| Error: 554 Failure Message Looks Like Spam |
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| Overview: |
| Microsoft Outlook Express displays a pop-up error box while sending an email message. The error messages states the following, or something similar: "554 Failure message looks like spam".(View Screenshot) |
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| Reason For Error Message: |
| Cable One has instituted Spam Control for all messages sent to our Cable One customers, as well as all outgoing email messages passed through the Cable One email servers. If, upon sending the email, our mail servers conclude that the email looks to be spam, it will not allow the message to continue through, instead displaying a pop-up box in Outlook Express letting the sender know that the email was deemed to be Spam. |
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| Common Questions |
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| How does Cable One decide what outgoing messages are spam? |
| - The technology used by Cable One to filter outgoing messages for spam content uses a "learn as it goes" system. As it finds Spam, it uses these messages to constantly change its rules used to hunt for Spam. This is needed as spammers are continuously changing the methods they use to send Spam in order to get passed the latest Spam Filtering Software. |
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| Why was my email treated as Spam? |
- The contents of your email, or some other aspect of how you sent the email, triggered a rule identifying your message as Spam. Here are some suggestions, however, on what you can do to attempt to send the message again:
* Do not forward any Spam messages (either Solicited or Unsolicited) that you have recieved
* Limit the number of email addresses you send a single message to
* Limit the number or URL's (website addresses) included in the body of the message
* Change Outlook Express to use text only messages to send, instead of html messages |
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| I know my message is not Spam, but I am still being blocked. How do I send it? |
| - Cable One is always interested in improving our Spam Filtering Service to better suite our customers needs. If you feel that your message is not Spam, our Cable One Support Department would like to help. Please log into our MyMail service at http://mymail.cableone.net and send a copy of your email to support@cableone.net. Once we have verified the email as legitimate, we will allow our Spam Filtering Service to use your email as an example of a valid message, learning as it goes. If you require further assistance, please contact our Cable One Solutions Center at 1-877-My-Cable. |
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| I was getting the 554 error message, but now I am getting a 550 error message telling me my email is blocked for 30 minutes. Why? |
| - Part of Spam Control is to block computers from flooding our mail servers with unwanted Spam, slowing down email delivery for legitimate senders. A block will be placed on the spammers IP Address if they have sent an unspecified number of Spam messages in a row. If you are currently receiving the 550 error message, then we have received multiple spam messages, in a row, from a computer on your network. Please allow thirty to fourty-five minutes to pass before attempting to send another message. This should allow enough time for the block to be lifted. |
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| Every time I try to use my email I get a 550 error message telling me I sent Spam and am not allowed to send any email for thirty minutes. How does this happen when I have not sent any messages? |
| - If you find that you are constantly blocked from sending email, a computer on your network may be infected with a virus or spyware program which is attempting to send out Spam messages from that device. It does this without the user knowing. We suggest running a full scan on all your computers using an up-to-date anti-virus program, as well as an up-to-date spyware removal program. |
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