newbies question..

[STRESSKILLER]

since i started to report on spamcop 3 weaks ago, i get more spam every day ,

in the beginning i had only 20 - 40 spam mails a day but now its growing day by day and since you have to report each spam mail by hand i was wondering isn't there an easier way to do this cause this is really no fun to report this way.

if the grow of spam mails keep up this way i might need to hire someone to report al the spam mails

right now i select all unwanted / spam mails in mailwasher and send them to my spamcop submit email adress but the last 2 days i didnt feel like reporting anymore cause its taking to much of my time.

so the question is .. is there another way to report and do we actually need to report or is forwarding the email more than enough.

[dbiel]

Please see Does SpamCop Work

and How To Use Reporting

[kamaraju]

so the question is .. is there another way to report and do we actually need to report or is forwarding the email more than enough.

You can do something called "quick reporting". There are advantages and disadvantages for it.

advantage : quick, hardly takes more than 15 minutes for any amount of spam emails.

disadvantage :

1) If you screw things up, you can list your own ISP in the SCBL.

2) It only processes the IP address corresponding to the origin of the spam email and does bother to parse the body for spam links etc.,

The Quick Reporting feature is currently disabled by default. However it will be activated if you send a request to service[at]admin.spamcop.net asking so. Before activating this option, you need to configure your mailhosts and make sure that your ISP will not be blacklisted when you report spam to SpamCop

See http://forum.spamcop.net/scwik/QuickReporting for more info and follow the links that are given there.

[pauladev]

right now i select all unwanted / spam mails in mailwasher and send them to my spamcop submit email adress but the last 2 days i didnt feel like reporting anymore cause its taking to much of my time.

so the question is .. is there another way to report and do we actually need to report or is forwarding the email more than enough.

Me too! I subscribed as I thought I wanted to support the fight against spam, but I seem to get more than ever now, and after using over 10Mb of my allotment for reporting, I am unlikely to continue as it takes way too much time, especially when the spamcop site is busy.

There is a button for 'Remove' all saved spam' so why not a button for 'Report all saved spam' and get them all done with one click!!

[Wazoo]

Me too! I subscribed as I thought I wanted to support the fight against spam, but I seem to get more than ever now,

Multiple Topics/Discussion about this in the Lounge area .... basically, everyone has their own version of this story ...

and after using over 10Mb of my allotment for reporting, I am unlikely to continue as it takes way too much time, especially when the spamcop site is busy.

The "spamcop site" really doesn't describe the issue .. it's the Parsing & Reporting system ... status of which is shown in the graphic at the top right of these pages .. click on it to see a readable version of the chart ... there have been some strange issues for well over a week now, compounded by a rolled-out new Parsing codebase .... there are complaints showing up in all kinds of strange places ... as I posted in the newsgroups, the last time issues like came up, my complaints were met with the rolling-back of that code ...

Note the 'new' parser version number .... note the issues the parsing / reporting system has had for over the last week+ .. the last time I 'complained' about issues like this, the parsing code was rolled back ....

24 May 2006 - SpamCop v 1.564.2.1 Copyright © 1998-2005

26 May 2006 - SpamCop v 1.573 Copyright © 1998-2005 (broken - rolled back)

18 Jun 2006 - SpamCop v 1.582 Copyright © 1998-2005

23 Jul 2006 - SpamCop v 1.589 Copyright © 1998-2005

28 Aug 2006 - SpamCop v 1.596 Copyright © 1998-2006

10 Oct 2006 - SpamCop v 1.600 Copyright © 1998-2006

15 Nov 2006 - SpamCop v 1.603 Copyright © 1998-2006

As far as "using up your allotment" ... check out SpamCop.net Reporting Accounts ... you might be surprised ...

There is a button for 'Remove' all saved spam' so why not a button for 'Report all saved spam' and get them all done with one click!!

Basically because of the agreement that you made about "you" being the responsible agent in determining which of your Reports go out and where they are targeted to go ....

[STRESSKILLER]

Multiple Topics/Discussion about this in the Lounge area .... basically, everyone has their own version of this story ...

The "spamcop site" really doesn't describe the issue .. it's the Parsing & Reporting system ... status of which is shown un the graphic at the top right of these pages .. click on it to see a readable version of the chart ... there have been some strange issues for well over a week now, compounded by a rolled-out new Parsing codebase .... there are complaints showing up in all kinds of strange places ... as I posted in the newsgroups, the last time issues like came up, my complaints were met with the rolling-back of that code ...

As far as "using up your allotment" ... check out SpamCop.net Reporting Accounts ... you might be surprised ...

