Spam Blocker? One more reason to HATE Verizon!

[norrabasil]

I get so frustrated when I try to do ANYTHING Verizon internet and home phone related. I have had nothing but problems since signing up in November, 2011. It is absolutely BEYOND me how such a technology rich company can be lacking in so many areas. Prime example, I want to come to the community to ask why I can't activate the spam blocker. (My husband works nights, so turning the ringer off on my iPhone is not an option) As of the last week or so, spam has been hitting my mail/phone at 1, 2, 3, and 4 am. I have Kaspersky on my laptop, and no spam gets through there, so it must be a Verizon issue. I tried to sign in to create a post and my username and password are incorrect? Really? Considering I just signed into my mail minutes before, I know this is **bleep**. Ok, whatever, I'll just sign in with my Facebook account. No dice, got an error with that one too. So, alas, I created a new community name because apparently I don't exist anywhere else in Verizon.  

I am so very sorry that I hooked up with Verizon. I've had their wireless for years, and have never had a problem. Great customer service. I guess there truly are 2 sides to every coin. 

[KH-OrnEsh1]

Just a friendly reminder, this is a forum where users help other users. It looks like your issue may require a Verizon representative to review your account details. Please contact our customer service team via live chat or email at: http://www22.verizon.com/content/contactus/

[norrabasil]

Thanks but no thanks. Trying to talk to anyone at Verizon does nothing but raise my blood pressure. I came here to seek help from other users, (Who, most likely are more knowledgeable then Verizon techs), and I ended up have more problems than what I initially started out with. So, you'll have to excuse me, but I think I'll leave my message here, and hope that someone else in the community knows how to fix the spam blocker problem.

[somegirl]

When you say you can't activate the spam blocker, what do you mean?

[norrabasil]

After I click to turn it on and click save, I get this message: 

Unable to update Spam Detector Settings. 

[Hubrisnxs]

Sometimes i have problems doing things with the verizon site using certain web browsers. What browser are you using?

[norrabasil]

I'm using Chrome.

[lmjjc]

I absolutely agree - I spent HOURS trying to resolve why I keep getting DOZENS of spam each day, despite repeatedly marking the messages as such on many occasions - my call was forwarded to this dept, that dept, back to the other dept, etc, then I was given bogus info about emailing ______ - several months later - same exact situation.  I had also done "live chat" extensively- to no avail whatsoever.  How is it that so many other email programs have no problem blocking what is CLEARLY spam, but a giant like Verizon cannot?    (Will not.)  Seems it is a pretty easy fix for others. 

Also, I am extremely frustrated at having to delete the same email many times for it to actually be deleted.

I didn't notice this at first, but have become more & more aware of the fact that about 1/3 - 1/2 of the time that I select messages to delete (by clicking to put the check mark in the box beside them), then click "delete", nothing happens!!!!   So I put checkmarks & delete again, and often STILL nothing happens!!!!    Even though it shows a message that says "deleting messages"  & "messages deleted" - that's not necessarily what happens!  Sometimes yes, sometimes not.  I can't seems to find any rhyme or reason to this.  Many times I've sat down to clean out my email,  go through & check groups of 8 or so emails at a time, some will delete just fine, others I will have to repeat steps several times to get them to actually be deleted.

sometimes it will pop up with an error message as i'm deleting messages; "undefined"  or "please select at least one message to delete"., so I click "ok", reck boxes, click delete, on & on.  I'm SOOO sick of this email.

ALSO, at least 3 times now, I've been unable to access my email at all. All day yesterday I was able to access all other websites just fine, but each time I tried to get into my email, the page started to load, then FROZE, or it wouldn't even start to open the page - just an error message.  I tried from my "favorites" tab & by opening a page & typing in the address & by typing it into a google search - all in vain.  My husband tried several times too, at one point he got it to open & I used email, then closed it, then an hour later I needed to use it again, & had the same trouble.  It took several hours until I was able to get into it again. 

ALSO, about a month or so ago, I was looking through emails, and all of a sudden IT DELETED MY WHOLE INBOX!!!!!

