Invalid or No Headers Error

[frostybytez]

I normally report spam by copy and pasting the source code from Thunderbird. However, I've noticed recently that spammers are sending out emails that contain lots of images and lots of HTML. When I attempt to copy that with the header it exceeds the character limitation. So, I tried the way I used to do it. I'd forward the spam to the email address given to me on my Spamcop account.

In Thunderbird, I go to view the source. I then copy the headers and then paste that in to the email I'm forwarding. Now it's been quite some times since I had reported spam like that. When I do that now, Spamcop gives an error that there's no headers. I get an email to click on to continue reporting spam. Then the Spamcop website gives me an error saying that the email I tried report didn't contain any headers.

Is there some special way I need to format the headers as compared to in the past?

[Farelf]

Hi frostybytez,

No, nothing has changed - but the spam has to include some body content. Headers, one or more blank lines (which signifies the end of the headers), then some sort of body. You can truncate the real body or you can simply substitute a note like "body removed". But after the blank line(s). That's for using the paste-in webform. Actually the parser should offer to truncate excessively-sized spam bodies for you.

Try it, any trouble post a Tracking URL (which, for a failed parse, you must get before you dismiss the page). There are some complications with the arbitrary truncation of some kinds of content but those can be addressed if they are a factor.

Using the e-mail submission method you don't copy and paste anything - simply "forward" the spam AS AN ATTACHMENT to your (individual, secret) "submit." address, Many providers block that action these days,

You will find those bloated spam go away in time ... probably not sufficient return on effort for the spammer, though they may elude some spam filters which assume anything over a certain size is legitimate.

Topic moved from Tutorials section to "Reporting Help".

Steve