Basically because of the agreement that you made about "you" being the responsible agent in determining which of your Reports go out and where they are targeted to go ....

hmm in other words stop sending the emails start saving your own time, spamcop doesn't give a damn if you report or not ? is that the right conclusion ??? I don't want to be some kind of [at][at]7 Agent i only want to help filling the statistics and give people who know how to fight this battle the proper information.

my isp blocked ? nope have my own mail server the only thing that might be blocked is the dns of the isp o no thats my own asswell

but bottem line i have multiple domains i have my own servers and no i'm not a bussines,

[Wazoo]

hmm in other words stop sending the emails start saving your own time, spamcop doesn't give a damn if you report or not ? is that the right conclusion ??? I don't want to be some kind of [at][at]7 Agent i only want to help filling the statistics and give people who know how to fight this battle the proper information.

I'm wondering where the atitude is coming from. Section 8 - SpamCop's System & Active Staff User Guide gets to the specifics of the posted note in here of This is a User to User Support Forum

The primary mode of support here is peer-to-peer, meaning users helping other users. (please remember this at all times!)

Another try:

This forum is composed of people who have used spamcop and those who are learning about anti-spam efforts.

You are asking a Frequently Asked Question ... as stated, there are multiple Topics/Discussin on the same subject in existence. Suggestins have been made. That you are submitting one e-mail at a time is either because you've not done any research or due to a limitation of your tools ...

my isp blocked ? nope have my own mail server the only thing that might be blocked is the dns of the isp o no thats my own asswell

but bottem line i have multiple domains i have my own servers and no i'm not a bussines,

Any of all that use the SpamCopDNSBL? If so, spam you do report feeds that list ....

[Miss Betsy]

hmm in other words stop sending the emails start saving your own time, spamcop doesn't give a damn if you report or not ? is that the right conclusion ??? I don't want to be some kind of [at][at]7 Agent i only want to help filling the statistics and give people who know how to fight this battle the proper information.

my isp blocked ? nope have my own mail server the only thing that might be blocked is the dns of the isp o no thats my own asswell

but bottem line i have multiple domains i have my own servers and no i'm not a bussines,

I think your original question was 'Is there a quicker way to report?' The answer is yes, there is Quick reporting. You have to set up Mailhosts before you use quick reporting because the possibility is high that you will report your own ISP with quick reporting without mailhosts.

Other strategies that people use when overwhelmed by the time it takes to report spam: only report spam that makes it through the filters; only report the 10 most recent spam; only report porn or pump and dump or pharmacy or whatever irritates you the most. There are enough reporters that all spam does not need to be reported. the first two are very effective in either adding an IP address to the blocklist or in keeping it there - which, of course, is one of the purposes of the reporting. The other purpose is to inform server admins when there is a problem and, at this time, this is an infrequent occurrance because most admins are on top of spam problems. However, mistakes are always made and it is still a useful service for whitehats. Blackhats ignore spamcop reports, but end up on the blocklist.

Knowing the concepts of how spam is controlled by blocklists is as important IMHO as actually being involved in the mechanics of spam control. Blocklists are the natural way to control spam on the internet. End users should be aware of the advantages of using blocklists over content filters and of the charachteristics of the various blocklists that are used so that they can be good consumers of internet email services.

Whether or not you continue to report to spamcop, it would be a good public service for you to read enough of the FAQ to understand how spamcop works and how blocklists in general work.

Miss Betsy

[StevenUnderwood]

There is a button for 'Remove' all saved spam' so why not a button for 'Report all saved spam' and get them all done with one click!!

It would be very difficult for you to confirm that all those reports are going to the correct places (or at least not to the wrong place i.e. your ISP) with a single button.

Please remember that spamcop is a tool to help you send YOUR reports to the ISP's in question. Spamcop simply facilitates, and automates, the work you would be doing to submit manual reports.

[MikeRG]

You have to set up Mailhosts before you use quick reporting because the possibility is high that you will report your own ISP with quick reporting without mailhosts.

I have been reporting for a number of years, paying for 'Fuel' as I go.

I also am getting a little bored going to the web form to Recheck and Send each report, having already checked them before sending.

It is very time consuming, especially when reporting 150 spams per day.

I have read a lot about quick reporting and I think I have read all the 'how to' stuff on the forums and FAQs.

One thing I don't understand is, What is meant by Setting up a A MailHost and how would I go about it.

I am an individual user Using my ISP's SMTP for sending and my Domain host's POP3 server for receiving.

Regards to all from ~Mike~

[Telarin]

There is a whole collection of Mailhost information in the FAQ here on the forum. You might want to check out those sections, and then if you have any specific questions, come back here and ask them.