I definitely did NOT have check marks beside every email, so even if I had somehow accidentally clicked delete, it wouldn't have deleted them all.  and I'm pretty sure I had at least 2 "pages" of emails.  EVERY SINGLE ONE IS GONE.  There were several that I needed to refer to  - GONE.   I can't imagine how in the world that happened.  Blows me away.  They weren't in my "trash" either.

Any attempts to resolve these problems through customer service is a joke & HUGE waste of time.

The ONLY thing that has kept me from changing emails is the time & hassle, but I'm DONE. 

I really can't understand why I would have so many persistent issues with email from a company like Verizon. 

The only good thing I can say is that it was nice to be able to access my email from whatever computer is nearby,

but many other emails offer the same convenience, without all the problems present at Verizon. 

I'm extremely disappointed & frustrated, and will not hesitate to let others know the problems I've experienced.

[KH-OrnEsh1]

I'm sorry you are having difficulty. An agent with access to your account will reach out to you directly by email, private message in the Forums and/or the billing telephone number on your Verizon account for more information or to help you resolve your issue.

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@lmjjc wrote:

I absolutely agree - I spent HOURS trying to resolve why I keep getting DOZENS of spam each day, despite repeatedly marking the messages as such on many occasions - my call was forwarded to this dept, that dept, back to the other dept, etc, then I was given bogus info about emailing ______ - several months later - same exact situation.  I had also done "live chat" extensively- to no avail whatsoever.  How is it that so many other email programs have no problem blocking what is CLEARLY spam, but a giant like Verizon cannot?    (Will not.)  Seems it is a pretty easy fix for others. 

Also, I am extremely frustrated at having to delete the same email many times for it to actually be deleted.

I didn't notice this at first, but have become more & more aware of the fact that about 1/3 - 1/2 of the time that I select messages to delete (by clicking to put the check mark in the box beside them), then click "delete", nothing happens!!!!   So I put checkmarks & delete again, and often STILL nothing happens!!!!    Even though it shows a message that says "deleting messages"  & "messages deleted" - that's not necessarily what happens!  Sometimes yes, sometimes not.  I can't seems to find any rhyme or reason to this.  Many times I've sat down to clean out my email,  go through & check groups of 8 or so emails at a time, some will delete just fine, others I will have to repeat steps several times to get them to actually be deleted.

sometimes it will pop up with an error message as i'm deleting messages; "undefined"  or "please select at least one message to delete"., so I click "ok", reck boxes, click delete, on & on.  I'm SOOO sick of this email.

ALSO, at least 3 times now, I've been unable to access my email at all. All day yesterday I was able to access all other websites just fine, but each time I tried to get into my email, the page started to load, then FROZE, or it wouldn't even start to open the page - just an error message.  I tried from my "favorites" tab & by opening a page & typing in the address & by typing it into a google search - all in vain.  My husband tried several times too, at one point he got it to open & I used email, then closed it, then an hour later I needed to use it again, & had the same trouble.  It took several hours until I was able to get into it again. 

ALSO, about a month or so ago, I was looking through emails, and all of a sudden IT DELETED MY WHOLE INBOX!!!!!

I definitely did NOT have check marks beside every email, so even if I had somehow accidentally clicked delete, it wouldn't have deleted them all.  and I'm pretty sure I had at least 2 "pages" of emails.  EVERY SINGLE ONE IS GONE.  There were several that I needed to refer to  - GONE.   I can't imagine how in the world that happened.  Blows me away.  They weren't in my "trash" either.

Any attempts to resolve these problems through customer service is a joke & HUGE waste of time.

The ONLY thing that has kept me from changing emails is the time & hassle, but I'm DONE. 

I really can't understand why I would have so many persistent issues with email from a company like Verizon. 

The only good thing I can say is that it was nice to be able to access my email from whatever computer is nearby,

but many other emails offer the same convenience, without all the problems present at Verizon. 

I'm extremely disappointed & frustrated, and will not hesitate to let others know the problems I've experienced.

