How to use the SpamCop Reporting Service

There are three basic ways to submit spam to SpamCop for reporting:

1. Via email using your submit.(16 digit A/N)@spam.spamcop.net email address that you get when you register
2. Via the web form where you cut and paste the complete headers and email
3. Via the SpamCop email service (There is more than one way via the email service. See [SpamCop Email Service Forum∞]

Via email
Submitting spam for reporting via email is covered in general at - SpamCop FAQ: How do I submit spam via email?∞

Make sure you forward it as an attachment. Forwarding inline will strip out all the headers from the original spam and make your report worthless. You can change the options in your email client to forward as attachment. That way, the attached file will be the original message with the headers included.

Special note: do not use Microsoft Outlook to forward mail to SpamCop for reporting as it tends to alter the headers in the attached messages. See the SpamCop Forum announcement http://forum.spamcop.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10245∞

Forward as Attachment Instructions
["As Attachment" from GroupWise 6.x∞]
["As Attachment" from HotMail∞]
["As Attachment" From OE6∞]
["As Attachment" From SpamCop Webmail∞]
["As Attachment" from ThunderBird (multiple e-mails)∞]
["As Attachment" from Yahoo (U.S.)∞]
For a more complete list, see SpamCop Wiki entry GetFullHeaders.

Once you have sent your spam via email, you will get an autoresponse from SpamCop. This email contains a link to the parser page. You don't have to wait for the autoresponse. You can go to the SpamCop website and log on. If your spam has reached SpamCop, there will be a 'Unreported Spam. Report Now' link.

Note: you must complete the reporting process before any reports are sent or to have it used to update the SpamCopBlockingList.
Never post the TrackingURL without first completing the reporting process or clicking on 'Cancel Reports' as anyone can complete the reporting process as long as they know the TrackingURL.

Common Problems
spam submittals blocked by your ISP?∞ and Spam Submissions Disappearing? No Confirmation e-mails?∞.
If you have spam filtering enabled in your Hotmail or other account, you might have to whitelist emails coming from SpamCop.

Via the web form:
Dependant upon the type of reporting account you are using, the web URLs are:
*http://www.spamcop.net∞ main home page - or http://www.spamcop.net/mcgi?action=loginform∞ link to actual login page - all accounts
*http://members.spamcop.net∞ - for reporting only accounts
*http://mailsc.spamcop.net∞ - for SpamCop Email accounts

You need to see ALL of the headers.
- SpamCop FAQ: How do I get my email program to reveal the full, unmodified email?∞ covers how to do that. A slightly more complete resource is SpamCop Wiki entry GetFullHeaders.

In addition to that FAQ entry's subsection - SpamCop FAQ: Hotmail∞, please note that MSN Hotmail doesn't have a toggle option to let you switch between a normal view and a view showing all the headers. You'll need to go into to your global options to configure your Hotmail account to show ALL headers. However, whether spam or not, you'll then see all the headers for every e-mail that you view. Yahoo! has a per-message toggle that lets you switch between normal and all-header view but Hotmail does not (except as a global option).

If you use the web form, the parsing is immediate and you get the parse page

Parser Page
At the top of the screen, there is an URL (which is the URL of the page you are looking at). This URL can be copied to your Windows clipboard and pasted in a file you create for tracking URLs. If there is a problem, people will want to know this 'Tracking URL' for troubleshooting.

You will also see 'Skip to ...' which will take you past the Technical Details (if you have chosen to see them) to your choices of what to do with this spam.

These choices are where the reports will be sent.
You need to review this list. The list may include:
Responsible party
- the ISP that 'owns' the address space that the spam came from (this report also adds that IP Address to the SpamCopDNSBL - depending on how many reports are made, future emails from this IP Address will be marked as spam)

Third-Party
- possibly the upstream of the IP address space owner, possibly someone else, in some cases, it may even be the spammer (does not add to SpamCop DNSBL)

Spamvertised web-site
- usually reporting to the Hosting service of that web-site (does not add to SpamCop DNSBL)

In any of the possibilities, there may a report that would be sent to a SpamCop dev/null address - this IP address has indicated to SpamCop that they don't want to receive SpamCop reports so no reports are sent, however, the data is added to the SpamCopDNSBL if applicable.

It is best if you are new, to not check any boxes until you know what you are doing and whatever the SpamCop parser has chosen is probably ok UNLESS it is your own ISP in which case you should cancel the report.
Clicking on the "Preview" button allows you to see what is actually going to be sent out.

Once "you" have made the decision on which reports to send out (by checking or unchecking the boxes), click on the "Send Spam Report(s) Now" button.

Usually there is no acknowledgement of the SpamCop report you sent (which comes from a Report# @ spamcop.net email address, not your email address). However, server admins do have the option to reply to you about your report. Their email goes to SpamCop and is forwarded to you. It happens so infrequently that people are sometimes alarmed when they get one. If you reply to their email, your real email address will be revealed unless you take measures to prevent that.

If you have problems or don't understand the instructions, please post in the
Reporting Help Forum∞

Also see:
QuickReporting - a faster way to do reporting but not as effective or complete.
MoleReporting - as described by the original Developer, What's the Use?
CategoryHowWeUseSpamCopDetailedExamples - for examples of how others are using SpamCop Reportings, as well as some other SpamCop tools.

Acknowledgements:
The vast majority of the preceding was written by Vanguard in [How do I submit my spam to spamcop?∞].
JeffG
Wazoo

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CategoryHowto
CategorySpamCopReporting

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