Tech: returned e mail

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 30 Apr 06 - 04:09 PM

In the programs I've seen, mail in the "Sent" box is dead. It will not try to resend. It's the "Out Box" where mail waiting to be sent sits. If no connection is made, an item in the Out Box may be retained, and your system may attempt to send it again later.

With at least some html mail, the "Out Box" is on the server and not visible to you. No reputable service will try to send from the outbox more than a very few times before it "drops" the message.

As long as a connection is made, the item normally is sent to "somewhere," and your copy of it is moved to the Sent box. Your machine does not attempt to resend once it's moved there.

Any server on the web that receives the mail item and is unable to immediately pass it on may wait and retry, but normally will try only a very few times. It usually will send you a delivery failure notice only when it "gives up" and deletes (drops) the message.

If the message arrives at a valid service where it looks like the addressee might "live," that service may hold it in a "pending" folder and may retry sending to the individual recipient a few times. That "end-point" server could send you a "nondelivery" notice for each try. Usually it's a "three strikes and out," or something comparably brief even there, but it's at the option of the service at the other end. Most services will send you a nondelivery notice ONLY when they decide they can't deliver the message, and ONLY ONCE on their last attempt.

The service at the receiving end may occasionally send you a delivery delayed notice, if they're having problems with their system. If they're unable to look up the address due to a system muckup, they might do this even for an incorrect address; but they should not send more than once. A "delivery delayed" notice could quite reasonably be followed by ONE "delivery failed" notice.

Normally, if you receive more than ONE nondelivery notice on a single message, you may SAFELY ASSUME that only the first one is valid, and the rest are fakes, phonys, frauds, phishing, ... or in other words junk. You probably are just being SPAMMED.

Your recourses are:

A Good AV program with CURRENT definitions, and scheduled scans.
Ad-Aware and Spybot at least weekly
(Possibly also Microsoft AntiSpyware and Microsoft Malware Remover, if your system qualifies)
Current Security Patches on your OS and Browser (Automatic updates recommended if available for your stuff)

TOTAL ABSENCE OF CURIOSITY About ANYTHING that looks suspicious in your email (don't even think about clicking)

Rapid Reflex Response using the DELETE button.

Faith that it will all not matter much when the sun eventually goes supernova may help, if you're so inclined. Spammers do, usually, give up eventually.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Apr 06 - 03:42 PM

Did you check in your 'outbox'? Different from your 'sent box.' It may be stuck in there, or as john says maybe you can't look into it?

Face it...you'll miss it when it goes!

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: kendall
Date: 30 Apr 06 - 03:20 PM

It's back even though I deleted all of my sent messages.

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: kendall
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 09:18 PM

It's gone. I found it in my list of sent e mails and deleted it. Thanks to all for the help.

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 05:42 PM

It depends a little on your email service and on what email software you're using. With "real email" programs, you have an Outbox, and a message "hung up" in the Outbox may repeatedly try to send itself. Again, in a "real email" program, once it's been sent (received by the "recipients" service, but not necessarily received by an individual recipient) the message is moved to a "Sent Items" box. Nothing in the "Sent Items" box should attempt to resend itself. It's a one-shot deal. Delete the file from your "Outbox" and the problem should disappear.

With most html programs that I've seen, there is no visible Outbox so you have no way of knowing that there isn't something in "your Outbox" on your providers server; but most systems work just as for "real email" where it's sent once, and immediately moved to a "Sent Items" folder.

An item may remain in the "Outbox" if your service was unable to "make a connection" with the service provider for the recipient. If you screwed up the address so that it's a "could be a real server but isn't" your service might try to resend later. There should be a "timeout" or "number of tries" limit that will eventually expire. If you don't have a visible and accessible Outbox, your only recourse is probably to wait for the expiration.

Since you're reasonably sure that the message you're getting is the result of a specific message you tried to send, you may not be the recipient of an attack; but you should know that "delivery failure" messages are a very prevalent spam/malware attack method. Since the notification of failure typically comes with the original message as an attachment, there is the tempatation to open the attachment. A malicious/fake message can contain virtually any malware the sender wishes in such a faked attachment.

John

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: kendall
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 04:09 PM

Good suggestions. I'll try them all.

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 02:55 PM

Are you sure it isn't stuck in your 'outbox'.

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 11:23 AM

Sometimes there is a "daemon" feature on the receiving end that attempts to deliver for a few days. You may just have to live with it until that expires.

You could also be receiving spam with the same message of "undeliverable message" or whatever. Are you sure it's the same message you sent? The trouble is, if you open one that isn't the one you sent, you're likely to be confronting someone's nasty porn or penis extension ad. Good luck in figuring it out! They "spoof" legitmate mail bounce messages hoping you'll open it to see what you were sending that didn't make it to the recipient.

SRS

Subject: RE: Tech: returned e mail
From: MMario
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 10:51 AM

Kendall - you should have a "sent" folder somewhere - delete the message from there. YOur e-mail program is probably attempting to resend it every time you check your mail.

Subject: Tech: returned e mail
From: kendall
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 09:30 AM

A few weeks ago I sent an e mail with a mistake in the address. Now it keps coming back time after time and I don't see any way to delete it once and for all. Any suggestion?