---

[norrabasil]

I hear you loud and clear. I use Outlook. I refuse to use Verizon's on site email. I just can't get over how such a technology rich company can have such an awful website with these kinds of awful problems. It blows my mind.  I had Comcast for phone and internet prior and I am thisclose to going back to them. I NEVER had a single spam email get through to me with them. Thankfully my Kaspersky catches it all before it gets to my laptop, but there is nothing stopping it from getting to my phone.  

Good luck with the tech that reaches out to you personally. My question is, what makes one that contacts you any more knowledgeable then one that you call in to? Seems to me like they're ALL in a foreign country reading from the same script. 

[hracer]

This may help all of you regarding spam http://www.verizon.net/spamfaq

Also a few things to remember about online email. Verizon's site was designed for Internet Explorer. If you’re using another browser (Firefox, safari etc...), then it may work to some degree, but you will not have a good experience accessing the site with other web browsers. If you use the Verizon webmail site and an email client (outlook, outlook express, Mac mail etc...) together, then if the email client is not configured correctly. You will see emails located on one computer, but not on another and the same thing with the webmail site. What I mean by this is that the Verizon email service is a POP3 type email. You must make sure that you leave a copy on the server (leave a copy on the webmail site after the email client downloads the emails to your computer). If this is not done correctly on one computer and is done correctly on another, then you will sometimes see an email message on one computer, but no on another. This is because the computer was not setup to leave a copy on the server and allowed the site to remove it from the webmail view. The email policy is located here.

Last make sure that your web browser is up to date and has all the latest plug-in (java, flash etc...). This is usually the cause of most of people’s frustrations when going online. If your system is not up to date and the site you’re accessing is up to date, then how do you expect your experience to be good if your system does not have the correct files to function right. The site you go to does not update your system files for you. I rarely have issues accessing a website or viewing sites the way they were meant to be seen because I keep my system updated. If you have done all what I noted above, then you have a legitimate issue and should contact Tech Support and have them report the issue.

[norrabasil]

 I like you, keep everything in my computer updated an well as the software and apps on my phone. Infact, some might say I'm somewhat obsessive about updating. 

my email is set up correctly. This is not my first rodeo with Outlook or a smart phone.

I have tried chrome, Firefox, Safari AND IE. Still the same problem. Any other suggestions?

And finally, I am a Mother of 3 pre-teen and teenage kids and a wife of a husband who sleeps while I work and works while I sleep. I depend on nobody but myslef to get things done. I am not the type who waits for someone else to notice that her car needs an oil change or new tires or who waits for someone else to resolve my Verizon internet issues . 

[amatchmaker]

Okay, I'm new here.  I had what I thought was a legitimate question.  Then I figure, what the heck, let's post a few more annoyances - -  

I do NOT understand why they don't respond to EVERY question.  I mean aren't they suppose to be providing service, no matter how the request comes in? How about it Verizon? What's your response to this?

[dslr595148]

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@amatchmaker wrote:

I do NOT understand why they don't respond to EVERY question.  I mean aren't they suppose to be providing service, no matter how the request comes in? How about it Verizon? What's your response to this?

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If you are talking about the forums here, clearly you are missing something

At this site, it clearly says.

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The Verizon Community Forums are where customers help other customers.

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[topdog]

Quite honestly, I have had excellent help from customers on the forums, and some advice that was not too good.  Likewise, I have had great help from from some Verizon techs and some terrible treatment from others.  My solution is to hang up and call again and get another tech.  Such is life! Get used to it and don't expect to always get treated like a prima donna.

[gomez821]

Wow! I could have wrote that same email. I too am frustrated with marking eamils as spam over and over again. Also have the deleting email issues. I have been trying to get live chat going today and have been unable to do so. It prompts me to enter zip code and then nothing happens. Based on what you wrote, it seems that I will not get a resolution anyway.

[slgs]

I wholeheartedly agree with the other posters. Verizon spam blocker does NOT work. Case closed. ILike others, it is simply not worth the agravation trying to contact tech support. Since Ive had verizon for about 3yrs it has NEVER worked. Contacted verizon when first installed to no avail. Verizon must know it doesnt work but simply does not care to fix it. After all, were already customers. Face it Verizon simply does not care to fix the problem on a system wide basis. They have already been notified it doesnt work and they JUST DONT CARE.

