Bcc-only mails being stopped

[Woody19]

Since I started using Windows 10 Pro about four years ago I have been forwarding e-mails in Bcc to a small circle of friends set up under groups in Thunderbird (POP3 mode) which I use as my mail client. Before that I was doing the same with XP Pro using Outlook Express (second machine, also POP3) and there too never had any issues.

It is a couple of months since I sent anything out as purely Bcc but when I tried in the last few days it was refused as an unknown cause. Some testing showed that (1) it does not matter whether the posting under Bcc is a group or a single address it is still refused but (2) if I send the mail with one address in the To: bar then the Bcc (group or single) will go through unhindered. For easy purposes I put my own e-mail address in the To: bar, but why now and never before?

I understand that this is probably a VM issue and nothing to do with Thunderbird so something must have or have been changed. Any ideas anyone?

[用心棒]

When you say it is refusing does it show a Spam Content Found warning? If so and you are not using the recommended server settings shown below try using them instead:

Incoming (either IMAP or POP3)

Account type	IMAP		POP3
Username	richard.branson@virginmedia.com		richard.branson@virginmedia.com
Server port	993		995
Authentication	Password		Password
SSL/TLS	Yes		Yes
Server host	imap.virginmedia.com		pop3.virginmedia.com

Outgoing (SMTP)

Account type	SMTP
Username	richard.branson@virginmedia.com
Server port	465
Authentication	Password
SSL/TLS	Yes
Server host	smtp.virginmedia.com

[Source: Email settings change]

[coenoby]

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@Woody19 wrote:

I understand that this is probably a VM issue and nothing to do with Thunderbird so something must have or have been changed. Any ideas anyone?

---

Unfortunately, I don't have Thunderbird set up at the moment so I cannot test that right now

However, I have done a couple of tests:

1) I have just sent a test email using Outlook 365 from my Ntlworld email account with a blank 'To' field but  bcc'd to my Gmail account. That was sent and received in my Gmail account fine.

2) I then sent a similar email from my Ntlworld account using VM's Webmail service on their website. That was also sent and received in my Gmail account fine.

So from that I can say that neither Microsoft, VM or Gmail would seem to have any problems handling emails with only bcc addresses in them.   I cannot really comment on what Thunderbird does or does not allow.

It might be worth raising on the Thunderbird forum http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=39 

Coenoby

[Graham_A]

I have just sent an email from a virginmedia email address to three bcc recipients with a blank 'To' field using Thunderbird.  The email sent successfully..

Two of the recipient addresses were hotmail and they were put into the spam folder with a blank To field.  One recipient was a blueyonder email address and that one was received in the Inbox.

[Steven_L]

Hey @Woody19,

Has the advice that has been offered by the community members helped to resolve this issue for you? 

Regards,

Steven_L

[Woody19]

Sadly not. I have several VM/NTL e-mail addresses plus Gmail and Hotmail and they all perform identically - if the To: field sending from TB is empty and I use only the Bcc field I get the refusal message.

I have done another test and sent a message to a gmail and a ntlworld address Bcc only from Outlook or Windows Live Mail on the same machine and they went straight through. If I sent the same mail from TB as Bcc only it was refused, but if I sent it to both Cc and Bcc it went through.

I'm not sure if that means it is a VM issue or solely a TB issue - I suspect the latter.

[Sololobo]

Thunderbird uses a comma separator between email addresses when sending, are you using a comma or a semi-colon when trying a bulk send?

[Woody19]

I use a group address so all I enter is that group name. TB handles it as it sees fit.

I would add - and I don't think I have mentioned this before - that I have been forwarding mails using these group address for upwards of ten years and have never had any trouble until this last week or so, albeit the last forwarding of this type before that was1st August so TB will have been updated a few times since then.

[用心棒]

What does the refusal message state; screenshot if possible?

Are the Virgin Media accounts using smtp.virginmedia.com?

[Sololobo]

According to Mozilla, the release version 91.2.1 of Thunderbird fixed the error BCC-only messages could not be sent from the Outbox.

https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/91.2.1/releasenotes/

It's worth checking what version of Thunderbird you're currently using.