emails from my talktalk are treated as spam by gmail

[pastim]

Until recently I used to be able to send emails from my talk talk account (talktalk.net) to my gmail account, using any of :

- talk talk web mail
- my mobile
- Thunderbird on my PC

 and they would be received by my gmail account.

Now they always go to spam, whatever method I use.  Gmail reports:

"The sender hasn't authenticated this message, so Gmail can't verify that it actually came from them. Avoid clicking links, downloading attachments or replying with personal information."

I have reset my talk talk email password, but it still fails.

Help!

[pastim]

Thanks.  I don't know enough to understand Dmark. Now I know how to avoid the problem (by sending directly) it's not an issue for me personally.

However, all other systems that I have ever used work with this indirect method of sending emails without problems, except for TalkTalk as of just a few weeks ago.  I continue to get emails from all sorts of other systems and people without issue.  Other users may be affected by this problem, so TalkTalk may want to see if there is a way of resolving this for them.

[Ady-TalkTalk]

TalkTalk DMARK settings can't apply to the process when the mail is forwarded hence the discrepancy.

Ady

[pastim]

No.  I am sending emails either to my 'normal' email address, which is a domain which itself sends them on to my gmail address, or when I send emails directly to my gmail email address.  

In principle this doesn't really matter to me now that I know that sending them directly to my gmail address works.

However, talktalk might want to resolve this more generally, since I am by no means the only person to use an intermediate domain as their normal email address and get that to send the emails on to the email system of their choice.  The following shows what gmail reports in each case.

TalkTalk sending via my domain at me@me.co.uk – reported as spam in gmail - note the 'via' clause.

from:	me <me@talktalk.net> via tt.xion.oxcs.net
to:	me@me.co.uk
date:	5 Mar 2025, 14:36
subject:	Yet another test
mailed-by:	srs2.kundenserver.de
Signed by:	tt.xion.oxcs.net
security:	Standard encryption (TLS) Learn more

TalkTalk sent direct to me@googlemail.com – not report as spam

from:	me <me@talktalk.net>
to:	me@googlemail.com
date:	5 Mar 2025, 14:34
subject:	Try a different way
mailed-by:	talktalk.net
Signed by:	tt.xion.oxcs.net
security:	Standard encryption (TLS) Learn more

Other people (eg 'stuff') sending emails via me@me.co.uk – not reported as spam

from:	stuff <sales@stuff.co.uk>
to:	<me@me.co.uk>
date:	5 Mar 2025, 12:03
subject:	Save BIG on ….
mailed-by:	srs2.kundenserver.de
Signed by:	stuff.co.uk
security:	Standard encryption (TLS) Learn more

The information from gmail about resolving this issue follows:

"To Remove 'via' information from emails not sent through Gmail

Gmail checks whether the messages that you send are authenticated.

If you send messages with a bulk-mailing vendor or third-party affiliates, prevent your emails from being blocked by Gmail.

Publish an SPF record that includes the IPs of the vendor or affiliates which send your messages.

Sign your messages with a DKIM signature that is associated with your domain.

Make sure that the domain in the 'From:' address matches the domain that you're using to authenticate your emails."

I'm not techically knowledgeable enough to know what SPF or DKIM are.

[Ady-TalkTalk]

Hi pastim, are you saying that it's when you forward mail that it fails, but when you send directly it works?

Ady

[pastim]

This is more complicated than I thought.

Firstly, I have changed nothing at all related to my email accounts, or routing, for many years, apart from resetting my talktalk email password to see if that helped (which it didn't).

However, my normal email address is actually not the gmail address, but an intermediate address belonging to a domain I registered over 15 years ago.  Emails sent to that are all, without exception, sent to my gmail account.  This has worked without any issues for all of that time.  And still does, except....

If I send from my talktalk email account to my normal email address, it gets treated as spam when forwarded on and received by gmail. If I send directly to my gmail account instead, it is not treated as spam!   

It is difficult to say exactly when this problem started, but something like a month ago.  I test my talktalk account quite regularly, sending to my normal email account, and this worked until recently.  So something, somewhere, has changed.  I am aware that there have been some changes in the talktalk email system, so I am wondering whether that is related to this problem.

All other emails sent by all other parties to my normal email account are still processed normally, as they always have been,  and forwarded on to my gmail account without any problems.  So I think there must be some changed interaction between the talktalk email and the forwarding domain system that in some way removes some level of authentication that gmail expects.  

Can anyone help?

[pastim]

How can I tell what is happening?  gmail claims it's not authenticated, but it is from me, even when logged onto talktalk internet website.

What can I do?

[Ady-TalkTalk]

It's possible that your mailbox is being used as spam relay or your email address may be being spoofed. Your genuine mail is picked up as spam.

Ady

[pastim]

It is not a new email address.  I have had it for many years.  It has worked for years.  Now gmail says it is spam.

[Ady-TalkTalk]

Hi pastim, the email add you use has to be one that you've never used before. The email team are working very hard to stop the spam sending issue, including blocking or deactivating accounts that are spamming amongst other things. 

Ady