Forum Discussion

TCPIP's avatar
TCPIP
Tuning in
3 days ago

403 forbidden error & Geo-locking

Is there geo-locking on the IP address(es) used to access VirginMedia's WebMail and the MyVirginMedia websites? Or similar restrictions based on ip address / http headers/metadata?

The reason for asking is that I was recently travelling abroad, and was initially able to send and receive email using the webmail site. Then something happened and I was unable to connect and got a 403 error when using My Account pop up links on the top right of https://virginmedia.com to "Sign in to My Virgin Media" and "Sign in to My Email":

The requested URL was rejected. Please consult with your administrator.
Your support ID is g-u-i-d
Error 403 - Forbidden
F5 site: pa2-par


I was not prompted for a username or password, so it seems unrelated to a particular account. Same error on different devices (iPad and Android phone) on the same wifi network. Clearing cookies made no difference. On returning to the UK, the same device magically started working again.

Feel free to reply by private message if this reveals some aspect of network security you do not wish to reveal to everyone. I really would like to know why I was unable to get the service I have paid for. The inability to receive email when abroad was extremely frustrating.

403 forbidden
Geo Location
GeoIP
webmail

5 Replies

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta
    3 days ago

    I have not seen any posts about location limitations for access to WebMail.

    Were you in a country or on a ship where internet restrictions might occur ? 

    Did you have any better success via a proper email client on a mobile or laptop ?

    • TCPIP's avatar
      TCPIP
      Tuning in
      2 days ago

      On land in Canada using hotel wifi, likely broadband/cable connected rather than wireless/mobile phone, but cannot be sure. 

  • John_GS's avatar
    John_GS
    Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
    2 days ago

    Hi TCPIP 

    Thanks for posting and welcome back to the community.

    I can see you're in PM with my colleague. If you can reply to them, you'll need to answer all the questions as well they've asked. Perfect to do so, as it's just Data Protection they're doing.

    • TCPIP's avatar
      TCPIP
      Tuning in
      2 days ago

      I gave up on the PM as I had correctly responded to all the information and it felt like I was being subsequently asked for unnecessary information. The statement of the problem seemed fairly generic and unrelated to my account.