[StevenUnderwood]

I also am getting a little bored going to the web form to Recheck and Send each report, having already checked them before sending.

You should check that they really are spam before submitting. You should be checking where your reports are going after the parse is shown.

I have read a lot about quick reporting and I think I have read all the 'how to' stuff on the forums and FAQs.

One thing I don't understand is, What is meant by Setting up a A MailHost and how would I go about it.

When you open the spamcop reporting page, you should see a tab at the top labeled MailHosts right next to the Report spam tab.

You will want to register every email domain that you receive spam that you will want to report. The safest way is to register all of your email domains.

For instance say I have a spamcop account, an ISP account, and 2 yahoo accounts. I would register 1 account for each of those domains (x[at]spamcop.net, x[at]isp, x[at]yahoo.com). The 2 yahoo accounts would travel the same route so only one needs to be registered.

[dbiel]

What is meant by Setting up a A MailHost and how would I go about it.

Please see the following:

Wiki: MailHostConfiguration

Forum FAQ entries:

How do I configure Mailhosts for SpamCop?

-----> Mailhost System Configuration Explanation

-----> MailHost Configuration Problems FAQ started

-----> Mailhosts Typical Questions A less technical version

-----> One version of a Step-by-step MailHost set-up

-----> "Sorry, confirmation codes do not match:" - Why?

[STRESSKILLER]

OKAY SO IN OTHER WORDS NO FLAMING ...

thats fine with me wasn't my intention anyway,

back to reporting stuf i couldn't find the answers for my problem in the faq.

thats why i posted here when getting redirected to the faq as an answer made me p....d

but i made up my mind stop reporting is the easy solution guess the spammer wins after all.

finally i just received this messag when trying to report for the last time :

SpamCop v 1.603 Copyright © 1998-2006, IronPort Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Failed to load spam header: 1138460648 / f0c947e514d5fee7e7f4724b7566d901

Cannot open database connection in putRow

[Wazoo]

OKAY SO IN OTHER WORDS NO FLAMING ...

Well, there's that .... but it's primarily that no one 'here' has any control over the IronPort hardware, the codebase of the Parsing & Reporting engine ... and as most of the folks here use it also, it seems silly to raise hell with other users ....

back to reporting stuf i couldn't find the answers for my problem in the faq.

thats why i posted here when getting redirected to the faq as an answer made me p....d

Maybe you can pont out what you asked that isn't already addressed in the SpamCop FAQ here? Input for more data is requested, used, incorporated. Several FAQ tools have been attempted here, the single-page-access-expanded version bring just one of those attempts .. the Wiki is the latest ...

but i made up my mind stop reporting is the easy solution guess the spammer wins after all.

Whatever .... you've had more than enough people try to offer to point you in the direction for answers to your Frequently Asked Questions ...

finally i just received this messag when trying to report for the last time :

SpamCop v 1.603 Copyright © 1998-2006, IronPort Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Failed to load spam header: 1138460648 / f0c947e514d5fee7e7f4724b7566d901

Cannot open database connection in putRow

As seen in the provided graphic/link at the top right of this very page, the Parsing & Reporting system definitely has issues. Assumedly, you managed to time things right to catch one of those major dips in the chart .... your error message talks about a database issue .... Outages of that system is why I put that graphic/link up there ...

[turetzsr]

<snip>

back to reporting stuf i couldn't find the answers for my problem in the faq.

...Sure, that happens sometimes.

thats why i posted here when getting redirected to the faq as an answer made me p....d

...Gee, sorry, but: 1) we had no way of knowing that you did go the FAQ -- you did not mention that; 2) you should not be p...d about being referred to the FAQ just because you didn't find your answers your first time there. Especially when you were directed to specific sections of the FAQ by dbiel. The FAQ is there to save both your time and ours. When it works it's great and when it doesn't, well, all you need to do is post specific questions and answers are [almost] always forthcoming.

but i made up my mind stop reporting is the easy solution guess the spammer wins after all.

...Possibly. If other SpamCop users are receiving copies of the same spam that you are, then they might be reported, anyway. However, the more the better. I'm still not sure what your exact problem is. Perhaps if you take another attempt at explaining it, I or another of the volunteers will try to point you to the most helpful FAQ sections or perhaps even try to answer your question directly.

finally i just received this messag when trying to report for the last time :

SpamCop v 1.603 Copyright © 1998-2006, IronPort Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Failed to load spam header: 1138460648 / f0c947e514d5fee7e7f4724b7566d901

Cannot open database connection in putRow

...This looks like the message I get when there's a problem with the parser. Trying again later usually allows it to go through.

