Checking SPAM email on the Web

About SPAM and SPAM Filters

There is so much SPAM mail being sent, most ISP (Internet Service Providers) provide SPAM filtering on your account.

Also, for people and offices that have domain names (web sites) with email mailboxes configured can have SPAM filtering on that service, too.

This means it is possible to have TWO separate sources of SPAM filtering before email gets to your local computer. Briefly, here is how that works:

• Let's assume you have a web site on a domain called mywebsite.com
  
  
• Next, let's assume you have an email mailbox set up on that domain, and that the address of that mailbox is mymail@mywebsite.com
  
  
• Now someone sends an email to your mailbox by addressing it to: mymail@mywebsite.com
  
  
• If the HOSTING service for your domain has been set up to filter SPAM it may determine that one or more items sent to mymail@mywebsite.com is SPAM.
  
  
• THIS IS IMPORTANT: The actual mail MAY or MAY NOT actually BE SPAM in order for it to be identified as SPAM. This is where the problems get created.
  • SPAM filters can only 'guess' at what is or is not SPAM by using certain rules and looking for certain items that have been set up by the person that programmed the filter. The filtering is done by computers checking for things commonly associated with SPAM; but keep in mind that computer software such as these filters are not perfect, and the 'rules' they are given are not always complete or accurate.
  • Also, people that send SPAM are constantly figuring out how their SPAM email is getting blocked by SPAM filters and and are always devising new ways to get their junk mail through those filters.
  • Two important things to remember are:
    • Items that really ARE SPAM can (and do) get through
    • Items that are NOT SPAM can (and do) get blocked
      
      
• Therefore you need to LOOK at the items and determine if any are 'legitimate' (email you want to receive) have been marked as SPAM, and then MARK the items to be sent on so you can read them. You also need to let the SPAM filtering process know that these 'legitimate' items were not actually SPAM. Some systems allow you to APPROVE all mail from a given sender; some systems allow you to mark individual items as 'Not Spam'
  
  
• Next, assume the item was NOT identified as SPAM; it gets sent through to your email client via your ISP. An email client is simply the program that you use to read your email; it may be Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or a host of other email client programs.
  
  
• BEFORE getting to your INBOX in you email client, each email item undergoes a SECOND SPAM filtering process. This is a second chance for a mistake to be made. Therefore, you have to check all the items identified as SPAM mailby your ISP.
  
  
• For this reason, you may wish to NOT have SPAM filtering on your domain. That way, you will only have ONE place you need to CHECK SPAM and identify false SPAM and DELETE actual SPAM.
  
  
• EITHER location can have the SPAM filter - but it is often wise not to have SPAM filtering in BOTH locations - therefore, you may wish to
  • have SPAM filtering on your domain email mailbox, OR
  • have SPAM filtering on your ISP level

Checking SPAM email on the Web

Since, as stated above, SPAM filtering is not perfect, you must periodically check your email that has been identified as SPAM to insure that an item that is of interest or important to you has not been identified as SPAM and as such been blocked. Items that have been identified as SPAM by either your domain hosing service and/or your ISP do NOT get delivered to your email client (email reader program) on your computer. You must therefore go out on the web and inspect items yourself and manually tag any items that have been falsly identified as SPAM (the 'mistakes') as "not Spam".

Note: Checking for SPAM on the web is only necessary if you have an email mailbox set up for that address; an address set up as an email FORWARD does NOT get SPAM filtering and therefore does not need to be checked.

First, you must log on to your webmail account to check your SPAM folder.

For domain email accounts hosted on 1and1.com, for example, the logon screen can be reached by the following link: https://webmailcluster.perfora.net/xml/webmail/Login

When you CLICK the LINK above, it will bring up a login screen.

1. Enter the email address
2. Enter the password
3. Click “Login”
4. You will see your email in the web interface
5. Click on the “Spam” folder
6. You may want to click the “50” item near the top right to show 50 email lines on one page – this can speed things up.  It’s up to you.
7. CHECK (click on left) all the items on a page that you are sure are NOT Spam,
8. THEN click the ‘Not Spam’ button at the top of the page.
9. Go to the NEXT page and do the same – until you are at the LAST page.
10. Logout

Other hosing services have similar interfaces. For hosting other than 1and1.com you will need to find their webmail link (address). This is usually done easily by logging onto the home page of the web hosting service (for example www.1and1.com ) and a link to webmail is usually supplied for you on the home page.

Please refer and questions or comments to: support@daycomsolutions.com