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EMAIL FILTERING

ALF28
Super solver

My email filters did not work properly today, with emails not going to the expected folders.

I  checked my filter settings and there were two changes, a destination folder was "removed" and also one specific filter was "dissabled", which filtered to  a regular folder I use.

As I did not make these changes this was odd, so how could the email filter settings be  changed in this way. So the filters need to be regularly checked for unauthorised changes, not sure how this can happen, it is only by checking I found the problem, and it has happened to me before.

My account seems secure but have changed my password.

My filtering was a bit complicated so I have simplied my filters now and removed whitelisting allowing any un-filtered emails to the inbox as normal.

The probelms seem to be with the spam folder, so I do not filter to spam, have changed to another folder, only my blacklisted emails now go to spam.

I use the discard option for some spam emails which blocks. them.

I have other filters for personal folders which work OK.

The remaining  emails goes to the inbox, my  spam filter setting is set to tag as spam and goes to the inbox thus preventing any emails going to the spam folder and being deleted later, exept for blacklisted emails which I want to go to spam.

I do also use a an email client but do not think that is the cause as it has no access to the virgin filter settings.

My observation is that filtering to the spam folder  can disrupt the email filtering but only occassionally, so I avoid that now an use my own folders for filtering, and too many filters may confuse the sysem or clash I am still baffled how settings can change on their own??

Any spam getting to the inbox can simply be deleted or moved to the spam folder, I get few now as I have set up many spam emails to discard.

alf28

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

goslow
Alessandro Volta

Why persist in using something that has, over a very long period of time, been shown to be poor quality and unreliable? The current email fiasco of locked accounts and deletion-without-notice on long-running accounts is just the latest chapter in the long, sorry story of VM email provision.

Wind down any contacts and communications on your remaining VM email addresses and then close them down and delete them. Switch all your email comm's to an email service that is reliable and secure.

The only VM email account I have in use now is the main one which is linked to billing and account info and that is the only email traffic it ever receives.

See where this Helpful Answer was posted

21 REPLIES 21

ALF28
Super solver

EMAIL FOLDERS- unusual changes

I  have also noticed my email folders today  have altered with the addition of a sub folder, since removed today, that I have not added and a file copied into it.

This has happened before and is a regular thing, with folders being moved or new ones added without me doing the change.

This means that others can modify my email folders and settings at will, so they must have access to my virign account.

This even happens if I change passwords, and there is no 2FA security so I can only conclude the email not private or secure and some one changes things for reasons unknown.

The changes made are suttle and not easy to spot, but usually when emails go to wrong folders it is an indication that settings have changed.

I no longer use this primary ntlworld.com email except for newsletters, it is not secure and there may be a hacker that can access my account using accesss rights.? or linked to VM?

alf28

 

 

Gareth_L
Forum Team
Forum Team

Hello ALF28

Thanks for you post 

I may need to go away and look at this in a bit more detail , if that is okay 

As soon as I have some information I can let you know 

Gareth_L

update-email issues

Thanks, I presume my account is secure but unexpected changes were odd.

I have checked my email folders and also settings and did find other changes in settings which have all been corrected.

I have modifiied my filters and they seem to be working better and emails going to the correct folders now.

I will monitor for any unexpected changes.

The incidence of folders/sub folders has happened before several times and I no longer use sub folders so  is odd when one appears and with emails in.

I have this before in 2019 with other email (gmail) where sub folders appear in  an unexpected place and also files moving about to wrong folders which was a simlilar issue but all stopped when I started to use 2FA scurity to log in.

It would be a concern in anybody other than myself could access my email, and I do regulary change the password and there has been no indications of any unusual transactions, just spam emails which I was discarding but am now filtering to a folder to avoid any genuine  emails being discarded, and also whitelisting my inbox again now.

alf28

 

 

emails from a "distributuon list"

I often get these emails where I have been added to a distributuion list usually for health products.

They are probably sent via bulk email to thousands on a distribution list of emails.

Some can appear to be sent from genuine UK websites, but as I have not signed up for them, so I use filters to block them.