[Wazoo]

Near as I can figure, the prime issue is that using MailWasher only allows a single e-mail to be sent at a time. True or not, I don't know, but .... that seems to be the major harp that I can see ... The actual e-mail clietn was never mentioned, whether any support was asked for from MailWasher was not mentioned, etc., etc., etc.

[STRESSKILLER]

Near as I can figure, the prime issue is that using MailWasher only allows a single e-mail to be sent at a time. True or not, I don't know, but .... that seems to be the major harp that I can see ... The actual e-mail clietn was never mentioned, whether any support was asked for from MailWasher was not mentioned, etc., etc., etc.

Indeed i use mailwasher don't know exactly how mailwasher reports to spamcop but i receive for each spam report a confirmation email from spamcop [start to look like spam sometimes] every mail from spamcop contains a different url al i wonder is why isn't there a link on the report page that says "report all at once"

and with one click all the spam sh** could be handled.

cause if i would press on the delete all unreported spam, i think there would be +200 mails not being reported right now.

[turetzsr]

<snip>

i receive for each spam report a confirmation email from spamcop [start to look like spam sometimes] every mail from spamcop contains a different url al i wonder is why isn't there a link on the report page that says "report all at once"

and with one click all the spam sh** could be handled.

cause if i would press on the delete all unreported spam, i think there would be +200 mails not being reported right now.

...Because being an automated process, "mistakes" can happen and it is left to us reporters to review the e-mail addresses to which SpamCop is offering to send our (not SpamCop's) reports. The most frequent such "mistake" is to offer to send a report to our own e-mail providers or ISPs (see FAQ entry entitled "Why does SpamCop want to send a report to my own network administrator?" for more information on this). It's up to us reporters to avoid this mistake because we're the ones who can recognize it.

...Please also remember that no one is expecting you to report each and every spam you get, just the ones you have the time and inclination to report.

[STRESSKILLER]

...Because being an automated process, "mistakes" can happen and it is left to us reporters to review the e-mail addresses to which SpamCop is offering to send our (not SpamCop's) reports. The most frequent such "mistake" is to offer to send a report to our own e-mail providers or ISPs (see FAQ entry entitled "Why does SpamCop want to send a report to my own network administrator?" for more information on this). It's up to us reporters to avoid this mistake because we're the ones who can recognize it.

...Please also remember that no one is expecting you to report each and every spam you get, just the ones you have the time and inclination to report.

ok i understand you want protect the reporters from there self, but if you would only report every now and then , you never get a complete picture from the mess that lands in peoples mailboxes, shouldn't it be like the people report and spam cop decides if it's spam or not ? like if there are more than XXX reported spam messages with the same content or from the same dns it will be spam ?

i used to think that spamcop was the one filtering out the real messages , cause the respond email says accepted for reporting.

[turetzsr]

ok i understand you ...

<snip>

...Nope, not I -- SpamCop. I'm just a user of the SpamCop reporting service, just like you (except I may have been at it longer than you have ).

... if you would only report every now and then , you never get a complete picture from the mess that lands in peoples mailboxes, ...

...That's okay, SpamCop isn't here to get a complete picture. It's just here to help us reporters determine the right place (abuse addresses) to send our reports.

shouldn't it be like the people report and spam cop decides if it's spam or not ?

...It's a computer program, it can never be made as smart as us humans....

like if there are more than XXX reported spam messages with the same content or from the same dns it will be spam ?

...That's not what it decides. It only offers the places (abuse e-mail addresses) to send the reports and then, if we agree, sends them for us.

i used to think that spamcop was the one filtering out the real messages , cause the respond email says accepted for reporting.

...That's the parser. It also warns you to be sure that it really is spam, because it's a dumb (well, not really that dumb, but dumber than you) computer program and doesn't know!

...Remember, when you signed up for SpamCop reporting (http://www.spamcop.net/anonsignup.shtml), you agreed to the following (note especially bullets number 3 and 4):

<snip>

Getting Started

SpamCop will send email on your behalf to the appropriate network administrator. Before using SpamCop, please read the following - you are responsible!

1. If I break these rules, SpamCop will immediately and permanently revoke my access to SpamCop.
   
2. I will use SpamCop only on email which is unsolicited , bulk email.
   Learn more about what to report and what not to report to SpamCop.
   
3. SpamCop emails reports on my behalf. Replies to these reports will be forwarded to my email address. I understand that these replies are not spam.
   
