Blocked e-mail

Question

Level 1

8 points

Blocked e-mail

1) Is there any way to know if you are being blocked by an individual (an ex-)? I have experimented between my own AOL and Yahoo accounts and I found that there IS no bounce-back. They aren't even received. I'm left to assume my emails are going into cyber-trash before he knows I even sent them and I have no way knowing if I'm blocked?? He can ignore me that easily?

2) Now I suspect ALL my emails, regardless of account name, are being blocked by my ex. Can all mail coming from my HOME be blocked? Is all mail coming from your computer marked with a particular number that can be identified and blocked. Is there any test you can run to see if you are blocked by someone? I even suspect his work e-mail is blocked as well. How is he to know if I am a legitimate client with a problem or that annoysome old girlfriend just trying to contact him via another alias? (He manages computer engineers; he IS in networking..... is it hopeless?)

Is love lost to those who are blocked? I know, to this there is no answer.

KCC

iBookG4, iMacG4, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on May 30, 2006 4:18 PM

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Answer 1

May 30, 2006 5:44 PM in response to KCChoirgirl

How do you know these recent messages were not received by your ex and what are you basing these other assumptions on?

Maybe your ex has received these messages but is simply ignoring you and decided not to reply.

A message is either successfully sent or it isn't by the SMTP server used with the account. If a message cannot be successfully sent for whatever reason, you are provided an error message and the attempted sent message will remain in the Outbox mailbox. A copy of a successfully sent message will be placed in the account's Sent mailbox which indicates the message was sent.

A successfully sent message is either accepted or rejected by the recipient's incoming mail server. If rejected by the recipient's incoming mail server for whatever reason, you will be provided a bounced-back error email message from the recipient's incoming mail server indicating why the message was not accepted by the incoming mail server.

If your ex decided to do more than only ignore your messages, he can create a rule in his email client to automatically delete messages received from any of your email addresses.

Your sent email also includes your computer's IP address in the long message headers. Since he is in networking and manages computer engineers, a computer IP address can be blocked at the incoming mail server for an email account but when this is done, I believe the sender of the message receives a bounced-back error message from the recipient's incoming mail server.

This is what some ISPs and email account providers do to block spammers from being able to send garbage to their customers. My ISP provides an email address to forward spam received with the long message header shown for the received message. After my ISP confirms the forwarded message is spam and the sender's computer IP address can be determined from the long message header, my ISP blocks that IP address at the incoming mail server from being able to send messages to any email address in my ISP's domain.

Unless you receive a bounce-back error message from your ex's incoming mail server, there is no way for you to determine if you are being blocked, etc.

More than likely, your messages are simply being ignored but either way, it appears like a very strong hint you should take. I assume he knows your email addresses, your home, work and cell phone numbers and your home address so if he is interested in contacting you, there are plenty of ways to do so?

No one likes a stalker of any sort even via email so unless you want to completely ruin any chance at reconciliation (if there is one), I'd let this go for now and move on as hard as that appears to be.

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Answer 2

KCChoirgirl Author

Level 1

8 points

May 30, 2006 8:13 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Allan --

Thank you for the complete and thorough answer. You answered some long-standing questions I had been wondering about blocking. Anyone reading your answer will learn a lot from the information you included. Thank you.

It IS empowering to block the name of a person you are trying to get over. I did it myself with his name. You quit anticipating looking for anything in your "in-box" because YOU have blocked that name. It's a defensive move in that case rather than an offensive one. You quit looking, anticipating. We used to exchange, oh 10+ missives a day. You become obsessive in checking your e-mail.

I've tried to send him e-mail on three occasions in a six-month period months. The last two times were from e-mail addresses that were new so he wouldn't be able to block those. They haven't been bounced back either. That was why I'd been wondering about blocking, knowing that he'd put blocks on my other e-mail addresses.

Quite decidedly he is ignoring me so it IS obvious that he means to stay gone from my life, and wishes no further communication.

I thank you again for your thorough answers. I used to ask HIM my technical questions, but when you are being ignored, well, there goes that venue. I was hopeful that I could find an answer, forthright and objective, on these boards. I did. I'm appreciative!

KCC

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