Several SPAM messages come addressed to me along with multiple other people on my cox.net email. I've tried creating a rule that says when the one of those addresses is in the To or CC field, the message should be deleted from the server. I still receive those messages. I've also created rules that say messages with words such as "Online Pharmacy" and "enlargement" should be deleted...those are working OK.

Any ideas why the ones excluding specific email addresses aren't working? Thanks.

Instead of deleting the bad ones why not just create a set of rules that only allow your friends through and everybody else automatically gets deleted. Like if sender doesn't contain soandso@soandso.com then delete it. Anything that is not from soandso will be gone. I mean anybody can write anything in the subject they want, but they're can only be one soandso sender.

ivnj

Let's say you're getting unwanted mail from spammer@blackadder.net. Open Outlook Express, click Tools and point to Message Rules, then click Mail and New.

Under Select the Conditions..., select Where the from line contains people.

Under Select the Actions..., select Delete it from server.

Under Rule Description, click contains people. Type spammer@blackadder.net, then click Add. Note: you may enter any number of email addresses now, or later by clicking the rule, Modify, and the contains line.

Click OK until all the dialog boxes are closed.

Thanks, but that's what I've already done. I know how to add message rules. I can't figure out why these aren't working.

Are the sender's addresses changing? Maybe the address is not really what appears in the "From" box. You can right click on the "From" address and then click "Properties" to see the real "From" address. Often times spammers use an address that is a mixture of characters that they change frequently. *See below

You can also try blocking the entire mail server. For instance if the address is spammer@blackadder.net the server is blackadder.net You put in the From address as @blackadder.net and that will block all mail sent from that server.

In the case of mail servers that aren't common to people you wish to receive mail from, this can be an effective spam block. You probably wouldn't want to block all mail from @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com for instance, since some of your correspondents may use those email services.

I hope something here helps!

Dwight

*Sometimes, even the right click "properties" won't show the real address. I have no idea how spammers do it, but it is possible to mask the real mail server here, too.

One other thing you can check is the exact spelling of the addresses. A lower-case L is easily mistaken for the number one - the L in blackadder might be a one. Using a zero instead of the letter o is another example of this disguise tactic.

Try blocking a variety of possible spellings. Spammers use all kinds of sneaky tactics to get past rules and filters.

For instance, when I set up a rule to block messages about mortgages, I specify the words

mortgage
m0rtgage
loan
l0an
1oan
10an

or for those little-blue-pills folks are always offering me, I block

viagra
v1agra

and so on.

I don't know if this will solve your particular problem but it's another way to expand your spam-catching net.

Cindy, in your original post you mention "when the one of those addresses is in the To or CC field". In my reply you're directed to choose "Where the from line contains people".

Try modifying the rule, choosing Delete it as the Action instead of Delete it from Server.

Highlight the Rule and click Modify. Since you already have Delete it from Server set as the Action, you'll have to uncheck that before you can choose Delete it.

This has solved the problem for a couple of my clients in the past.

Thanks, MuchWyza. That's what I had started doing right before I got your message. Do you have any idea why "Delete" works, when "Delete from the Server" won't?

If you are using the POP protocol for your incoming mail (like Eudora or Outlook Express), your messages are normally deleted from the server when you check your mail. That is, if you have 3 new messages, they are transferred from the server (usually your ISP) to YOUR machine. Then they are not on the server any longer.

You CAN choose to leave the email on the server if you access your mail from different machines. This makes it kind of like a Hotmail account, where you can read a message at home and access that message from your office, too. But your quota may get full quickly and won't be able to accept new mail.

In a Message Rule, the "Delete it from the Server" option only gets rid of the message on the server, if you have chosen to leave messages there. But it will still deliver the message to your machine when it first arrives.

Hope this makes sense.

Ruth