I also get fake microsoft emails, and as I do not use office 365 I know these are fake, some relate to security.

Many spam emails are via gmail addresses so I am blocking the gmail domain.

In some email there is no/little content, the spammer is sending an email as "bait" to see if anyone reads the email out of curiosity and they will be tracking the email to see if it is read, and then will then send more spam/scam emails.

alf28

Changes to my email-my VM email is not secure.

Someone edits my secondary emails lately , so the emails are not secure, not sure if changes are by VM or unknown actors.

Emails and folders are changed, removed or emails copied. Who ever does it has access to my emails and may be linked to vodaphone/google  ip addresses (since 2018). The changes are specific and not changes I have made. The deletion of my email is more serious, meaning my email  records have with certain emails relating to VM were deleted.

In some cases my emails and folders have been added or removed, so the VM email is insecure, this should never happen.

I have changed the passwords but it does not prevent the "insider hacker" from making changes to my folders and emails!!!!

VM shouLd consider 2FA for their accounts, and review who has access to private emails.

alf28

 

Recovered my virgin account 16.30pm on 11/12/2021 (worked this morning)

My Password failed, but I manged to reset this with my security question.

I Found my email contact address and display name  changed today but the strange thing is that they used an  exisitng email address which also belongs to me. I know this because virgin messages were going to the correct email yesterday, until this happened.

Also today I noticed two secondary emails had been altered/changed so somone had full access, but the passwords still worked, so someone using access privaledges or a virgin employee doing this?, one change was the contact email address swopped.

There is no security and my email can be accessed and changed by an unknown person who has all my passwords, now changed.

For several months I keep finding unauthorised changes to my emails so presume that the virgin security is flawed. The changes are unusual and the primary email is heavily spammed.

Some one has total access  to all my emails even if I change my paswords, and can bypass virgin security which needs looking into, this is very serious and is a data breach, have virign lost control of security???  needs attention and quick. Must be virgin themselves doing this hacking?

For the high cost of my package £77.50 I expect better security and may consider ditching virgin media soon.

also see-    Re: EMAIL FILTERING - Virgin Media Community - 4868039

Why is this post not listed in the community postings?, not there just looked.

update- see the forum moved my new post to  an exisiting older thread- will it get an answer or a private message.?

alf28

goslow
Alessandro Volta

Why persist in using something that has, over a very long period of time, been shown to be poor quality and unreliable? The current email fiasco of locked accounts and deletion-without-notice on long-running accounts is just the latest chapter in the long, sorry story of VM email provision.

Wind down any contacts and communications on your remaining VM email addresses and then close them down and delete them. Switch all your email comm's to an email service that is reliable and secure.

The only VM email account I have in use now is the main one which is linked to billing and account info and that is the only email traffic it ever receives.

I agree, that is good advice, but it is "not just email", my virgin media account is also insecure and hacked today, and I was locked out of that today which is used for bills, services etc and changes made to my profile. Also a virgin email is needed to be a member of the community.

I do use other emails that are not virgin as you recomend, but there is no excuse for virgin to put customers at risk with such poor security, easy to just  not use the email, but many customers still do use it and have for 20 years.

It would be better for VM to ditch the email service if they can not make it safe and secure and bring in 2 step authentication.

Virgin need to get their house in order, hope the 02 merger leads to improvements in secure systems as well as improved services.

alf28

 

goslow
Alessandro Volta

If you think your VM account is being accessed then you would need the forum team to check that and determine how/where/when and why that was happening.

You don't need a VM email to join the VM community. I don't use a VM email address on here. If you do use a VM email it might perhaps help link you to a VM account more easily if you have a query.

I think people have stuck with their ISP email addresses through inertia to change to something better and the fact that a long-standing email address gets embedded into a vast number of important areas of everyday life. Disentangling one's self from an old email address can be done but it can take a bit of time and effort to do so.

I would agree that it is surprising that ISPs continue to still offer an email service. With a large number of other options for customers, I would have thought it would be a prime candidate for a cost-cutting wind-down and closure exercise or migration of accounts to a different provider independent of the ISP.