Log into your webmail account ( https://webmail.spamcop.net/ or http://webmail.spamcop.net/ )

Locate the messages you would like to report. Most will be in the Held Mail folder which you can access by using the pulldown in the upper right hand corner of the page or using the Held Mail icon at the top center of the page.

Select the spams to report. In the Held Mail page, I use the (unmarked) Check All/None checkmark just above the message list then scan down and uncheck any non spam messages. Then click on the "Report as Spam" link, located just above the message list. This will bring up a confirmation screen, click OK.

What happens next depends if you have enabled quick reporting from your account.

Quick reporting not enabled: This is the default configuration. (I have not been in this mode for quite a while so this may need some modification. Reply to this post with any necessary modifications.)

You will get back an email message with the subject "SpamCop has accepted X email for processing".
Inside that message are links to complete the reporting process for each message or you can go to your reporting page by clicking the "Report Spam" icon at the top center of the webmail page where you follow the "Unreported Spam Saved: Report Now" link to report each message.
(the resulting display has some different possibilities, based on checkbox clicks and/or settings made under your account Preferences ... such as "Show Technical Details" which can be used to learn, troubleshoot, double-check the parser results ...)
Eventually you will see the results of the parser analysis of your spam. You need to review this list of intended targets to receive a complaint about this specific spam. Things you may see;
Responsible party - the ISP that 'owns' the address space that the spam came from (this report also adds to the details in the SpamCopDNSBL for that IP address)

Interested Paty - possibly the upstream of the IP address space owner, possibly someone else, in some cases, it may even be the spammer

Third-Party - see above

Spamvertised web-site - usually reporting to the Hosting service of that web-site

SpamCop dev/null address - usually indicative of an ISP that cares not about their good name and for whatever reason rejects/bounces/or ignores SpamCop reports/complaints ... though reports don't go to this target, if the source of the spam, the data is added to the SpamCopDNSBL

SpamCop Bad Reporting address - you are trying to report a non-routable IP address, or even worse, one of SpamCop's addresses - last example was a user reporting as spam a Forum generated e-mail advising her of a PM written to tell her about the handling of one of her Forum postings

Once "you" have made the decision on which reports to send out ... click on the "Send Spam Report(s) Now" button

You should then get a screen listing the report ID numbers and addresses your SpamCop complaint has been sent to.

Repeat until all submitted spam messages are reported.

Quick reporting enabled: This is an optional configuration enabled by contacting the deputies after you have some reporting history. I recommend completing the Mailhost configuration prior to enabling quick reporting as it will reduce the chances of false reporting your own ISP.

You will get back an email message with the subject "SpamCop Quick reporting data". You should scan through this message looking for any incorrect reports that were sent, expecially for your ISP. When problems occur (and they do from time to time), usually they will happen in bunches, so primarily, look for groups of messages heading for your ISP.

If there is a particular spam you would like to perform a full report (reporing the spamvertized web sites), you can do this from the webmail application as well. I use this method for any spams that slip by the spamcop filters, when I have the time to followup on the report. To do this, checkmark the spam messages from the message list and click the "Forward" link located just above the message list. This should open a new message coposition window with the selected messages attached at the bottom of the message in (message/rfc822) format. Address this message to your submit.xxxxxxxxxxxxx[at]spam.spamcop.net address (use a short easy to remember name like "submit" in your address book) and send it. You will receive back the same message as if quick reporting were not enabled and you complete the process the same way.

Steven, I think we need to confirm the enabling of quick reporting in WebMail.
I believe the default is quick reporting enabled.
Also, if it is not enable I believe that the reporting button itself is disabled rather than going to full reporting. But with no way to test that other than opening up a new email account, we will need to here from someone higher up.

What would be really nice is to have an option to send to the queue for full reporting as well as direct to quick reporting.

My understanding is that development of such an option is currently in progress.

Here is the message I received from JT May 25, 2005.


I would like a new webmail user to confirm this before making changes. I hate writing a FAQ for something I have not experienced personally.

Confirmed.

I know of a SpamCop Email System Account where email-based Quick reporting is not allowed, but Webmail and VER Quick Reporting is allowed.

Of course, the workaround for full reporting from Webmail is to forward (from the message list / mailbox/Folder view ONLY) to your submit address.

That still leave unproofed what the state or function of the "Report Spam" button is in WebMail by default for the new user who has not configuered MailHosts.
I attempted to send submit a spam to the quick address as an attachement and received the following response Note: within WebMail quick reporting is active for me.
So it appears that if one what to use quick reporting via email submission, one must make are request to do so, and since I have not done that, the submissions are automaticly forwarded for full reporting.

That is the default state of affairs for a new SpamCop Email System Customer - can send Quick reports via the Report Spam Link/Button in Webmail, but can't send Quick reports via email.