[maliboo741]

I had this problem for a while when trying to enable spam blocking for one of my many sub accounts:

Unable to update Spam Detector Settings

It's out of your control.  Open a chat with Verizon to resolve.  They found the problem after only a few minutes.  It was described to me as a backend database issue.  Once it was fixed I could use the feature.  Had nothing to do with the browser, cache, cookies.....

[pkegney]

I recently replied to msmoonmist with regard to SPAM perhaps users may find this useful or not

https://forums.verizon.com/t5/Verizon-net-Email/Who-or-What-at-Verizon-net-determines-Spam/m-p/44538...

..As for others complaining about SPAM blocker settings, I have this to say. First off from what I've experience with Verizon and other providers I subscribed to "SPAM blocker" is always on by default however seems some individuals have had issues with certain domains/internet addresses were proving to be problematic. So the problem of setting the actual 'blocker' to allow rather than 'to block' seems to be the 'real' issue for these people. They need to find out from that  host or domain why it is being refused by Verizon. I only say this because many businesses and/or workplaces control whom and what actually passes through their company's firewall. Whilst contrary to popular belief some company (Verizon, AOL, etc.,) will let their own affiliates and/or partners through without regard to those individual/entities privacy policy of which Verizon, AOL, etc., have no control over.

In truth I've received very little SPAM in my Verizon account perhaps a few slipped through but most junk mail of this nature are phishing scams looking for material for mailings lists. This is evidenced by the less than random nature of the recipients that are for the most part alphabetically arranged and the sender gains access via spoofed legitimate address, no legitimate firewalls or SPAM blocker can really stop this without the recipients assistance or participation. Setting up your personal preference for specific allowances for any access to yours or any e-mail account will minimize the problem even further. If I leave my box open to "anybody" than "anybody" can send me e-mail, however if I create a select list of the parties I wish to be contacted this in manner than I can have some controls over to whom and what I receive. Similarly if I demand that I only receive e-mail with singular addressee per e-mail from those individuals than I can protect myself even farther. You see it's those multi- or bulk mailings that open you up to e-mail vulnerabilities because you can't control all those recipients at once. Or whom they have tagged along with or unwittingly become a party to. I'll give odds that one of those individuals is a unwitting list creator or collector and you're just along for the ride. FW'd are notorious for this and very hard to block. I've even received FW: FW: that weren't forwards at atl, they were simply initial mailings created to look like a 'forward'. Try some of my suggestions supplied in linked forum page.

Now on to web accessed e-mail most problems have resulted from poor scripting of the web page itself (JavaScript errors). I have experienced problems as a result of filtering out 'mega' adservers and trackers on the web, Verizon being a party to some of them. I don't need any product endorsements or advertising directly marketed to me or my tastes, however if you need this stuff than just leave the domain/website blocking or popup settings alone in your web browser. If you're interested or just curious just Google opt-out to find the endless list of services and links providing info on advertising and direct marketing links for the op-outs. It's funny to find some of Verizon's own partners on this endlessly growing list of adservers serving up your web browsing experiences on a silver platter to advertisers, SPAMmers & Mailing lists that feed out of this  bottomless pit. Its just like the links in a chain ..One bad link and whole integrity of the chain is weakened. Same goes for your Internet protections.

So if  JAVA scripting on the Verizon's pages are causing the loading problem than you may need direct your attention to JAVA itself (perhaps upgrade is warranted) or the actual scripting itself is affected then check your browser controls or setting.

If your using Outlook or some such software than you need to block the SPAM through that software because those e-mail clients download e-mail wholesale and therefore they are on your computer no longer at Verizon's server at least that the theory, they might still reside there depending on the setting of your EClient however the physical readable portion now reside on your computer. This mass download includes any and all such mailings not detected at the Verizon mail-server end.

[Hubrisnxs]

In addition, here are some best practices for reducing spam that we've all come to discover.