4. I take full responsibility and assume all liability for email I send using SpamCop.
   

[SpamCopAdmin]

I'll be happy to set you up with "quick" reporting, but it's a high-risk process for us because of the potential reporting errors if everything isn't set up right, so first you need to run our Mailhost configuration utility so that SpamCop can create a list of the services that handle your email so that our system will know what servers to trust when you report your spam. You'll need to configure a host for *all* (each) of the networks/hosts you receive mail through.

That would include any webmail hosts, such as Yahoo, HotMail, or gMail, and forwarding services like Bigfoot or Sneakemail, and any other services that provide you an email address, such as alumni associations or professional associations.

You can accomplish that by logging into your SpamCop account at http://www.spamcop.net and using the Mailhosts link to tell SpamCop about *all* of your service providers, forwarding services, and webmail hosts. You need to register one email address for each network/host that handles your email.

Once you start configuring hosts, you can't report spam again until you get them all on your list because the Mailhost system completely changes the way SpamCop looks at your spam.

As soon as you're finished, and you've reported some spam to make sure things are working right, let me know and I'll set you up with "quick" reporting.

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -

service[at]admin.spamcop.net

[pauladev]

I'll be happy to set you up with "quick" reporting,

- Don D'Minion - SpamCop Admin -

service[at]admin.spamcop.net

Unfortunately (and I am probably not the only one) all this 'Mailhosting' and 'setting up' is totally beyond my comprehension and ability. I started my antispam reporting when Mailwasher offered me the opportunity to report spam by clicking 1 box. It took me some time to work out ll the subsequent requirements, and since my spam has apparently escalated about 4 fold since I started, I am either doing something wrong or the system is faulty.

There must be a dumb user-friendly way to get spam reported and action taken and it seems to me that I have bitten off more than I can handle in terms of time I have to spend. I have already flagged the mail as spam in Mailwasher, so I NEVER have to reconsider whether it is spam or not, yet I have to wait for the complex screen of who it is to be sent to, to appear and confirmed. I was never aware of the issue of sending to my own ISP - indeed, I am not sure how the whole ISP thing works as they seem to be clouded with mystery and hidden under layers. I only know who I pay my subscription to every month

Any prospect of a spam Reporting for Dummies coming out or should I leave it to you pros and save myself an hour a day?

Paul Akehurst de Visme

Algarve,

Portugal

[Wazoo]

Any prospect of a spam Reporting for Dummies coming out or should I leave it to you pros and save myself an hour a day?

SpamCop FAQ - links at the top of this page

SpamCop Wiki - links at the top of this page

How to Use ... SpamCop Reporting Forum section

Nothing in any of those that 'helps' ...????

[Miss Betsy]

<snip>.... my spam has apparently escalated about 4 fold since I started, I am either doing something wrong or the system is faulty.

spam reporting does not reduce the amount of spam that you get. It does alert a few server admins, who care, that they have made a mistake and spam has slipped by them. However, most spam comes from irresponsible or incompetent or greedy internet service providers. Those IP addresses are added to blocklists used by other server admins and some filtering programs like Mailwasher.

There must be a dumb user-friendly way to get spam reported and action taken and it seems to me that I have bitten off more than I can handle in terms of time I have to spend. I have already flagged the mail as spam in Mailwasher, so I NEVER have to reconsider whether it is spam or not, yet I have to wait for the complex screen of who it is to be sent to, to appear and confirmed. I was never aware of the issue of sending to my own ISP - indeed, I am not sure how the whole ISP thing works as they seem to be clouded with mystery and hidden under layers. I only know who I pay my subscription to every month

Any prospect of a spam Reporting for Dummies coming out or should I leave it to you pros and save myself an hour a day?

The 'ISP thing' may seem mysterious, but a prudent consumer should know what services he is paying for. There is more to using the internet for email service and web browsing than simply paying a subscription every month. To simply pay a subscription is like going to the nearest autodealer and asking him to provide you with an automobile without asking any questions about gas mileage or features.

However, spamcop reporting is for professionals or amateur hobbyists. It wouldn't hurt you to spend some time here trying to understand how email works and how spam is combatted. The concepts are not that difficult just as non-mechanics can choose auotmobiles wisely. And having another technically non-fluent person who understands the value of blocklists would be an 'action' against spammers even if you do not report. The more people who understand that the use of blocklists will control spam (as well as good browsing practices and prudent use of email addresses), the better for having spam-free inboxes and reliable delivery of email. Content filters often will send email to the bulk email bin for no discernable reason. I am glad you have your Mailwasher filter set so exactly than you are sure that all it tags as spam is really spam. I have never been able to do that - and the filters other people use also occasionally catch one of my emails for no discernable reason.

Miss Betsy