Forum section icon went 'dark' with a post from today ... however, reading Jeff G.'s last, I'm a bit lost ... reading this while under the "E-mail account set-up" forum ... off to check the FAQ forum as it also was showing as "nothing new" ....

Yep, got bit it appears ... thanks for the work Jeff G.

You're welcome.