1. You should start reporting the spam with a spam button in the webmail client
2. Forward spam emails that were not caught to spamdetector.notcaught@verizon.net
3. Set your e-mail filter. An e-mail filter and spam blocking software are absolutely critical. Set these security measures to update automatically to ensure that you are protected from the latest threats.
4. NEVER reply to spam. Replying to spam, even to "unsubscribe," could set you up for more spam.
5. Protect your e-mail address and instant message ID. If you must post this information online, set up two identities, one for real use and one for online activities.
6. Be wary of e-mail attachments. Change the settings on your e-mail program so that images and attachments are not opened automatically. Only open attachments from users known to you.
7. Watch out for phishing scams. Don't click on links in e-mails or instant messages unless the sender is known to you. Instead, open a separate web browser and visit the site directly.
8. Create smart and strong passwords. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
9. Never enter your personal information in a pop-up window. You may not be able to tell when a scammer has hijacked a seemingly legitimate site.
10. Don't fill out online surveys, or register for contests or fan clubs. These may be fronts for spammers trying to collect your e-mail address

[pkegney]

Hubrisnxs 06-07-2012 11:52 AM "In addition, here are some best practices for reducing spam that we've all come to discover. .. Here's just a few notable problems with your list

3. Set your e-mail filter. An e-mail filter and spam blocking software are absolutely critical. Set these security measures to update automatically to ensure that you are protected from the latest threats. ...This is highly dependent on whether you use webmail or Outlook or some other such software client. Because Verizon 'webmail' has such a limited number of blocking descriptors ...I believe its set at about 10, not nearly enough to reasonably block a plethora of SPAM specifically designed to get past such mediocre defenses. This type defense whilst using 'webmail' is kindergarten for SPAMMERS and the like. Then again an external client may provide the better defense with the offers of more controls but a real pain-in-the-butt to set up by the average user who would need to know everything Verizon does regarding SPAM in order to protect themselves reasonably well, because e-mailings are delivered in mass to the 'e-mail client' and then filtered out ...in other words they are on your computer already, no longer at Verizon's server. Something to consider 🙂

4. NEVER reply to spam. Replying to spam, even to "unsubscribe," could set you up for  In addition to my above comments, you would have defend yourself against 'spoofed mailings' those mailings usually appear legit probably because of a prior harvesting of your e-mail contact list through the process I laid out 06-04-2012 08:35 AM furthering the dilemma of whether to open / reply or not. The 'spoof' mailing would not pose such a risk if open whilst on Verizon's server however if you use a e-mail client that risk is transferred to where that mailing actually now resides or was downloaded. Most of these e-mailings are just phishing schemes utilizing a dictionary-type attack.

NOTE: If you don't know what a 'dictionary attack' is just take a gander at the header of one of those suspicious e-mailings, i.e. those recipients are alphabetical ...hence they all get mailed but only some actually get through or get a response. They are just utilizing the law of averages versus response. No response but it still got through means that it is viable attack point or open doorway that can further exploited.

8. Create smart and strong passwords. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.   To the best of my knowledge 'logon' for Verizon is still restricted to letters and numbers only, no special characters are allowed. I have tried in earnest to alter my 'login pass' to that of one with special characters with no avail. I wait with baited breath for Verizon to finally enter the 21st Century with this technology. AMERICA ONLINE has similar problem and they've been around for years, however Google & Yahoo have joined the 21st Century with the ability to utilize this more secure in their login procedure. This much needed feature would increase your password's security , a thousand fold, thus making it that much harder to access account/password/etc., via simple 'dictionary attack', rudimentary knowledge of every kindergarten 'hacker' or 'cracker'.  Re-read the 'dictionary attack' comment above.

10. Don't fill out online surveys, or register for contests or fan clubs. These may be fronts for spammers trying to collect your e-mail address ...this is blatantly apparent after read through all the above information. And of course painfully obvious had you ever done so in the past.

This is why I have no information in my Verizon account about me that couldn't be found in a common telephone book. I have no address book, no residual mail i.e. password requests or similar inquiries made through my account. All that can be found at present is that I exist at Verizon and until more secure features are implemented that's the way its gonna stay. For the more secure exchanges I utilize my Google & Yahoo accounts where I can remain secure and anonymous.