Can't receive emails sent to myself

[Oldcynic]

I send messages to a bcc list on which I am the only visible recipient. These messages are no longer reaching my inbox, although I know that at least some of the recipients are still getting them. Even simple test messages sent through webmail without attachments are not reaching my inbox. I assume that Talktalk is blocking my messages as I know that my email address has been spoofed. I have changed my password many times but the spoofing continues. Is there any solution other than creating a new email address?

[Oldcynic]

OK.

Bye, TalkTalk.

[Ady-TalkTalk]

I can only apologise. You're giving us a lot more credit than we deserve. Yes someone in the email team will be able to review some of the hundreds of millions of log entries to try and spot the issue for you. However, the team is very small and responsible for running the email and DNS systems amongst many other tasks. We simply don't have the time to root cause a 1 off issue for 1 customer.  

Ady

[Oldcynic]

Well, could you get it please? Clearly the information must be available somewhere within TalkTalk. Or is it being suppressed to avoid embarrassment, or for security reasons?

[Ady-TalkTalk]

I'm afraid I don't have that information for you.

Ady

[Oldcynic]

I have established that my messages to all TalkTalk email addresses were blocked, but they appear to have got through successfully to all other recipients. So the problem was confined to TT addresses, and when I reported it through this forum the problem was quickly solved, presumably by TT technical support, but you can't tell me what the problem was or how it was fixed?

[Ady-TalkTalk]

I'm afraid I don't have any idea why this happened. We don't make the rules that you're suggesting may be the cause. 

Ady

[Oldcynic]

I need to know how and why this happened, and how it has been fixed. Has it just been done by making me an exception to a general rule that is preventing my messages being delivered to TalkTalk/Tiscali email addresses?

[Oldcynic]

It is, but only for new messages. None of those sent previously have arrived.

What is the explanation? Have other TalkTalk customers who are on my circulation list received my messages, or have they been blocked to them too?

[Ady-TalkTalk]

Is mail working normally for you now?

Ady

[Oldcynic]

Correct, many messages are getting through to my Inbox, including replies to the ones that I have sent but not received myself. (None of these replies are from TalkTalk users, though).

I have never received a spoofed message that was supposedly from myself - I just know about them from other people in my address book. I do not place anything in Spam myself, just delete.

I am pretty certain that TalkTalk are blocking emails from my address because it is associated with a high volume of spoofed emails, but would be grateful if you could confirm with them.

[Gondola]

That's good. So some mail messages are getting through to your Inbox just not the ones from you to you. Possibly to do with the email spoofing if you marked one of those messages as Spam. If you have any of those spoofed messages in Spam then worth selecting and from the toolbar marking as Not spam. Or any previous messages from you to you that you can move / drag and drop to the Spam folder, select and from the toolbar mark as Not spam. 

Otherwise, I'll ask TalkTalk Support to take a look at your mailbox (the one registered as this Community login) to see if mail from you to you is being blocked as a result of the spoofing. 

[Oldcynic]

There was a red dot, but that was because of the email from the community informing me that you had posted another message. The dot has now disappeared, though it didn't happen immediately after I had opened that message. I confirm that Sort by is set to Date and Sort order to Descending.

[Gondola]

OK, the fact that the message is in the Sent folder suggests the message has been sent.

Is there a red dot top right of the mail icon on the blue header bar to indicate unread messages? And when you select the Inbox and the More message options triple dots icon top right of the Inbox List view that the Sort by is set to Date and Sort order to Descending just to make sure you're viewing the latest messages in the Inbox?

I cannot replicate the issue but there are others reporting a failure to receive. I'm starting to wonder if this is an issue to do with the clocks going forward?  Is the time on your device correct?

[Oldcynic]

Yes, it's in the Sent folder. Apologies for erroneous reference to Junk - that was when I was checking in my email client for earlier test messages. I confirm that it's not in Spam or Inbox in webmail.

[Gondola]

OK, so following my precise instructions did you check the Sent folder in the online mailbox and see the self-sent message you composed and sent to your own email address?

TalkTalk Mail online mailbox does not have a Junk folder so where are you seeing that folder?

[Oldcynic]

I've done all that. There are no rules listed. My test message (like all the previous ones) has not arrived in Inbox, Spam or Junk.

[Gondola]

There is certainly a new wave of spoofed mail messages being sent to recipients and spoofing the recipient's email address.  Details below for Compromised versus Spoofed email accounts.

Are your messages being delivered to your Spam folder or recipient's Spam folders?  Noted that some recipients are receiving your mail. Worth a check on sending yourself a new mail message, as outlined below, to see if that arrives and stays in the Inbox.

First, for TalkTalk Support include in your Community Profile, Personal Information (here):

• Your name, current home 'phone number. An alternative (mobile preferred) contact number.
  Full address with postcode (Location)
• Scroll down to Private notes to add email address(es), notes and references etc
• After checking and updating, Save changes

Select here:  Sign in to TalkTalk Mail

Enter your email address and password, select Sign in.

Check the  Inbox first and then check  Spam and  Trash folders for mail messages that may have been diverted from the Inbox. Bear in mind the spam and trash folders normally contain mail not older than 30 days.  If you find your previous self-sent mail in Spam then select that message and select from the toolbar 'Not spam' to get that and future mail to the Inbox.

Select the New email button to compose and self-send the same mailbox a mail message. Check that the message sends without error, is copied into the Sent folder and arrives and stays in the Inbox.

Mail not reaching the Inbox could mean there's a Filter rule, including an Auto forward which is a special filter rule, that's diverting, discarding or blocking mail.

• Select the Main settings menu cog icon      top right on the blue header
• Select All settings
• Select Mail and scroll down to Rules
  Select the chevron icon > to see all defined Rules
  If there's no rule defined, that's perfect
• To delete a Filter rule including any Auto forward
  select the X icon to the right of the rule
  The icon background will turn red  X
  
• To confirm you really want to delete this Filter rule
  Select the blue Delete button

Let us know of any error message, or if mail did not arrive in the Inbox or disappeared from the Inbox. Collecting mail messages with a POP3 mail account or mail collection service, like Gmail, may be deleting messages from the online Inbox.

The TalkTalk Mail Support Hub is your go to resource for information, guides and Community support for TalkTalk Consumer home broadband and MailPlus subscribers.

Select here:
 TalkTalk Mail Support

TalkTalk Mail help
 Using TalkTalk Mail

 Phishing emails & everything you need to know

 Compromised or spoofed accounts