Hotmail ignoring abuse reports

[Nisse]

I reported a lottery scam that came from bay15-f13.bay15.hotmail.com (65.54.185.13). The message I got back from hotmail was:

Unfortunately, we cannot take action on the mail you sent us because it does not reference a Hotmail account. Please send us another message that contains the full Hotmail e-mail address and the full e-mail message to:

abuse[at]hotmail.com

What are they talking about? Who should it be reported to, if not the network that sent it?

[Wazoo]

One would have to assume you're new to reporting spam. In my reporting/complaining of abuse of the webTV feed to/from the SpamCop newsgroups, the infamous HotMail bots/ignorant staff killed a 9-year old HotMail account of mine "due to spamming" .... One used to be able to escalate complaints like this, but those addresses are now also identified as "unmonitored" ... Sometimes re-sending the complaint with the additional data to point out that the source was from a HotMail server IP may eventually get to someone that can (and will) actually read the report .... sometimes you'll see nothing but this kind of continued lunacy.

[Jeff G.]

I would venture to say that getting an appropriate response from someone answering abuse[at]hotmail.com is a lottery in and of itself.

[turetzsr]

I reported a lottery scam that came from bay15-f13.bay15.hotmail.com (65.54.185.13). The message I got back from hotmail was:

Unfortunately, we cannot take action on the mail you sent us because it does not reference a Hotmail account. Please send us another message that contains the full Hotmail e-mail address and the full e-mail message to:

    abuse[at]hotmail.com

What are they talking about? Who should it be reported to, if not the network that sent it?

31250[/snapback]

...Hotmail Admins == clueless. <g>

[Nisse]

Now it seems they've put a spam filter on their abuse address. This was received after SpamCop sent a report to abuse[at]hotmail.com:

The original message was received at Wed, 10 Aug 2005 05:32:06 -0700 (PDT) from root[at]localhost

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors ----- abuse[at]css.one.microsoft.com

    (reason: 550 5.7.1 <Your e-mail was rejected by an anti-spam content filter on gateway (131.107.3.125).Reason...uage, graphics, or spam-like characteristics. Removing these may let the e-mail through the filter.>)

----- Transcript of session follows ----- ... while talking to maila.microsoft.com.:

>>> DATA

<<< 550 5.7.1 <Your e-mail was rejected by an anti-spam content filter on gateway (131.107.3.125).Reasons for rejection may be: obscene language, graphics, or spam-like characteristics. Removing these may let the e-mail through the filter.>

554 5.0.0 Service unavailable

[Lking]

I sent the following report to hotmail and others

http://www.spamcop.net/sc?id=z794983025z62...7e069af8aee02ez

I got two responses with the same date:time

1) To: xxxxxxx[at]reports.spamcop.net

From: MSN Hotmail <abuse[at]hotmail.com>

Subject: [spamCop (65.54.162.200) id:xxxxx][Norton AntiSpam] Dear King,

"This is an auto-generated response..."

and

2) From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON[at]hotmail.com>

Message-Id: <200508101912.j7AJCbjZ002866[at]bay0-pcs2.bay0.hotmail.com>

To: xxxxxxxx[at]reports.spamcop.net

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;

boundary="j7AJCbjZ002866.1123701157/bay0-pcs2.bay0.hotmail.com"

Subject: Returned mail: see transcript for details

"The original message was received at Wed, 10 Aug 2005 12:12:30 -0700 (PDT)

from root[at]localhost

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

abuse[at]css.one.microsoft.com

(reason: 550 5.7.1 <Your e-mail was rejected by an anti-spam content filter on gateway (131.107.3.124).Reason...uage, graphics, or spam-like characteristics. Removing these may let the e-mail through the filter.>)

----- Transcript of session follows -----

... while talking to maila.microsoft.com.:

>>>>>> DATA

<<< 550 5.7.1 <Your e-mail was rejected by an anti-spam content filter on gateway (131.107.3.124).Reasons for rejection may be: obscene language, graphics, or spam-like characteristics. Removing these may let the e-mail through the filter.>

554 5.0.0 Service unavailable"

The spam was infact a 419 scam in the usual format. The email came from msn and the "Contact" email is hotmail. But hotmail has found a "simple" way to say so what and disregard SC reports. What fun :angry:

[Wazoo]

Wish I could offer a clue. Microsoft doing the off-shore support thing, killing off ancient e-mail contact addresses (they still exist, just now "unmonitored") ... offering up one big web-page for (alleged) contact points .. yet that page has been broken more often than not from my attempts at using it ... more than half of the "responses" I get from those attempted contacts contain broken/useless links. Even have the gall to ask for "feedback" providing no (e-mail) direct link back, broken links for "further data" .. on and on ....

[petzl]

Well MS is cashed up to by more bullets

"money from Mr Richter and his company, OptInRealBig.com, will be used to augment efforts to combat spam and other computer misuse."

I don't say reporting spammers works all the tme. On the otherhand fines and or prison sentences seem to be esculating for spammers

I always report my hotmail spam at present getting abut 10 a day (porn) from same spammer always referancing Yahoo webspace (which link to diferent porn sites) not sure how long before Yahoo take them down if they do at all?

I'm sure if Hotmail get enough evidence of this spammer he will find him/her self facing the courts I do what I can to provide the bullets

[Jank1887]

does it reference yahoo webspace, or is the URL using a Yahoo redirect, which doesn't actually go to a Yahoo destination?

[petzl]

does it reference yahoo webspace, or is the URL using a Yahoo redirect, which doesn't actually go to a Yahoo destination?

31560[/snapback]

Mainly uses Yahoo webspace (all different name) with links elsewhere On some occasions (not often) it redirects from yahoo

If I have the time I also report the weblinks from Yahoo

Must of hit a nerve, as once out of over a hundred reports in that the Pornsite it was redirected to claimed they will block yahhoo redirects?

[bobbear]

I get real ticked off with the usual dumb Hotmail abuse team response when I try to report '419' response addresses:

In order for us to take action on your issue you please ensure that you sent us the full header that included the X-Originating-IP and X-Originating-Email of the MSN Hotmail account you are reporting. If you exposed the full header and it does not contain an X-originating-IP and X-Originating-Email, it means the message has been forged, which means it is not from a legitimate account and we unfortunately will be unable to take action.

They don't seem to comprehend that a '419' spammer using a hotmail response email address for his scam doesn't have to use the hotmail system to originate his spam....

[Nisse]

The last time I tried to report a 419 scam that was actually from a Hotmail account, it got bounced back by their spam filters. So I sent it again, replacing the message body with "MESSAGE BODY DELETED TO GET THROUGH HOTMAIL'S IDIOTIC spam FILTERS". The offending Hotmail account was actually shown in the headers.

The reply I got back was:

"Please note that the forwarded mail was a bit lengthy, therefore, was cut off by our system. As we are unable to view the content of the questionable message, we are asking you to please forward the portion of the email, which has the hotmail account.

"Forward a copy of the abusive message to: abuse[at]hotmail.com"

In other words, please resend the message we bounced to the same address that bounced it, so we can bounce it again.

How do these people keep their jobs?

[bobbear]

How do these people keep their jobs?

31758[/snapback]

Beats me...

They're still at it. I've just had yet another standard '419' report to abuse[at]hotmail.com bounced on account of it being spam. How dumb is this? - of course it's spam for goodness' sake, what else would I be reporting?

I wonder if they've got a subject line pass key. I'll try and get some sense out of them.